Many clients have the view that approaching multiple agencies means they are casting the net wider to source more candidates. Is this really the case when some agencies are utilising the same tools and fishing from the same pond? We know the recruitment process can be a stressful time, especially if you are lucky enough to not have to go through it often. Hopefully you will be able to see below how you can save your own time and effort along with ensuring you get the most out of your agency. Below will offer some advice as to how to make the process run as smoothly as possible and, as importantly, save time along the way.

‘So’, I hear you ask ‘what’s the difference in working exclusively with one agency or using multiple?’.

When a vacancy arises your first port of call would be to put a job specification together (roughly 30 minutes of your time) if you do not have one already. Then you have to call your agencies and spend a good amount of time running through the role and your requirements. A good consultant will normally take around 20-30 minutes when taking a job in making sure they leave no stone unturned. With this being said, if you speak to 4 consultants (repeating the same information 4 times) it equates to anything from 1 – 2 hours of your working day lost.

If you engage with one agency they should take the time to learn and understand about your company. This will include anything from products and services through to the culture and history. When you find an agency who offer this time and service, contacting them with a vacancy makes your life so much easier. Now when a vacancy arises you can have the confidence to call your agency and talk to them directly. If you do not have a job specification drawn up your preferred agency understands your business so they will have the ability to discuss your requirements and either put one together for you or have all the information to run a successful process. Straight away you can see the simple benefit of utilising one, exclusive agency where you can save yourself a lot of precious time in your working day.

Then we move on to the screening process. When some agencies are in competition with others, what is their priority? A good consultant will take the time to screen candidates, meet them, and ensure the opportunity is the right one for them along with being the right fit for the client. Does this always happen when agencies are rushing to submit their ‘fantastic’ candidate before other agencies do? The reality is not all consultants will take the necessary time and effort to thoroughly screen candidates as all they want to do is make sure you receive them first from the agency they represent. This can lead to many controversial issues, which I’m sure you have experienced in the past, from duplicate CVs and who spoke to and submitted the candidate first. More stress and extremely unneeded work in getting to the bottom of a situation you really could do without.

All of the above and we have not even touched upon the amount of CVs you have received for your vacancy. If the 4 agencies you have reached out to all send you their top 5 candidates, you now have 20 CVs to analyse. Now you are doing the work of a consultant, having to take more time out of your day just to look through CVs of 20 ‘perfect’ candidates. You want to book interviews, make sure you reply to the right consultant for the right candidate to book interviews. Bearing in mind you have 4 contacts with 20 CVs on your desk AND your day job to work around, it can be easy to accidently contact the wrong agency for a candidate. Again, you have to have the same conversation 4 times in booking a candidate in for an interview, answering the same questions of ‘who will the interview be with?’ and ‘what will the interview format be?’. By the 4^th conversation, do you not have better things to do within your own job? Plus, how easy is it to fly through the requirements and forget something which leads to another call/email with 1 or more agencies answering more questions.

So, the important question is - ‘how can this process be made easier and smoother?’

When you are working in conjunction with one agency who knows and understands your business and current needs, they will have a very strong idea of the ‘perfect’ candidate. When not working in competition with other agencies, consultants can take their time to ensure EVERY candidate submitted WILL be a great match. When I mention ‘take their time’ that does not mean work slowly or lethargically.  It simply means, they will work to the best of their ability matching a candidate to a role and not be under pressure to rush through the screening process making sure they do not lose out on a candidate to another agency.

This should lead to you receiving 3 – 5 strong CVs who all meet your professional requirements and have the right cultural fit for your organisation. From then on, you have a smaller amount of CVs to analyse and just one contact to speak with in regards to all submissions. Having a more personable relationship and understanding with one agency means you can discuss the candidates in a consultative manner rather than quickly tell them yes or no. Booking interviews is a piece of cake, say who you want to see, give them availability and the agency can come back with hopefully all candidates booked in for when suits you.

So to help you with your next recruitment needs. Reach out to one agency from the beginning and the whole process will be easier, smoother and more manageable for you. Working with one agency and working with one point of contact will mean you have to put minimal effort into the process. The reason we are successful within this industry is because we know how to make the process as effective as possible with the smallest input/time required from our clients. Working in a consultative manner and learning about your clients, not just the vacancy leads to lasting successful relationships.

Think Specialist Recruitment is an independent support staff recruitment agency based in Hemel Hempstead and working across the Herts, Beds and Bucks area. We specialise in temporary, permanent and contract recruitment with areas of expertise including: administration, customer service/call centre, PA/secretarial, human resources, sales admin/sales support, marketing and IT Helpdesk/IT support.

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