Just because your firm has an internal HR department doesn’t mean they can handle your every recruiting need. Or that they should. Outsourcing has long since proved to be an effective business and financial management tool for companies of all types and sizes. You can add specific expertise, and there are other benefits, too. No doubt your HR team does a great job. They’re talented and diligent. But they’re responsible for a wide range of activities from hiring and on-boarding to monitoring and recording each employee’s job performance. Maybe training, too. That’s a lot of work. Are you absolutely certain they’re finding the best person for every opening?
Hiring a recruiter augments your crackerjack team.
A recruiter brings vital skills and resources that make your team’s work easier and your company’s overall hiring effort more effective. That’s a recipe for long-term success and growth. Consider this:
- A recruiter is not an employment agency. They work specifically for your company. They gain in-depth knowledge about your mission and culture as well as positions you wish to fill. That way, they can accurately and positively represent you to prospects.
- Recruiters typically focus on “more difficult” types of candidates – those in technology and other fields where the pool is small and competition for the best can be fierce. Identifying and courting these prospects is particularly time-consuming. And you have to know where to look.
- That’s why recruiters are all about networking. The person you want to take your company to the next level is probably doing that for someone else right now. They may love their job. They aren’t looking to make a change. (Until your recruiter introduces them to your company.) Recruiters use targeted tools, subscriptions and contacts your team does not have.
Of course you need the right recruiter
The right recruiter is far more than a locater service. They are expert at crafting job descriptions that speak to candidates realistically but alluringly about your opportunity. They can give you unbiased information about the talent pool, salary and benefits expectations, etc. Because the right recruiter is already on the scene, if you will, they can make connections faster than your in-house team can. They know exactly where to look for each type of candidate and how to approach desirable “passive” individuals who aren’t actively looking for a position. They can do that anonymously, too – something that is critical for certain employers.
The faster you’re able to fill an open position, the more your company benefits. You can maintain productivity and protect your bottom line. Hiring the best is not a matter of advertising in the usual places. You might find someone good that way, someone who coincidentally is looking when you are. But what are the odds? Efficient – and effective – recruiting requires a lot more than luck. The right recruiter helps your team avoid hiring mistakes by vetting candidates and presenting only the top few for internal consideration. Having someone else check backgrounds, references, etc. and conduct initial personal interviews goes a long way toward identifying the individuals most likely to mesh well with your company. That objectivity is priceless. And the time savings enormous.
Yes, it costs money to hire a recruiter.
But consider the benefits, then pencil it out. Your team can save time – hours they can devote to their other important work. They’ll be less frustrated – focused rather than spread too thin. And you’ll get better hiring results. That’s an impressive return on your investment. Plus, there is no way to put an accurate number on ability to attract the cream of the candidate crop – people you may never have met if it weren’t for your recruiter.
