Why should I use a recruitment agency at the moment?

“Aren’t there tons of candidates on the market? Surely filling the vacancy I’ve just popped on LinkedIn will be a doddle. Why would I need to use a recruiter”?

Here’s the cold, hard truth: if getting lots of applications for a role guaranteed you were going to fill the vacancy, then I would be out of a job. That job you have posted on LinkedIn, the one that literally anyone can apply to with just 2 clicks, will without a doubt get tons of applicants.

Applicants such as Steve, who’s worked at KFC as a fry-cook for 4 years, and Katie, who’s just graduated from Man Met with a degree in International Politics, as well as countless other candidates who are in desperate need of work, but are in no way qualified for the Head of Marketing job they just applied to.

It’s completely understandable from the perspective of these candidates why they apply; it’s a horrible situation to be out of work and they’ve got bills to pay, so a job, any job, that puts food on the table is worth applying to.

On the other end of the ATS after 24 hours of the role being live, there are now 642 applications that need to be filtered through to find the small handful of people who might, possibly, have some relevant experience. Realistically, how much time and effort is that going to require, and is it the best use of those resources to find those few average contenders?

Which leads me on to my next point – recruitment based on inbound applications alone is severely limited.  The highest quality candidates are usually (not always) from one of two outbound sources:

1. A targeted headhunt matching their specific experience to the requirements
2. A call to a specific individual who may not be active in the market, but likes to be kept up to date with relevant opportunities that give them something they don’t have currently

Why does this make the candidates of a higher quality?

As they are not actively looking, they’re not in multiple processes, meaning there’s little to no competition against your opportunity, and they probably wouldn’t have applied to the job ad otherwise – opening up an entire new stream of potential candidates.  

Also, they’re in work currently, so they’re not desperate for a role, and therefore won’t just take a job to tide them over, then leave in 6 months when they get a better offer, they’re looking for the right role – increasing the chance of the successful candidate having longevity.

Finally, (and most importantly in my opinion) we are recruitment consultants; we consult with candidates to ensure the whole process is optimised for both employer and potential employee. The interview preparation, coaching, emotional support, fact-finding, question-answering, opinion-giving, and the cheerleading we do for all of our candidates, is all adding value to the human beings sat on both sides of the interview table (or video call).

Our aim is not to sprinkle glitter on something you might find in a Piccadilly back-passage (pardon the pun). We are here to make sure the candidate you have interviewing on the day, is the best version of themselves they can possibly be, so you have the confidence to hire them.

In short, we were never here to give you volume, we were here to give you quality, which is what we did before all of this, and it is what we’re still doing now.

Hiring isn’t difficult. Finding the true harmony between candidate, client and opportunity for a match that has longevity, mutual satisfaction, and allows both parties to flourish together – that’s the craft of a good recruitment agency.

That is why now, more than ever, you should be using a recruitment agency, and I have just the one in mind…

The Candidate’s approach to marketing, digital, creative and analytics recruitment is to offer candidates and clients a knowledgeable and reliable consultative service. Our marketing industry experience and recruitment skills offer a great solution to help place candidates quickly and effectively. Experience the difference that working with our team will have, contact us now. 

Read our latest blogs here.

Check out our digital jobs here.

Learn more about our marketing roles here.

If it’s creative roles that you are after, click here.

Fancy a new analytics challenge? Click here! 

Progress your career with a brand new Contract role? Click here!