Recruitment agencies: how to make the right choice?

No, this will not be a "We from WC-Eend recommend WC-Eend" story. Promise. That being saidChoosing the right recruitment agency is not an easy task. Just a good feeling is not enough and by choosing an agency because they are self-proclaimed experts in a particular field, you are not doing yourself justice. So how do you choose the right one from all those recruitment agencies? The agency that fills your vacancies quickly and especially well? The recruitment and selection party that really understands your needs and only offers real solutions and talents that will benefit your organization? In short: how do you choose the recruitment agency that really adds value to your business?

We'll give you a hand!

Generalist or specialist?

In other words, all-round or specialized. All-round recruitment agencies can fill almost any position for you; from administrative assistant to account manager. You often see two models within all-round recruitment agencies: recruiters who specialize in a particular job group, for example finance or ICT and recruiters who are responsible for all vacancies at one client. All-round recruiters are often employed by large companies that have multiple roles to fill on a large scale.

Specialized recruitment agencies have specialized in a particular job group. They have knowledge of the market in which the client operates, have a network within the job group, know who the competitors are and have substantive knowledge of the job profiles and associated required competencies and skills. For specialized roles, you need an agency that specializes in them. Only then do recruitment agencies add value to your business.

Experience with similar clients

Often recruitment agencies have references on their websites. From this you can already whether the agency has experience with similar companies. Of course you can also find out by looking at their vacancies or by asking in an interview which clients they work for and which positions they have recruited for. The more similarities with your organization and needs, the better the match between you and the recruitment agency.

Are recruitment agencies an appropriate business card for your company?

After all, the recruitment agency that goes to work for you is a calling card for your organization. So find out how they operate and which recruiters will be working for you. Do their working methods match yours? Do they (broadly speaking) the same norms and values, and does their communication style and style match that of your organization? The recruitment agency acting for you represents you as a company. Make sure that dit matches with your organization and corporate identity.

Who is the recruiter?

Because that's not always the one with with whom you had the acquisition conversation with! Therefore also teach the recruiter who actually will work for you if you were to go into business together. Do you have confidence in this person? Does he fit your company? Does he have the right knowledge, experience and competencies to properly fill your open position(s)? Not only the agency, but the person must be a good match for your organization and its needs.

CV shufflers or connectors; how does the initial selection go?

There are, unfortunately, plenty of recruitment agencies that introduce candidates without first giving them face-to-face (or, i.e. Corona, extensively via Teams of Zoom). Except for a rare stroke of luck, this costs both the candidate and the organization an unnecessary amount of time. Therefore, always choose an agency that is face-to-face selection interviews before presenting candidates. This saves everyone a lot of time and energy.

Discover if we are the right recruitment agency for you?

As promised, this is not a 'We the toilet duck advise the toilet duck' story has become. But we do want to find out if we are the recruitment agency you need! We are therefore very happy to meet you, digitally or face-to-face. Contact us, we'd love to get to know you!

And that good feeling we talked about at the beginning? It doesn't guarantee success, but it has to be right.