From an Employer Standpoint:
- It might be more cost-effective: You have billable work to be done, and you have to stop work to search for candidates. It might be more cost-effective to hire a professional recruiter to do most of the search work for you so you can focus on billable work or running your business.
- It takes excessive time to handle the recruiting process on your own: Track all of the time and cost to find out what you are spending in time and cost of hiring. You may be surprised.
- You have an open position that is costing you money: For example, you have an open position for a veterinarian and there is the opportunity cost of not having someone in that position. What is that costing you in lost revenue?
- You regularly hire friends and family without checking capabilities: It can be tempting to hire friends and family without assessing their skills but if this is your hiring policy this is high-risk. How do you know your friends and family are the best candidates for the open position and not just the easiest people to hire?
- Professional recruiters have proven search techniques: They are likely to have more tools and be more effective since this is what they do for a living. Hire experts who do what they do best. If you had a plumbing issue, you would hire a plumber. If you needed heart surgery, you would hire a heart surgeon. Professional recruiters have knowledge that helps them to tap into databases to search for the most appropriate candidates.
- Professional recruiters have strong knowledge of the market: Recruiters are personally speaking with candidates on a daily basis, and they know to use web analytics tools to obtain data on things like salary ranges.
- Professional recruiters take time to get to know the candidates: Professional recruiters, unlike you, don’t have to split their time between running a business and recruiting. They have to time to prescreen candidates. They will sift through resumes and call prospective candidates to conduct telephone interviews, so you don’t have to take time away from working in your own business.
- Professional recruiters have access to the “hidden” job market: If you rely on job boards to find new employees, you will only attract people who are actively looking for a job change. Job seekers aren’t typically the best candidates, which means tapping into passive candidates could be a better option.
- Professional recruiters manage the process for you, so you don’t have to: Recruiting is the sole focus of a professional recruiter. They bring focus and a customized recruiting strategy, including sourcing, prescreening, and coordination of interviews. They have the expertise and resources necessary to provide a successful outcome.
- Confidentiality: You may place yourself at a competitive disadvantage by disclosing vacancies, compensation or other internal information about your company. Recruiters can protect you by only giving potential hires essential information about the position. It also protects you from getting numerous calls and other correspondence from job seekers who may not be qualified for the position. This is especially true of higher-level executive positions.
From a Candidate Perspective:
- You are gainfully employed and highly regarded: The best time to reach out to a recruiter is when you are currently working but looking for new opportunities and career growth.
- Confidentiality is important: Since you are gainfully employed and highly regarded, confidentiality is important to you. You don’t want to risk posting your resume on a job board or applying to positions on job boards because you don’t want it to get back to your current employer that you are open to new opportunities.
- You want to benchmark your current role with the job market: You want to see if you are being fairly compensated at your current employer and want to test the market with your current skills to see what the market is paying. You also want to see if there could be potentially something better out there.
- Professional recruiters can serve as a guide or coach: Professional recruiters can coach and guide you through the process to help minimize mistakes you could make on your own.
- They help you understand what is required: Professional recruiters spend significant time talking with hiring managers to get a deep understanding of the jobs they need to fill to ensure the best candidates are hired. They can give you insight into the job before going through the interview process. They also know why the company is hiring and about the leadership and culture of the company.
- They know you and your skills: They spend time getting to know you and your qualifications. They learn about the direction you want to go in your career, and they may contact you in the future if they find a great match for your interests and skills.
- They can act as a partner throughout your career: Professional recruiters spend a significant amount of time researching the job market which allows them to provide you with current information on the market, available positions and competitive salaries for your level and industry.
- They can simplify the hiring process: They are able to get feedback from their clients about the interviews: they will keep you informed about areas where you performed well or need improvement. They can help you to improve your interviewing skills. They also work to provide seamless communication between you and the employer.
- They have exclusive access to opportunities: Having access to the best opportunities gives you leverage. Companies often give recruiters exclusive rights to specific critical positions the company needs to fill. Recruiters who know you can help you gain access to these exclusive positions.
- They can save you time: Searching for positions that fit your skill set or positions that are a good fit can be time-consuming. Professional recruiters can save you time by looking for the opportunities that are right for you.