What’s so nice about making plans is that they can start with dreams. It is perfectly okay to slip behind the wheel of a sporty two-seater in the showroom of a car dealership, knowing full well that what you really need is a solid, practical family car. You’re allowed to dream, as long as the moment comes when you think, “Okay, time to get serious now”. It’s the same with recruitment. You can dream, but when the recruitment agency comes in, that’s where “Okay, time to get serious now” begins. Your ideal recruitment agency is – above all – a serious partner who comes up with solutions.

The recruitment agency as spoilsport

A recruitment agency allows companies to dream, but its role is to find the right people as efficiently as possible. It does so thoroughly, based on facts, and using professional tools. It will begin by asking questions that you may find difficult to face. It will critically examine your wish list, i.e. the superlatives in the profile you have formulated. It will strip the nice-to-haves down to a realistic profile of need-to-haves. The fact that you may find the people from the recruitment agency critical rather than compliant is actually a good sign. Because recruitment is a craft that requires knowledge and experience. It might not be sexy, but it is efficient.

Recruiters don’t do gut feelings

Gut feelings may be a decisive factor in HR, but a recruitment agency is more likely to deal with it more intellectually. The agency will counter that gut feeling with data, algorithms, and new technologies, from intake interview to shortlist. For a recruitment agency, there’s no element of hocus-pocus or magic to recruitment; it’s serious business. Regardless of what recruiting means to a company and applying for a job means to a candidate, it is a serious matter that deserves better than guesswork.

The recruitment agency should be a chameleon

Your recruitment partner is also an important ambassador for your company. Candidates come into contact with it at a time when they are trying to find out what kind of organisation their potential future employer is. This means that while the recruitment agency doesn’t have to be a copy of your company in terms of culture and values, it does have to have an interest in these things and be willing to act in accordance with your organisation’s culture. So, if they’re a bit of a chameleon, it’s definitely an asset.

You and your recruitment agency, a lasting relationship

And lastly, a vacancy is not an island, but rather a missing gear in a machine. Understanding that machine is a big plus when it comes to finding the right gear. A recruitment agency will not only look into the job you are looking for; they will also want to get to know your company. So, typically, both parties – company and recruitment agency – invest in a long-term relationship.

Good luck!

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