If you are a reader of our monthly insights into the recruitment landscape, you’ll know the jobs market is tight.
Should you be a skilled job seeker looking for a new challenge, it’s never been a better time. An abundance of opportunity coupled with low candidate numbers has created a bidding war. Employers of all sizes across all industry sectors are vying for candidate attention. Benefits and perks have never been more appealing while starting salaries have reached all-time highs.
This is all great if you’re a candidate, but if you’re an employer, this equation doesn’t make for an easy recruitment process.
Should I work with a recruiter?
For many organisations, this is where working with a recruitment partner can be a game changer. Specialist recruitment services, such as ours here at Ignite Digital, really do have the potential to improve the chances of finding the right hire at the right time.
If you are thinking of using a recruitment partner to help hire your next role, you need to make sure you have chosen the right organisation. But with so many to choose from, and so many consultants making enquires of you, it’s hard to know which to consider and which to rule out.
Here are our top tips on choosing a recruitment partner to make sure you create a lasting and fruitful working partnership.
Tips on choosing a recruitment partner.
Discover the background.
Some consultancies offer a generic service, but some – like Ignite Digital – offer a specialist and niche service sourcing talent within a particular sector. If you have a specialist role to fill that requires a particular skillset or background, then make sure you by-pass the high street generalists.
Not only will they understand the true requirements of the role, but they will also have a network of candidates ready to go.
On top of this, look for an organisation and a consultant with experience. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about longevity, fill rate, and success.
Discover the specialisms.
Discovering the specialisations within an organisation will help you determine if this is the right talent partner for you. Ask questions about the fill rate of a role like yours. A specialist will have the depth of knowledge to help you secure the right hire for you. They’ll know the questions to ask at pre-screening. You’ll only see candidates who are true options; ones who are relevant to the role and could hit the ground running.
Discover how they source candidates.
This is an important question to ask, and you should be cautious of talent partners who just cruise job boards. You could do this yourself.
What you need is a recruitment partner that has an extensive network. Not only does this suggest that they have direct access to passive and active job seekers, but they will know people that know people! Your next hire is only a phone call – or possibly two – away.
Discover the typical time to hire.
By asking about the time to hire you’ll get an insight into the realities of your timescale – and get an idea of how well your recruitment partner knows the market.
They’ll be able to tell you about the broader trends in the market, and what a great candidate expects from the hiring timeline.
Make sure you share your expectations and needs. For example, if you need an immediate start, you may be better to look for a contract professional with little or no notice period that can hit the ground running. A skilled and transparent recruiter will be honest and open about the realities of your search.
Ask them for advice.
Asking for advice from your recruiter is important. A talent partnership worth having will inform and advise. They will be able to advise you about the skills your organisation will need in the future as well as the ones you need now. They’ll offer you advice about salary, benefits packages, and the expectations of candidates. The Covid pandemic has changed the way in which people want to work and the way in which they want to be compensated. Your recruiter of choice should be your first port of call when finalising the details of your job.
Work with Ignite Digital.
If you have a new tech, digital, or data requirement we’d be happy to answer any questions you might have about the market, the skills you’ll need, what you should pay, and candidate expectations. We’ll tell you about our industry-heavyweight team; a rare blend of experience and enthusiasm that you won’t find anywhere else.
Our team has an unrivaled network of tech, digital, and data professionals. These talented, diverse, and skilled professionals appreciate our value, and that is why we enjoy long-lasting and fruitful professional relationships.
We’d love to tell you more about how we work.
Reach out to Ignite Digital today.
