Having the best team is key to a successful business. Experienced employees that work well together and progress your company towards its various goals. Then, for better or worse, sometimes you need hire new people. Possibly to replace someone who left, or maybe because your business is expanding. Whatever the reason, its then time to dust off (or write new) job descriptions and begin the search.
Some people think that this is an easy process, but staffing and recruitment is much more nuanced than, say, purchasing office equipment. This applies to every level, from C-suite executives to motorcycle messengers. The right candidate must have more than the right level of experience. And how do you determine whether a CV represents the “right stuff”?
Should you rely on your own HR?
Even with your own HR resources, be it a single person or a whole department, searching for candidates internally can be problematic. Unless you have an onsite recruitment team, you may be missing out on ideal applicants or find yourself spending more time (and money!) than you expected, possibly with less than optimal results.Rather than relying on the “Careers” section of your website, or paying to post on job sites, only to have to sift through irrelevant CVs, there are professionals who can make the hiring process seamless and painless for you!
Once you’ve decided to turbocharge your efforts with a recruitment agency, you now must choose whether between a retainer or contingency recruitment arrangement.
Recruitment by retainer
Normally, you would engage a recruiter on retainer for more specialist roles that require a great deal of detailed scrutiny. This type of recruiter will search using their database and network, keeping the job opening confidential and not using advertising.
They will handle the entire process after getting an upfront fee and a full briefing from you. However, they will keep searching until they find the right two or three candidates, updating you with regular progress reports. Because you’ll be relying on the one firm, you must be sure that you trust their ability to meet your needs.
Contingency recruiters
With contingency recruitment, you can open the field to more than one agency, paying whoever brings in the candidate you ultimately hire. So, they’ll scour databases, networks, postings – matching your requirements to as many CVs as possible the find the most likely hires and send you the best one, maybe two, if you insist. But, if that one or two don’t fit the bill, often the agency has moved on (they are looking to get paid quickly, unlike a retainer firm that is in it for the long haul), which is why engaging one or more firms on contingency is a good idea.
How to pick the right recruiting agency
Whether you go with retainer or contingency, you need to make sure the agency you engage understands your needs, and so they can represent you properly when approaching candidates.General positions like accounting, HR, administration, can often be transferred from one business sector to another quite easily, but if you need specialists, then you may want an agency with experience in your field.
Make sure you are comfortable with how well the recruiter knows your market. They should be able to tell you who they know in your field, similar positions they’ve filled to the one you have available, and what steps they would take if their network doesn’t quite match your needs. Once you’re satisfied, then you’re well on your way to hiring your new candidate!
If you are in Thailand then please speak with BMS Recruitment, they are able to deal with all of your HR needs and are an affordable executive recruitment option.
