Capitalize on Your Relationship with a Recruiting Agency

There are many reasons why companies choose to work with recruiting agencies. To illustrate, they could be conducting a challenging candidate search for a highly-specific skill set. Also, small businesses lacking dedicated Human Resource departments often enjoy partnerships with staffing agencies. While people’s reasons for utilizing agencies are varied, there are some very specific parameters that should be followed if you decide to work with a recruiting service.

Mac & Fulton Talent Partners put together a list of criteria that will help you capitalize on your relationship with a staffing agency. Because we treat each of our clients with a partnership mentality, M&F Talent sees a real value in educating our network on the ins-and-outs of working with a third-party agency. Not only does this process make for a better working relationship with recruiters, but it will also increase your chance of making a successful hire.

Area of Expertise 

When you are researching potential recruitment partners, be sure you look into their areas of expertise. Matching areas of focus is even more important when it comes to filling executive, managerial, and technical positions. 

For example, M&F Talent specializes in the horticulture and hydroponics industries. Within these verticals, we deal primarily with mid to upper-level positions, as well as technical roles. That being said, M&F Talent would be a poor choice if you are looking to hire a budtender for your cannabis dispensary. Simply because, these types of searches do not fall into our area of expertise. 

Established Clients 

If you are in the market for a recruiting partner, be sure to have a look at their testimonials page and online reviews. In doing so, you can get a good feel for the sorts of companies that the recruiting agency works with. If their established clientele matches your business model and hiring needs, it’s worth giving them a closer look. 

To illustrate, if you need to hire a Sales Manager for your horticultural lighting company, you should make sure that your recruiting partner has worked with other businesses in this field. Conclusively, recruiters who understand your business will always be the best fit – even if they have placed candidates with your competitors. 

Job Description & Search Process 

Once you have chosen your recruiting partner, it’s important you schedule a meeting with them to discuss the parameters of the position as well as your working relationship. This extremely important onboarding process will help ensure efficiency throughout the search process. 

A great place to start in the onboarding process is with a job description. By carefully laying out the specifics of the job, you will ensure that your recruiting partner gets you the best applicants possible. Therefore, taking the extra time to write a description will save you a good deal of time when you get to the interview process. 

At the onset of the search, it’s also a good idea to cover the parameters of the working relationship with your recruiter. Most importantly, give them the tools to effectively communicate with your hiring team. For example, let your recruiter know what hours and days of the week are best for communication. Even better, let them know if you prefer phone calls to text messages. 

Expectations of Work With a Recruiting Service 

During the onboarding process with your recruiting partner, it’s important to discuss your expectations for the search. This conversation should always include your anticipated time frame for making a hire. 

Every search process is unique. To this end, M&F Talent has placed candidates within a week of starting a search. However, we have also conducted searches for high-level positions that have lasted 6-9 months. In both cases, our clients were upfront with us about how quickly they needed to hire. With this information in hand, M&F Talent was able to customize our search timing around their needs. 

If you don’t clearly communicate your expectations with your recruiter, they’re going to have a hard time making you happy. In the end, this basic communication can save time and heartache for both parties. 

Conclusion: How to Best Work with a Recruiting Service 

If you are interested in working with a third-party staffing service such as M&F Talent, there are some very specific parameters you should follow. By vetting the agency for relevancy and employing effective communication, you will maximize the productivity of the relationship. Even more, you will likely save yourself a good bit of time by choosing a partner that matches your expectations. 

All things considered, following these simple steps will build more productive relationships with recruiters. Even more, doing so will increase your chance of making a successful hire with a hard-to-find candidate. 

 

If you would like to learn more about how to work with a recruiting service, please reach out at info@mandfconsultants.com. We would also be happy to discuss any questions you might have about the hiring and onboarding process.