Selecting Recruiting Agencies For Increased Retention

As journalism keeps predicting, there is a looming economic downturn in the United States, however like numerous industries in an economic downturn, the good ones endure, and the weak ones vanish. As with hiring talent, good hires increase retention and position your organization for success, while others fade away.

This article offers tips on how to efficiently hire a recruiting agency by understanding the differences between the different types of recruiters and how to choose the right one to help boost your profits by making the right hires.

What makes an excellent recruitment consultant?

There is not just something that makes a good effective expert recruitment business stick out from the competitors, there are numerous elements and these can comprise of customer care, service fees, communication, specializations, and much more.

Recruitment experts are:

Recruitment specialists specialize in specific markets and functions, using their niche skills to help organizations achieve their long-term workforce goals. Recruitment specialists locate candidates for positions across local, national, and global markets for their clients.

Professional recruitment experts use

Recruitment and staffing agencies can provide terrific value to customers, providing access to the latest technologies and expert personnel, in addition to innovative recruiting techniques and scalable services to support various size businesses. Through staffing and recruiting, the staffing and recruiting firm will act as a third party service provider or, through recruitment process outsourcing, RPO, as an extension of your internal human resources department and talent acquisition team.

Choosing a recruitment company involves evaluating many factors, including their expertise, capabilities, and specialties, against your requirements and what sets them apart from other recruitment firms.

So a recruitment company means what? In the recruitment industry, you have recruitment firms and independent recruiters who advise the hr department and or executive leadership team with executive search services to source, attract, engage and hire high quality candidates for jobs in a particular field, function or sector.

A variety of recruitment agencies exist, ranging from independent recruiters who specialize in generalist or niche recruiting to staffing agencies and professional recruiting firms that hire recruiters who may specialize in certain placements of candidates based on their skills or market experience.

The goal of the recruitment and staffing agency is to match the best candidates to the staffing needs by providing the company with in-depth knowledge about the pre-screened candidates. For example, hiring qualified candidates for temporary positions, contract to hire, interim staff, or direct hire positions to provide their talents to work on-site, remotely, or a hybrid model of on-site and remote work.

Organizations looking to attract and retain IT talent are increasingly turning to remote and hybrid work arrangements as a total reward benefit. Top global employers who hire technology professionals provide this incentive for these highly skilled candidates, according to market research.

The organization can use this research to create tangible employee incentives to enable them to recruit niche skill sets and high quality talent as part of their talent acquisition strategic plan to hire candidates. Assuring their hiring needs are met with a workforce that can advance their digital transformation goals through a workforce equipped with digital skills regardless of the business size.

Professional recruitment experts are your outsourced personnel

To help the employer with not only filling the position but also encouraging retention, staffing, and recruitment firms provide their experience, resources, and specialized knowledge. The best staffing agencies offer HR managers and talent acquisition teams consulting solutions to ensure that the candidate's experience and qualifications align with the organization's culture and their position.

Professional staffing services are extremely skilled and have a wealth of knowledge that can assist your business in all phases of the talent acquisition process, from employer branding, sourcing strategies, market research, salary negotiations, and other recruitment-related matters.

You can engage specialized staffing firms and recruiters who work in boutique and generalist staffing companies when you need specialized recruitment in areas like healthcare staffing services, temporary staffing, accounting outsourcing, technology recruiting outsourcing, and staffing solutions for technical recruitment.

The recruitment firm and staffing agency hiring process will discover the ideal talent for your open job by using their local and global network in addition to their recruiting technology software, methodologies, and personnel expertise to save you time and supply you with the quality candidates you seek.

The best recruitment agency and successful staffing firms will provide pre screened and vetted candidates that have often times completed varied assessments and interviews to ensure the hiring manager is receiving the most qualified slate of candidates that are capable and willing to perform the job.

The recruiting firm and staffing agency's goal is to have a long term working relationship with the organization. They understand that to meet client expectations and ensure an ongoing relationship, they must perform at their highest level of competency to fulfill jobs in the future.

What Is the Difference Between a Staffing Agency and an Executive Search Firm?

