How to Identify the Correct Employment Agency to Work With

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.