In an increasingly candidate-centric job market, recruitment consultants should be seen as a hugely valuable resource in both a candidate’s job search and in a company’s hiring strategy; however unfortunately this is not always the case. The recruitment industry as a whole has gained a somewhat poor reputation over the last few decades, partly due to the stereotypical view that all consultants focus solely on how many placements they can make and thus how much commission they can earn, rather than focusing on ensuring the candidates placed are a good fit with the organisation in question. However, this tarnished reputation should not reflect all recruitment agencies and consultants, as so many do truly care about the clients and candidates they represent. Furthermore, letting the few agencies that display poor practice deter job seekers or organisations from using a reputable agency that can provide a beneficial service would be a huge waste.
The recruitment industry has been through vast changes since the first agencies were established in the 1940s in order to fill the gaps in the workforce created by those who had left for war. At this stage it was more of a case of finding people who were able and willing rather than screening candidates in order to find those best suited for the job. More recent changes that have affected the industry are related to the rapid advancements in technology, which have brought about a host of new opportunities including the use of social media, mobile technology and artificial technology. As this technology advances, the level of service consultants can now provide as part of the recruitment process has improved, providing numerous benefits to both potential candidates and potential clients.
For job seekers, enlisting the help of a recruitment consultant can not only save them time and help minimise stress associated with their job search, but consultants can also provide advice on how they can best prepare for interviews and how to ensure their CV is written to highlight their keys skills, experience and attributes. Using a recruitment consultant will also mean the individual has professional representation who can then act on their behalf and in their best interest, from when they are initially presented to clients right through to the final stages of negotiating their job offer. These benefits combined with a consultant’s knowledge of the market and industry insights highlight how valuable using a consultant can be in a job search, especially considering these services are free for job seekers.
Organisations using recruitment consultants to aid their hiring strategy can experience similar benefits; reducing time, stress and money wasted on lost productivity. Often the time taken to hire a new employee is underestimated, especially when the process is done thoroughly, therefore consultants completing the time-consuming end-to-end process can make a significant difference. Not only are consultants likely to have a vast network of high-quality talent to choose from, they should have also personally vetted potential candidates and shortlisted them using their expertise in screening, interviewing and profiling with professional impartiality. Marmion place huge importance on meeting our clients and candidates face-to-face as this is a vital step in order for us to develop and maintain professional relationships. We strive to act as an extension of each of our clients’ business and therefore devote time to visiting their offices. This provides us with the opportunity to see how they operate and to meet individual members of their teams ensuring we fully understand what type of individual is going to be the best fit. We can also then best describe the work environment to potential candidates during the interview process.
Some recruitment agencies take their service one step further by offering additional services, such as psychometric testing or personality assessments. At Marmion, we use ‘i3 profiling’ which is used to help candidates by increasing their self-awareness and thus establishing what roles and working environment they may be best suited to, whilst simultaneously helping organisations by ensuring they understand their optimum team dynamics.
The whole process of recruitment is reliant upon the successful matching of clients and candidates; pairing up the skills required by an employer with the inherent talents and experience of the ideal candidate. However, in order to experience the true value of a recruitment consultant, clients and candidates must be as equally invested as the consultant. Without the co-operation of the client devoting time to fully explain what they’re looking for and trusting the consultant, alongside the co-operation of the candidate to communicate quickly and efficiently with the consultant whilst keeping them up to date with where they are in their job search, the consultant may not be able to do their job to the best of their ability. In this instance, the true value of the recruitment consultant may not be experienced.
If you would like any further information about how a recruitment consultant could help with your hiring strategy or job search, please do not hesitate to contact me directly on 07943 710 160 or a member of our team on 0113 332 0678.
