Outsourcing recruitment, is it worth it?

“Working together”

And what to look for when considering working with an external partner

With budgets increasingly squeezed, organisations are having to make tough decisions on which services to outsource or fulfil inhouse. Using an inhouse team to recruit rather than outsourcing to a recruitment agency might sound a quick way to save money but it may not prove cost effective for all your recruitment in terms of time and money spent.

As well as ongoing salary costs, internal teams also need constant investment in terms of training and development, holiday, sick pay etc. Out sourcing means you can tap into the experience and resources of a professional team as and when needed, without the ongoing costs or the need to manage or develop the individuals involved.

Specialist recruitment agencies offer a valuable resource and can deliver real value for money when compared with inhouse teams by:

• Providing access to a much larger pool of talent, including passive candidates who may not actively be job seeking (and so would have missed a job advert). This greatly increases the chances of finding the right candidate for the job, particularly hard to fill roles.
• Handling the entire recruitment process, from advertising, producing recruitment packs, dealing with applicants, sorting interviews to handling the offer and let downs. This allows the HR team and the hiring manager to focus on other tasks.
• Demonstrating expertise, to ensure the right candidate is recruited. Highly experienced and skilled recruiters with a deep understanding of the sector can quickly identify the most suitable candidate and advise on salary expectations and market conditions.
• Reducing the risk of hiring the wrong person (and the resulting lost productivity and wasted recruitment and training costs), by using rigorous screening processes and sector knowledge to ensure that candidates have the necessary skills and experience.
• Providing flexibility, with the ability to tap into the expertise and services of an agency as and when needed, which is particularly useful during periods of growth or downsizing.
• Increasing brand awareness, through a targeted advertising campaign, professional recruitment packs, via social media and by engaging with people in the sector, an agency can help increase brand awareness and improve the reputation of an organisation.
• Working in partnership, well respected and successful agencies ensure that HR and the hiring manager are engaged throughout the recruitment process in order to effectively work on behalf of an organisation and ensure its cultures and values are represented at all times.

Unfortunately not all recruitment companies are equal and you need to ensure any agency you work with understands your organisation and is able to recruit to the roles you need. The agency and its staff should illustrate a solid track record of delivering results within your sector and have a proven technique for sourcing the candidates you need. Make sure you get an insight into their recruitment and marketing strategy before appointing them, so that you can make sure their approach is going to be suitable for your business and the roles you need recruiting to.

It is also worth remembering that this agency will be representing your company and your brand so you need to be confident that the individuals working on your behalf will be professional and effective ambassadors. Often the consultant that is your contact in the agency may not be the person actually engaging with potential candidates. You need to be comfortable that the individuals in the agency recruiting on your behalf will benefit your team.

Choosing a well-respected, specialist recruitment agency should pay dividends in terms of saving you time and money and enabling you to attract and recruit the best candidates.