subject: Recruitment Agencies Should Know Both Candidates' And Employers' Needs [print this page] Matching the right candidate with the right employer should be fundamental to the work of a recruitment agency and requires thought and skill.
Plainly it does not make good business sense for an agency to get it wrong, since most agencies depend on the fee paid by the client employer. However, getting it wrong can have implications for both the person placed and the person who has hired them.
For an employee to contribute and add value to their company requires more than having the right qualifications and experience on their CV. There also has to be the right "chemistry" between the people involved and this is much more difficult to get right.
Yet there are many benefits from doing so, since a happy client is more likely to come to the agency again and so is the candidate when they are ready to move on and progress their career.
For employers, especially for top flight corporate recruitment in places like London, it is essential that the recruitment agency understands the core skills for the role being advertised. An employer, therefore should expect to have a proper discussion with the agency to establish this. There may equally be qualities needed by the successful candidate in order to work harmoniously with their eventual boss and it is therefore helpful if the agency takes the time and trouble to get to know its client really well.
The employer will want to be assured that the agency has interviewed any candidates face to face. It is not sufficient match the CV to the job from an online registration and upload process only.
Highlighting a candidate's skills and experience to show them at their best is one thing, but employers particularly object to skills being exaggerated so that the agency can boost the candidate's eventual salary and hence their fee, especially if the person placed only stays with the company for a few months. Then, assuming the position they had offered was intended to be long term, the employer would expect to get a rebate on their fee.
No candidate looking for work wants to feel that they are an anonymous number and that no-one has the time or interest in getting to know them, their strengths and weaknesses.
The better agencies generally test the skills of anyone on their books and some even have training and coaching to help candidates to improve on any potential weaknesses.
So anyone looking for a recruitment agency to join may start by searching online since most agencies these days have an online presence and registration. But on its own that will not be enough. Some agencies specialise in particular types of work, such as accountancy or IT, so it is worth checking to make sure that they are familiar with the role of a top PA in London, for example, if that is the job being sought.
It is essential to make contact with the agency and ask for a face to face meeting. If the agency refuses this it might be best to seek one that does. Good preparation and relationships between the agency and both its candidate and its client as well as follow-up with both after interview and placement are essential to all those involved.
It helps the agency refine its services and win more business if both the job seeker and client are happy that care and attention has resulted in a successful match!