If you are looking to hire talent, you may be wondering how to choose between a staffing agency and an executive search firm. Both firms will provide the same service: they will help find candidates for your open positions. However, each has its own advantages and disadvantages in cost, process, and results.

Here is a brief overview of what you need to know about staffing agencies and executive search firms before selecting one for your hiring needs.

Staffing Agencies

A staffing agency will find candidates for you and help you sift through their resumes. They are a good option for small- to medium-sized businesses who want some help to find talent, but don’t need the extra service of an executive search firm. Staffing agencies typically charge a percentage of the candidate's first-year salary as a commission fee.

Staffing agencies are great for startups and smaller companies that have limited resources in hiring. These businesses may not have the time, money, or expertise to find the right people themselves. A staffing agency will take care of everything in one place: they will review resumes, screen candidates, and provide you with a shortlist of qualified candidates to interview.

Staffing companies aren't usually appropriate for larger companies who need specialized services, like upper management searches or C-suite roles. Staffing agencies are not typically specialized in these kinds of recruitment searches, as they typically handle positions of management to entry-level.

Executive Search Firms and Staffing Agencies

There are some key differences between the two types of recruiters. Executive search firms represent their client's companies and find candidates who are a good fit for the company. Staffing firms work with their clients to find candidates who are a good fit for the client’s organization.

There are also differences between an executive search firm and a staffing agency in the level of service. A staffing agency will offer less expensive rates with a more general process. An executive search firm, on the other hand, offers more specific services that can take longer but are typically more effective than a staffing agency.

Staffing agencies provide lower-cost solutions to hiring talent, while executive search firms are focused on finding high-quality talent at a higher cost. This can be seen in the search fees which range from 20%-33% of the candidates' total compensation, in addition to their administrative and minimum fees.

There are also higher upfront costs with executive search firms because they charge additional fees like monthly retainers or contract fees you may pay per candidate hired versus only paying for applicants who have been offered and paying a contingency fee ranging typically from 10%-25% only after the candidate is hired.

When you hire an executive search firm, you are also paying for their knowledge and expertise as well as their network of contacts in order to find top talent for your organization, as well as their network of contacts in order to find top talent for your organization.

The bottom line? It all depends on what you're looking for when you hire someone from either type of company: if you are looking for someone quickly or if you're looking for high quality leadership or niche talent who will stay with your company.

When You Should Use Executive Search Services

Executive search services are for companies that want to hire the best talent. Sometimes, this is because they are looking for someone with a special skill set or a bevy of experience in a certain field. Executive search services will find the talent that best fits their need and then present them to the company.

On the other hand, staff augmentation services are more budget-friendly. They specialize in recruiting new employees on an as-needed basis. For example, your company might not have any open positions at the moment, but you anticipate needing to hire one soon (perhaps due to seasonal demand). Staff augmentation agencies can help fill in vacant positions quickly without breaking the bank on temporary staffing fees.

Service Differentiation: Staffing Services vs Executive Search Services

Staffing services are usually used when there are a large number of open positions, but the company doesn't need to hire a full-time Recruiter. Companies often use staffing services for temporary or seasonal positions. The Recruiter will find qualified candidates for their company and present them to the HR representative. Once the HR representative decides which candidate is best suited for the position, the Recruiter helps with paperwork, contract negotiations, interviews, and more.

Executive Search firms differ from staffing firms because they recruit on behalf of their clients as opposed to recruiting for their own company. Executive Search firms focus on finding candidates who are qualified for senior-level positions, rather than entry-level positions like staffing firms do.

These types of firms also specialize in filling specialized skills gaps within an organization. For example, if your company needs someone with knowledge of specific software applications, then an Executive Search firm would be able to find those people in the marketplace.

So when should you use Staffing Services or Executive Search Services? If you have a large number of open positions that require short-term recruits, then it might make sense to use Staffing Services. But if you have hard-to-fill vacancies at high-level management positions that require specialized skill sets, then it might make sense to use Executive Search Services.

