In today’s job market we have seen a dramatic shift from a record-breaking number of job openings and then resignations in 2022 to high profile layoffs in 2023. With this contrasting work world, companies need great recruiters dedicated to their hiring solution to attack the unpredicted job market of the future.
Harvard Business Review (HBR) states that companies are tightening their belts in ways they haven’t seen since the 2008 financial crisis. HBR advises staffing and recruiting firms to use this time to strengthen bonds with their hiring companies, because hiring always snaps back and when it does it comes in with a bang. Don’t waste any precious time this 2023 and find the right staffing and recruiting agency to work on behalf of your organization.
Find Your Recruiter Match
Before a recruiter can begin to help you find the talent you need, you must select a firm that best fits your business. To ensure this is possible, as a hiring company you must clearly communicate factors like your company culture, the type of candidates you are looking to hire and the basic responsibilities and skills required for the job.
Once this understanding is established, ensure that the recruitment agency fits your budget. In a LinkedInarticle, the author states that “recruitment agencies provide no-doubt high-quality candidates; but what one agency charges can be comparatively higher” than one that provides the same results. For this reason, pricing should be included in the same line of communication as you build a hiring strategy.
Great Recruiters Hit the Ground Running to Find Your Candidates
When a recruiter and a hiring company work together on a winning hiring solution, the upside can be tremendous. Staffing companies reduce the workload and save your company time and resources. According to Business News Daily, when you utilize the services of a staffing agency with dedicated recruiters instead of assigning the recruitment role to your own employees, you free your staff to be able to concentrate on their role-specific tasks, thus increasing productivity. Leaving the staffing agency to focus on its sole purpose: the hiring process.
This saves you and your company time because it’s consuming to review resumes and conduct interviews while still attending to your other responsibilities. Recruiters have access to many tools and services to help source and communicate with potential talent, as well as to screen and verify those promising candidates, determining if they are a good fit and then presenting to the hiring manager for next steps.
Of course, before the staffing solution is put into action, however, it’s important that the recruiter-hiring manager relationship is on the same page. Communication is key and recruiting practitioners often share their best tips for better communication with hiring managers, which include: market knowledge and preparation, understanding roles and setting expectations.
How Great Recruiters Differentiate Themselves
Hiring companies invest not only their money, but their trust in recruiters to fill their positions as quickly as they can, with the best candidates out there. An effective recruiter has a deep connection to the industry they are targeting with access to a vast network of talent to source. At Matlen Silver, our recruiters offer a wealth of experience in the industry, but also benefit from a robust support system that provides tools and programs that aid them in exceeding the expectations of their hiring manager counterparts.
Here are a few strategies that great recruiters will employ to create a different staffing and hiring experience:
- Working with the top consultants in the industry has its benefits; top tech talent knows top tech talent and recommends accordingly. Recruiters benefit from a wider talent pool with the inclusion of a comprehensive consultant referral program. In direct hiring scenarios, Indeed noted 74% of employers said candidates sourced from employee referrals were extremely qualified for the role. When working with consultants and contingent labor, particularly on contractual projects, it is an advantage to place consultants who are recommended by their peers in the industry.
- The Candidate Experience is a priority to secure great talent. Treat potential candidates like customers. First impressions matter, and when using a staffing firm, a candidate’s first introduction to a company will be through the recruiter. Great recruiters understand the hiring brand, embrace their culture and convey it to candidates. They have impeccable communication skills and look to find ways that the hiring relationship benefits both parties.
- Thinking out of the box to find talent. Most recruiters will have a similar process and access to like tools to find candidates in the market. A great recruiter will look beyond the general pool to discover talent. They will work in niche circles to cultivate relationships with passive candidates. They will reach out to community networks that target specific groups, like veterans, students, cross-over candidates and more. They will partner with industry experts for insight into new markets and new avenues, to understand the trends and locality of a position and market accordingly. It’s not simply about posting job descriptions to a board and hoping they are found.
As our Matlen mantra goes: Experience Matters. For all sides of the staffing relationship from recruiter and candidates, recruiter and hiring managers or newly engaged consultants and employers, the relationships will grow successfully when we focus on the experience and the attention applied to the solution. When seeking a great recruiter to partner with, keeping the above ideas in mind will help narrow the search, helping you to hire the right talent the first time.
