Recruitment agencies are designed to help a variety of companies fill several different needs regarding a search for job candidates. The process can ultimately help save employers’ and employees’ time.
Some of the reasons companies work with recruitment agencies are the following:
- Providing support to hiring managers if there is no internal recruiting or human resources team
- Identifying hard to find or highly specialized talent
- Finding job candidates from outside the company’s own networks of people
- Assisting in-house recruiter during a hiring spree or growth spurt
- Maintaining confidentiality during a sensitive search
- Replacing altogether the need for an in-house recruiting function
Agency recruiters research open roles and identifying qualified people with the goal of matching the right job candidate with the right position. Recruiters are trained to identify a match between an open job posting and a candidate’s skill set, abilities, and experiences on their resume. Recruiters also look for candidates to fill the role who align with the hiring company’s corporate values, vision, and culture. The recruiter will also screen the candidates and support the employer in the new hire selection process.
Recruiting agencies differ from employment agencies in that the former serve employers and
the latter serve job seekers.
Recruitment Agencies can structure their services and feed in a few
different types:
- Contingency recruitment, with a salary-based fee paid only if a hire is made
- Retained or executive search, with an up-front fee paid for assistance filling a role
- On-demand recruitment, with an adjustable level of support at an hourly rate
- Recruitment process outsourcing, which completely replaces the employer’s internal recruiting function
The positions can be temporary, permanent, part-time, or full-time. Agencies will help find the appropriate candidates for these job requirements on behalf of the employer.
The recruiting process: a job becoming open to hiring an employee is as follows:
- Employers contact the agency when they need to hire new staff, providing specific requirements, pay rate, and other details. The recruiter then creates a listing for the job description and advertises the position on job boards and social media.
- Candidates then apply to the posting on the recruiters website, job boards, etc. They can contact or meet with the recruiters to discuss their qualifications and the recruiter will assess the candidate’s skills and background. Candidates will sign up with the agency for the recruitment process and receive feedback throughout the process.
- Interviews will be conducted for possible candidates. This includes prescreening and formal interviews. The recruiting agency will then introduce the selected candidates to the employers who will decide who they would like to hire.
- The agency will take care of most of the paperwork, like contracts; termination, when necessary; employment taxes; payroll; etc. This is another benefit to employers who use agency services to save time and energy. In many cases, the recruiting agency will pay temporary employees directly until the company itself hires the employee.
Working with a recruiting agency can be beneficial for both the employer and the employee. Remember to be honest and clarify your needs with recruiters so that they can help find the best possible arrangement for both the candidate and employer. Read our blogs How to land the job of your dreams! It all begins with the resume and How to ace the interview! for tips to prepare you for your job search.
Source: Indeed: How Do Staffing Agencies Work?; Recruiting 101: How Do Recruitment Agencies Work?