Traditional recruitment agency - are there alternatives?
Posted on 30th January 2024 at 11:04
Traditional recruitment agency has been the most used recruitment model for decades.
Agencies take instruction from a client but are only paid when they make a successful introduction so there can be a conflict of interest.
It’s time for change but what is the answer.
What are the advantages of traditional recruitment agency recruitment for companies?
• Clients can instruct several recruiters in competition with each other.
• Competition may well result in a reduced fee from the agency.
• Receive CVs quickly.
• Only pay a fee for a successful hire.
• Generally suitable for non-senior roles or roles requiring little or no specialist experience or skills.
What are the disadvantages of this model for companies?
• Competitive pressure to present candidates quickly forces agencies to undertake minimal candidate
research or engagement.
• Agency branded advertising results in generic adverts, duplication of roles and reduces candidate
application.
• Agencies need to work a large number of jobs at the same time and limit the amount of time they spend on
each role to ensure the vacancies that pay cover those that do not.
• A reduced fee will result in less input from the agency.
• Difficult to fill roles tend to get less time and effort as recruiters will gravitate to easier to fill roles.
• Candidates are put forward to a large number of roles by the same agency creating a conflict of interest.
• Active candidates are approached by many agencies for the same role resulting in multiple submissions
and confusion over who gets the fee.
• Clients have to spend a great deal of time screening large numbers of CVs from different sources that
aren't properly vetted and managing the parties involved.
Conclusions
Intrinsically traditional recruitment agency is a model that can set all parties up for failure by creating a race to see who can get their CVs to the client first. The emphasis should be on culture and team fit.
Traditional recruitment agency can result in lack of engagement, more work for the client and a high candidate drop out rate.
A good recruiter will spend a great deal of time approaching and engaging with candidates to ensure a great match in experience, culture and aspirations but paying them solely on results may not be the best way to engage them.
Paid for Retained/Search Recruitment, could I do that instead – is it worth the price?
Working with a recruitment partner on a retained, exclusive basis with part of the fee paid up front removes much of the pain of recruitment for the client. The critical point is that it is a partnership. The recruiter will have time to research and resource the role and find the best candidates; knowing they have been paid and will make the placement, rather than racing to the finish line against a competitor.
What are the disadvantages of this model for clients?
• Much slower process.
• More expensive – a lot more!
• Essential to find the right recruiter.
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a huge shortage of available workers across many industries. Agencies will have to change, by finding new ways to source candidates, improve their business processes and add value to the client. The recruitment market has change and the objective is to not only to attract candidates but also screen the right talent efficiently.
There is another way and you can join the Recruitment Rebellion!
If you find the traditional recruitment agency or retained search process too expensive, time-consuming and inefficient, then Recruitment Rebellion can offer commitment, collaboration, transparency and value with our fixed-fee model.
For a fixed fee we offer a competitive advertised and managed solution utilising the advantages of both models. This is a solution that has taken us three years to refine, amend and adapt as we continue to work extremely closely with the client companies we recruit for and learn and find out more about their needs and challenges.
What's included?
• Writing and optimising your client-branded job slot and posting it on all the major job boards.
• Undertaking initial selection of CVs and presenting you with a shortlist.
• Use of video profiling software to enhance the interview process.
• Access to a GDPR cloud-based applicant tracking system to cut down on your administration and improve
candidate experience.
• Handle the recruitment management – do you really want to spend yout time doing this?
We use company branded advertising that gains much more interest from candidates (40% to 50%), distinguishes your role from anonymous agency advertising and creates positive recognition for your business. This model also give the candidate a great experience too which is vital when you think of how few of them there are out there and looking for work!
So, if you are looking to recruit and are looking at alternatives to the traditional recruitment agency model, please give us a call to find out more.
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