Why Should My Business Use a Recruitment Agency?

We strongly recommend using a specialist recruiter, and especially in the PR, Marketing & Communications sector... but then of course we'd say that!

Our clients return to us again and again because of the benefits they see in partnering with us. Here's eight reasons niche recruiters deliver.

1) Access the best talent

People looking for a new job will nearly always register with an agency, and usually a specialist - especially in PR. Statistically you are much more likely to have access to the best jobseekers on the market - and not just people actively engaged in a job search, but also those who could be interested in the role.

We've information on approaching passive candidates here, but a good recruiter will devote time to networking with talent: at PR Futures much of our day is spent sourcing and mapping out candidates. We also get regular new candidate referrals via word of mouth from our existing candidates. Then there's our excellent candidate database, plus subscribers to our social media profiles and mailing lists.

A specialist recruiter knows 'who's who' in your niche and is already in contact. Retain their services and you have instant access to that pool of talent.

2) Tap into the knowledge and experience of a specialist

With certain roles your requirements might be very specific, and your HR team (assuming you have one) may not understand fully the vacancy, or have the knowledge or expertise to do the outreach required to find you the right person.

A niche recruiter will not only understand the role, but also be expert in head-hunting, screening, filtering, and profiling the right candidates for your business.

3) Save yourself time

Do you really have the time needed to dedicate yourself to recruitment? Not only is the searching time consuming, so are the inbound applications, telephone enquires etc. Using a recruitment agency will reduce the time and in-house resource that you need to dedicate to recruitment. This will lead to a quicker turnaround on filling the vacancies, which in turn leads to increased efficiency of your company and team. So, win win!

Using a recruitment agency to do what they do best allows you to focus on what you do best.

4) Find temporary cover quickly

Using freelancers is often essential to run your business smoothly. You may need holiday cover, maternity leave, or just an extra pairs of hands through a busy period or to guarantee the success of a new or large contract. You can read more about this here.

Using an agency for contract hire reduces stress when you need quick access to temporary candidates.

5) Get access to specialist job boards

Agencies have access to a wide range of specialist and national job boards. These are very costly. Negotiating your own job board contracts is not just expensive, but also time consuming. Plus, you will need to negotiate with multiple boards to achieve the same coverage as a recruiter.

Job boards, as rule, do not deliver. Yes, recruiters use them, but for profiling, or for list-building. We also post multiple job adverts attracting multiple candidates, who we can then match to our roles. Very often the role we match a candidate with is NOT the one that candidate actually applied for! If you go it alone and make one single post on one single job board, you might find yourself very disappointed with the suitability of the applications you get.

Leveraging a specialist recruiter's job board subscriptions gives you more coverage, more candidates, and better-suited candidates.

6) Receive a qualified shortlist

Agencies know what your job adverts should say to attract the correct talent. They will handle any initial queries regarding the role and weed out those that are not suited (this can be very time-consuming). They can conduct first round interviews and provide you with full notes.

By the time you get to see a candidate you can be certain that they have the skills and experience you need.

7) Avoid any unpleasantness

A recruitment consultant can assist with negotiations on salary, handle any counter offers, and let unsuitable candidates down gently. This last is something that can deteriorate into a horrible situation if you don't have the experience and the rapport with the person involved.

A competent recruiter is your 'buffer' against difficult and potentially confrontational situations.

8) Get advice on salary and package

If you are not familiar with what the market is paying then your role might not be competitive.