What to Look For in a Recruitment Agency

Posted on 12. Jan, 2009 posted by Bill in Employment News

There are lots of things to take into account when choosing which recruitment agency to register with, especially given the huge number of general and specialist agencies within the recruitment industry. Of course a lot of people aren’t fussy and register with every recruitment company they come across. The problem with this choice of tactic is that it can lead to your CV being submitted to the same company multiple times, which reflects badly on you and the agencies being employed by the recruiting client. An employing company will often enlist the services of a number of recruitment agencies to find them candidates, with the successful agency winning the commission. This is where problems of duplication can arise.

It is therefore better to work with one or two agencies who specialise in your particular field of work, rather than using the scattergun approach.

Independent recruitment consultancy or large multi-location chain Both have their pros and cons. You’re much more likely to get a more personal and better quality of service from a smaller independent consultancy than you are from a large agency chain, but the quality of roles handled by the smaller agency may be less high profile. This is not always the case but large employers generally use one recruitment agency to handle their affairs, and they tend to be larger agencies because it is believed they attract a better quality of client. In my experience smaller independent recruitment consultancies will remain in more regular contact with you, which makes you feel more like a valued customer than just another number. I suppose it really comes down to personal choice and the geographical location within which you’re job hunting eg. If you’re hunting for a job in Harrogate it might be wise to register with a smaller recruitment agency in Harrogate who has relationships with companies in the area.

Recruitment consultants It’s important that you trust the person who represents you at the recruitment agency you choose.. This is the person who could potentially help you land your dream role so you need to feel comfortable in their company, like you can be up front and honest with them and that they have your best interests at heart. Usually a recruitment agency will have one consultant who specialises in recruiting for a certain sector, unless it’s a very big organisation in which case they may have more than one, so if you don’t feel happy dealing with the consultant who is assigned to you it may be better to go elsewhere.

Negotiating your package Different recruitment agencies work on different payment structures but most will work on a percentage of the salary you will earn from the company they’ve placed you in. Therefore it’s in their interests to negotiate you the best package they possibly can, however if the recruitment consultant feels they may be in danger of losing the sale if they negotiate too aggressively they may be inclined to advise you to accept the offer on the table. You are well within your right to play hardball over the package on offer, and if you don’t feel that the salary and benefits on offer meet your requirements then don’t be afraid to walk away. If you accept a package you are unhappy with it’s more than likely going to lad to job dissatisfaction further down the line.

Recruitment Agency Harrogate

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