The US is in the grips of a major labor shortage. Some chalk it up to ongoing concerns about Covid, insufficient pay, or struggles with finding reliable childcare. Early retirement has also exacerbated the problem.
Of course, understanding why the problem exists doesn’t help most businesses fill empty positions. If traditional methods of recruitment like job postings don’t bring in candidates, what other options exist for businesses.
For some businesses, the answer is a recruitment firm. That also leaves the lingering question of how you go about hiring recruiting firms. Keep reading for some key tips on picking the right recruitment firm.
Industry Experience
While some recruitment firms pass themselves off as the solution for all businesses in all industries, most do not. As a general rule, these firms offer their services for a handful of industries. So, one of the first questions to ask when hiring a recruiting firm is this:
Do you have experience with my industry?
Like it or not, every industry comes with its idiosyncrasies. Many of those idiosyncrasies stem from industry-specific needs, like experience with an industry-standard piece of software or equipment.
You want a recruiter that already knows about those idiosyncrasies so you don’t have to explain them or reject otherwise qualified candidates.
Role-Specific Experience
Only slightly secondary to the industry experience question is the question, “Do you have experience placing people in this job role?”
While a manufacturing company might primarily want people with manufacturing experience, they may also need information technology specialists. While they may prefer someone with industry experience, they’ll often accept someone with the right tech background.
You want a firm that knows what kinds of questions to ask for the specific role so you avoid a nightmare hire.
What if you’re looking for a new executive? In those cases, the best recruiting firm is an executive search firm, Bradsby Group for example.
Fees
There is no right or wrong way for recruiting firms to structure their fees. Some get paid up front in a retained service agreement. Others work on a contingency agreement that delays pay until the firm fills the role.
No matter how they structure their fees, they should provide you with a very transparent fee schedule. You should know exactly where the entire fee comes from when you get the bill. If the firm proves cagey about its fees, you should explore your options with other firms.
Picking Your Recruitment Firm
With the labor shortage leaving so many businesses struggling to fill roles, many small businesses have little choice but to look for a recruitment firm to fill the gap. Even if you find yourself feeling desperate to fill roles, you should choose a recruitment firm with care.
Look for a firm with experience filling roles in your industry. If you’re looking to fill roles outside your standard industry roles, look for firms with experience filling those kinds of roles. Always look for firms with transparent fees.
Looking for more business tips? Check out the posts in our Business section.
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