The 5 Advantages of Hiring a Recruitment Agency For Your Staffing Needs
How a Recruitment Agency Works
Currently, the job labor market is more on the side of the talent, with many companies struggling to find the best candidates and fill vacant positions. Having trouble finding appropriate staffing can prevent companies from reaching their short and long-term business goals and the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) projects that the current labor shortage could continue well into the future.
That’s why recruitment agencies have been a particularly valuable resource — they’re the experts in finding high-quality talent for companies and firms in a pinch, even when the labor side of the market has the advantage. We spoke with several Aerotek experts to learn more about how staffing agencies can help employers.
What Do Recruitment Agencies Do?
Recruitment agencies do what the name suggests — they’re experts at helping companies recruit new employees and talent. In general, a company approaches a recruitment agency in a particular industry, giving them a job, skill set, or position they need to fill. The recruitment agency then starts searching for qualified candidates that fit the position.
This process involves marketing the job (in print, internet, and social media advertisements), interviewing qualified candidates, and then passing the “finalists” along to the company to make their final evaluation. Sometimes, the recruitment agency will also assist with the onboarding paperwork and documentation too.
Why Do Companies Hire Recruitment Agencies?
There are several reasons why companies outsource their hiring process to recruitment agencies. It can be a simple reason, such as the company not having its own marketing or human resources staff. Or it may be a more complicated reason, like needing an employee with highly specialized skills or qualifications.
Aerotek Strategic Account Executive Joe Parisi has over 15 years of staffing experience and he’s seen the relationship between staffing agencies and companies change recently.
“I'd absolutely say the labor shortage has changed how companies view their hiring process. Traditionally, recruiting partners were seen as an overhead cost or a commodity. Now it’s more of a true strategic partnership where companies are more open to changing how they acquire talent and utilizing staffing agencies on a contract to hire program,”
Do I Need a Recruitment Agency For My Staffing Needs?
Only you can make that call, but there are some signs you may need to reach out to one. Companies without an in-house hiring process or human resources team may choose to use a recruitment agency instead. This takes some of the pressure off workers who would need to step away from other responsibilities to take on the interviewer role.
Next, consider your hiring needs. A simple, less-skilled position will be easier to fill. However, a more skilled job requiring specialized skills and qualifications could take longer. If your own recruiting or job marketing hasn’t attracted the talent you’re looking for — or there’s a deadline to have the new talent by — you might want to consider a recruitment agency.
Regional Business Development Executive and Lead for Aerotek’s Construction Division Joshua Miles has over 14 years of experience in partnering with companies to overcome their staffing challenges and fulfill their staffing needs. He outlines some of the benefits of hiring a recruitment agency.
“Our network of qualified candidates is larger than what many companies have access to. Our experienced recruiters can call thousands of people a week to find the right person for the job. We also promote job postings and can build referral programs to bring in more potential candidates,” says Miles.
What Are the Advantages of Hiring a Recruitment Agency?
There are several benefits of using a recruitment agency. We’ve touched on a variety of benefits above, but here are the major advantages to using a recruitment agency:
1. They Can Find You Talent Quicker
Recruitment agencies are savvy about using advertisements to market the job and will often have a network of contacts they can leverage. This translates to finding you talent and job seekers quicker.
Aerotek Practice Lead Liz Wellman has over 16 years of staffing experience. She explains how a recruiting partner can help employers quickly find the right job seekers for the job.
“Many companies rely on just putting up the job postings. Whereas we have experienced specialist recruiters that are specifically recruiting job seekers for these skill sets. We can partner with a company and share our massive database of candidates to help them fill these roles quickly,” says Wellman.
2. It Saves Your Company A Hassle
If you don’t have a designated marketing or HR department, you’ll have to designate a current employee as an ad hoc recruiter. This might take you longer to find the best candidates because recruiting isn’t their strong suit, and it’ll take that employee off the floor. Offloading these responsibilities to a recruiting agency can save time and money.
3. They Can Often Find Better Talent
A recruiting agency will usually specialize in a particular talent or industry that they’re a pro at recruiting for. They’ll likely have a portfolio of contacts or a large talent pool they can reach out to fulfill client requests. Because of their specialized experience, these recruiting agencies can often find more qualified top talent than if you were searching on your own.
“Most staffing companies are incentivized to hire construction workers who will last for a long time, not just to find anybody that can do the job. When we place somebody, we want them to work out for the duration of the assignment. If they leave before the assignment is complete, that’s not a win for us…When we place a candidate who is the right fit, enjoys their job and remains on the project until its completion. It not only builds our credibility but also helps our clients get the job done on time and under budget,” says Joshua Miles.
4. Some Offer Additional Services
We say “some” because every agency offers its own set of services. However, in addition to marketing and interviewing, some recruiting agencies will offer to assist with onboarding, such as paperwork, payroll taxes, and vetting for qualifications.
5. Temporary Recruitment
This is a strong suit of many recruiting agencies. Many companies may be looking for permanent employees (which recruiting agencies can help with), but just as many may be seeking a temporary hire. Recruiting agencies often offer a service where they bring the employee on temporarily — from three months to a year — and then “take back” the employee after the window is over.
Working with a staffing agency can help companies overcome many workforce challenges. When you’re ready to learn more about what an employment agency can do for your company – Contact Us.