It is a widely accepted principle in business that in this era of increasingly intense competition for talented people finding and selecting the right people for the right job is critically important for today’s successful Company. The search for talented people will often necessitate the need for the Company to select an Employment Agency as an HR Partner in order to maximize the benefits of the recruitment process.
Having previously worked as a Human Resources Director for local and international Companies and now working as a Managing Director of an Employment Agency, I have come to the conclusion that for a Company deciding which Recruitment Agency to work with is often a difficult and always a significant business decision. A good Employment Agency can add tremendous value to your organization whilst a poor choice of the Agency can damage the brand and do irreversible damage to the business. Here are some guidelines on how the Company should choose an Employment Agency.
1. Registration
It is common knowledge that there are too many bogus and unregistered players in the market. Why should you as an organization outsource a vital service like staff recruitment to an unregistered entity. It has also been observed that many of the unregistered Agencies are of no fixed aboard and often operate from a briefcase. As a minimum requirement it is recommended that before you hire the services of a Recruitment Agency you must insist on valid proof of legal registration in accordance with the Regulatory requirements.
2. Relevant Industry Experience
The selection criteria should include the experience profile of the Agency in the particular industry. References from other Companies can be crucial. The references can confirm facts and doubts about the Agency. You need some relevant feedback from other Companies in the industry about their experience with the Agency.
3. Recruitment Consultants Profiles
The Recruitment Agency should present the dedicated Recruitment Consultants and their profiles. The Recruitment Consultants should in turn present their strategies used for the search of job candidates and should outline their strategy for building the business relationship right from the introduction to the organization.
4. Determine your Recruitment Needs
The Organizations may need temporary, permanent or contract staff. Alternatively, you may require a certain expertise at say Middle Management or Executive level. It is best to choose an Agency with the unique expertise to meet your needs. So it is vital for the organization to determine what kind of staffing needs their organization has and then choose the best Agency to execute the recruitment assignment.
5. Size of Database
The Agency should satisfy you about the size of its recruitment database so that you are assured that they can produce the desired job candidates quickly and effortlessly. The recruitment database should provide the automatic support for the Consultant and the Hiring organization. Thus the size of the database should be part of the Recruitment Agency Selection criteria.
6. Limited Number of Agencies
I have heard some HR Managers boasting that “We deal with all the Employment Agencies in order to ensure that we get the best candidates” Thus, half a dozen or so Employment Agencies are requested to send “ 4 of your best candidates for such and such a position.” My experience is that such an approach encourages a mass approach to recruitment where Agencies are competing to be the first to send CVs. Quality checking is often neglected in the process and this is ultimately detrimental to the interests of the organization. Best practice requires that an organization should deal with one or two Agencies who can then take the time to understand your organisational dynamics, culture, change orientation and other peculiarities. This increases the chance of an organisational fit with shortlisted candidates.
7. Recruitment Fees and Payment Conditions
Obviously the issue of costs is an important consideration in the recruitment process. Most reputable Employment Agencies are agreeable to negotiate recruitment fees and payment terms with clients. The Company is, however, ideally placed to negotiate win-win recruitment fees with the Agency if they have some form of exclusivity agreement or understanding of preferred supplier of the recruitment services. A word of caution, however, an Employment Agent which claims to have the “lowest fees” might not always be the perfect choice. The ability to attract the desired caliber of candidates may also be impaired.
In conclusion, the decision to outsource the recruitment process to an Employment Agency is of key strategic importance because of the necessity to engage the right types of people with the right types of skills. Such people guarantee the attainment of the goals and objectives of an organization. The choice of a suitable Employment Agency to partner a Company in the search for talented people becomes a critical consideration.
Emmanuel Jinda is the Managing Consultant of PROSERVE Consulting Group, a leading supplier of Professional Human Resources and Management services locally, regionally and internationally. He can be contacted at