I have noticed that in the
business world, recruitment agencies are categorised along with property agents
as consultants who are just there to chase the sale and rob client companies of
their money.
According to rumour, agents have
the ability to paint you this beautiful picture of your Top Billing dream
white-picket-fence house in the perfect town where your kids will grow up
playing in the streets and you will wake up every morning to the smell of
home-made bread and fresh brewed coffee hearing nothing other than the birds
singing their cheerful songs, just to make the sale and to get their cut of
commission.
Meanwhile, a month later when you
have moved in you notice that your kids can’t play in the streets, the bread is
stale and the coffee cold. And opposed to the homely aromas you wake up to the
stench of the paper mill that is just situated behind the hill. The bird’s
cheerful songs are replaced by the hum of traffic and to top it all off you
have to redo the whole house’s electric wiring, costing you a fortune. Since
you’ve broke the bank, in summer the only gifts you can afford is scuba gear for
your family because the roof is leaking and your perfect house has become the
local swimming pool after the first rain.
Sad but true, most recruitment
agencies are in the business simply to make money. However, on the brighter
side there are still a few agencies out there that really have a passion for
what they are doing and who’s biggest motivation is to make a difference in
someone else’s life while generating an honest profit.
The big question still remains. How
do you identify the correct agency to work with?
For any business a recruitment
agency must be a lot more than just an expense, they must be a business partner
and someone that adds value to the organisation and whom you can trust.
Trusting an agency with the recruitment process is almost the same as trusting
them with your organisations future because when you employ new personnel you
are not trying to fill your organisation’s organogram, you want the right
people that shares in your common goals and values.
A Candidate must be able to trust a
recruitment agency with not only their future but their family’s future. You do
not want to accept a promising position just to find out 2 months later that
you are worse off.
I can carry on for days about the
negative impact choosing an ill-fitting agency can have, resulting in devastating effects for
client companies and a candidate’s future.
Below are five pointers to
consider before appointing your recruitment partner.
1)
Eligibility
& Credibility
Candidate – Ensure
that the company you are entrusting your career path to is eligible and
credible; just as recruiters require references and certifications from you,
just so you have the right to request their references and certifications. Do a
bit of research on your recruitment agency e.g. Visit their website and Google
their name
Client – Ensure
that the company you intend to entrust the recruitment process to is also both
eligible and creditable. As an example fly by nights often do not possess BEE
Certification, are not VAT registered and are not affiliated to a professional
body. Just as a candidate has the right to request certification and references
you as a client reserve that exact same right.
2)
Personal
Interest and Relationships
Look for a
company that values client / candidate relationships. A good indicator in this
case would be a company that takes the time and ensures to conduct proper face-to-face
interviews and on a regular basis avail themselves for client visits. This
value almost always indicates the intention to build long term and lasting
relationships be it between client/recruiter, client/candidate or candidate/recruiter.
3)
Corporate Values with a Sense of Urgency
Ensure that the
company you intend on using understands corporate values such as feedback and
turnaround times and that they also share in the same sense of urgency as you
or your company does, time is money and in the fast paced world we are living
in it is important that the company you work with can produce the desired
results, on time, on standard and within budget.
4)
Advice
and Constructive Criticism
Recruitment
agencies that feel comfortable in giving advice and constructive criticism show
that they are specialists within their profession and industry.
Candidates –
Search for an agency that is willing to give you their honest opinion about your
career history and your skills shortage in the market. They will also be able
to give you advice on how to improve your CV to a CV that Sells!
Clients –
Recruiters that are not afraid to give their opinion represent an agency you
definitely need to consider working with. A good consultant should be confident
enough to provide advice the job spec should be adapted to make it more ‘place-able’
and give indications to clients who may have unrealistic expectations.
5)
Recruitment
fees:
Candidates – Be
aware of agencies that is charging you a fee to market your CV or who charge a
fee to upload your CV onto their database. According to South African law
recruiters are not allowed to charge a recruitment fee to a candidate.
Clients – Look for
a recruitment company that is charging a market related fee, anything between
12,5% - 18% of the Candidates annual cost to company. Recruitment agencies charging a fee higher than 20% on a candidates annual Cost to Company are
only in the business to make money. Be aware of agencies that are charging less
than 10%, normally these agencies are desperate for work. Therefore, they
lower their fee. Think about it, we all are in the business world to make a
profit and to work for a turnover lower than 10% is not profitable for any
recruitment agency, there must be a reason why they are rating their own
service worth less than 10%. It is astonishing how much it costs to keep an
agency running and on 12.5% the N.O.P. is around the 25% mark.
If you are looking to partner up and build a good working relationship with a recruiter, take the time to select the right one. Time spent selecting the right agency will not only save you time and money in the long run but ensure you the best for your career or company.
If you are looking to partner up and build a good working relationship with a recruiter, take the time to select the right one. Time spent selecting the right agency will not only save you time and money in the long run but ensure you the best for your career or company.
