How a recruiting agency finds top talent in a tight market — and why this is a win for you

04.09.2019

Workforce

Today’s workforce of multiple generations poses new challenges and opportunities for employers. Without proper tools or data, businesses endure high costs through the hiring process — which isn’t always successful — and suffer from long hiring cycles. Hiring and onboarding a new employee is a major investment. The cost of the wrong person can take a toll.

During an interview with Business Insider, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh said, “If you add up the cost of our bad hires and bad decisions they made, including their bad hires, it’s a domino effect. It’s probably cost the company $100 million.”

To harness talent in a tight market and expansive workforce, employers are being forced to think about hiring in a new way.

Instead of relying on their top leaders to handle the hiring process, organizations are teaming up with recruiting agencies to find their next hire. Recruitment consultants know that business growth demands new ideas and fresh thinking. Because they have extensive professional networks and access to candidates from different skillsets, they gain a unique perspective into how employees can do more than just fill a desk. They know how employees can be the right fit — both culturally and organizationally — that can help an organization thrive.

They interview client and candidates

Through one-on-one meetings over coffee or lunch, recruiters get to know job seekers and candidates personally. They learn about the candidates’ experience, skillsets, and goals and set up various touch points that help foster positive working relationships.

At the same time, consultants also learn about their clients: the organizations and businesses they are serving. They learn about the culture, the industry, the work, and the team.

When an organization has an open position, the recruiter already knows the client’s needs and can access their pipeline of candidates to find the best fit. By forming a strategic partnership, consultants provide workforce consulting to make the process efficient and effective.

They have necessary industry knowledge

Recruiters have tools, subscriptions, network groups, finance leaders in the local market that others don’t. And in today’s workforce that includes five generations working alongside each other, having access to the right candidate matters. Despite a few major differences, most employees — whether they’re Generations Z-ers, Millennials or Baby Boomers — want the same three things: financial security, fulfilling work, and work-life balance. Instead of focusing on separate candidates or generations, consultants get to know the person behind the generational stereotype and then create space to listen to their ideas and knowledge.

They’re familiar with your organization’s culture

A company’s culture, the values, rituals and behaviors shared by the people who work there, influences who might be the best fit for an open position. Recruiters understand this. They get to know your onboarding process, flexible working arrangements, and ways your organization empowers career growth. They can then pair your organization’s values and mission with the personality of a new hire or candidate.

Your teams can focus on less

When your senior leaders aren’t forced to add one more thing to their to-do lists and spend their valuable time searching social media sites, job boards and LinkedIn profiles, you all win. Rather than piling on more tasks, empower your managers with a handful of streamlined projects, critical to the organization’s mission. When teams take on more than they’re capable of, the results are paralyzing and can often derail everything you’ve worked for. By assigning fewer projects, you empower your teams to set a handful of goals and become more focused.

By establishing a positive working relationship with your recruiter and aligning your goals and values, they will provide on-point candidates to help build your team. Building new processes for your organization can transform your hiring process and utilize new ways to acquire top talent.