Cost, Process, and Results

Staffing agencies are generally cheaper than an executive search firm because they already have a large pool of candidates. The process is one-sided where the staffing agency is sending you potential candidates and then you make the decision to hire. Staffing agencies are also known for their efficiency and volume hiring. They don’t take a long time to find the right fit because they already have a list of people who meet your qualifications in their database.

In contrast, executive search firms require more time, energy, and money on the front-end for research purposes, but can provide better results. Executive search firms will ask questions about your company and qualifications when finding someone for your open position; this allows them to learn more about what you need in a candidate.

They then use that information to find qualified individuals who best suit your needs. Executive search firms are also known for placing people in positions with high salaries (like CEO or VP) and higher positions at companies with more prestige than staffing agencies typically do. The biggest drawback to using an executive search firm is that it will cost you more money upfront than using a staffing agency.

Who Are the Best Recruiters?

Recruiters are an important part of a company. They are responsible for finding the best talent for their company and making sure that new employees fit in with the team. It can be hard to find the right Recruiter for your open job, but there are some key differentiators between companies that provide Staffing Services and Executive Search services to consider before retaining a staffing solution one must consider.

Recruiters who provide staffing services find the best talent for open positions. Usually, they place these people in a company as temporary workers and then move them to full-time employment when that position becomes available. Companies that offer staffing solutions are going to be quick, reliable, and cost-effective (although not always the cheapest.

Companies that offer executive search services are responsible for finding the best talent to fill senior leadership positions for an organization. They do this by assessing the needs of the company and matching those with a highly qualified candidate. The difference between these two approaches is often a matter of time and budget.

Is It Worth Using A Recruitment Agency?

Evaluating a Recruiter

If you're considering a recruiter for your open position, it's important to evaluate them before making your decision. Executive recruiters are different from staffing recruiters. Staffing recruiters manage the day-to-day tasks of a company and help find candidates for job openings that already exist within a company. Executive recruiters work on more high-level positions, and they're often hired by clients to find qualified candidates for executive positions.

There are two main factors that you should look at when evaluating a recruiter: experience and expertise. The more experience they have, the better they'll be at their job. But make sure the recruiter specializes in your industry. For example, if you're looking for someone to fill an executive marketing position, make sure that the recruiter specializes in marketing or has worked with other companies in the past who specialize in marketing. The same is true for any industry - there are many types of recruiting and staffing firms, besides specialty recruiters, and finding a qualified firm is important.

What Makes a Great Recruiter?

The most common question for an employer is, "How can I find the best recruiter?" The answer to this question is complicated and there are many factors to consider. You need to know what you're looking for in a recruiter and what your company's needs are in order to find the right person.

The first thing that employers should look at when they’re thinking about hiring a recruiter is their experience. A good recruiter will have years of experience and be able to handle any tough or complex situation that your company may encounter with staffing. You might also want to consider a personal connection with the recruiter. Recruiters that come recommended by someone who has worked with them before will have firsthand experience of how they work and if they're the right fit for your company.

You also want to make sure that you’re hiring someone who has a high level of integrity and professionalism. When looking for recruiters, it's important to find out what their current clients think about them, so you can get an idea of how professional they are.

Conclusion

The key to increasing retention and minimizing bad hires is to implement a creative strategy. Selecting the right recruitment partner is a key strategy that can directly affect your bottom line. Furthermore, having a good candidate experience and the right hire can increase your retention rates, which can boost your profits.

The differences between staffing agencies and executive search firms are vast. Accendi Group offers tailored recruitment solutions as a boutique staffing and executive search firm provider with over 50 years of key combined personnel experience.

To harness the power of people intelligence platforms to power the talent acquisition process by AI and our proprietary methodologies from search to hire, Accendi Group, helps leading firms optimize their human resources and talent management practices.

Our team of domain experts provides a white-glove executive search, recruiting, and staffing experience. Our recruiting expertise includes Human Resources, Creative, Professional, and Recruitment Process Outsourcing, i.e. RPO.

We’re committed to delivering the highest level of service to our clients and candidates. We work with a wide range of industries, from IT, Government, and everything in between.

As an award-winning firm, we offer our clients our best-in-class solutions and expertise. Contact us today to see how we can help you.

This article was written by Managing Partner, Fawn Hentrel.