How can you inspire confidence in your recruitment agency?

The good news for recruiters is that employer confidence is growing – in the economy, at least. New statistics released by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) show that 30% of company directors feel positive about their future economic prospects, which is the highest level in almost a year.
This provides a fantastic opportunity for recruitment agencies to strengthen your relationships with the business community, at a time when growth prospects – and therefore the need to hire talented staff – are on an upward trajectory.
How can you inspire business owners to feel confident in your recruitment capabilities? Here are some things that senior personnel want to see when looking for a partner agency…

1. Someone who understands them – and what they are looking for

When it comes to successfully pairing companies with candidates, it really pays to invest time up-front. The more you can get under the skin of a client and the roles they are looking to fill, the greater chance your team will have in successfully filling that post.
To that end, initial meetings and briefings with your clients should not be a tick-the-box exercise. It should be an in-depth discovery session that uncovers not just who the company needs to find, but what objectives those new hires will power them towards. 

2. Someone who listens – and moves the goal posts if needs be

Recruiters are naturally motivated people, but that keenness to get going can sometimes result in staff not taking enough time to really listen to the qualities your clients are looking for in potential candidates.
It’s important not just to listen at the start, but to keep checking in with the client and ask them how it is going. You won’t necessarily get the right prospective employees straight out of the box, but you can learn and refine that search by listening to your client throughout the recruitment process. 

3. Someone who supplies good quality candidates

This sounds obvious, but it’s amazing how many recruiters take a punt on a CV that doesn’t match a company’s criteria, ‘just in case’ the client is interested. However, particularly in skilled professions and technical jobs, there is a level of experience that is non-negotiable – and out-of-the-box CVs simply aren’t appropriate.
Most organisations would rather receive a handful of highly relevant CVs that have been carefully vetted by your agency beforehand, to ensure their suitability. They are far more likely to appoint someone quickly if the shortlist is of high calibre, than being forced to spend hours trailing through a pile of mostly-irrelevant applications.

4. Someone who can be relied on – for both people and processes

The client/agency relationship doesn’t end when a candidate is appointed for a role; in many cases it is only just beginning, as the recruiter will be responsible for managing employee timesheets and wages if they are a contract worker or consultant.
A good agency will make sure that workers turn up on time, demonstrate strong office etiquette, and file correct timesheets and expense claims in a timely fashion. Moreover, clients want you to have the software in place to ensure all timesheets and expenses are received quickly and easily, rather than wasting weeks chasing staff to submit their paperwork.

5. Someone who is efficient about managing the people on their books

Ultimately, your clients do not want to have to think about the administrative side of your partnership; they want to rely on you to provide quality candidates, and to manage all the back-office requirements with employing quality candidates to do a particular job.
Timesheets, expenses, invoices and payments shouldn’t be things that dominate your day-to-day conversations with the businesses on your books. They should be the things that happen, seamlessly and automatically in the background, while you focus on helping clients to pinpoint their next important hire.

Don’t let bad processes get in the way of good relationships

Only you can do some of the things we’ve discussed in this blog post. However, too many recruitment agencies waste time on paperwork and processes that can be easily automated, and therefore don’t pay enough attention to clients’ unique needs.
ETZ’s market-leading recruitment back-office software can reduce the time and cost of running your agency, and enable you to focus on building relationships with local businesses. 
Book your free demonstration to see how we can make timesheet, expense and invoice processing quicker and easier for your business.