The Best Guide on How to Find a Recruiter for Your Business
According to some LinkedIn research , the volume of open positions for recruiters has tripled since January 2019. This means that more and more companies need recruiters and struggle to find them.
If the Great Resignation has impacted your business, you are probably familiar with the race to find recruiters. But how do you find one that will be a match with your business?
There are a few main factors to consider before hiring a recruiter, so keep reading to find the perfect talent acquisition team.
Decide What Type of Recruiter to Hire
First, figure out what type of recruiter you want to hire. There are all kinds of different titles that recruiters might work under, like:
- Recruiter
- Hiring specialist
- Talent acquisition manager
- Employee success manager
However, if you decide you want to hire a standard recruiter, there are two main types of recruiters: external and internal. There are significant differences between the two of them, and you’ll need to consider a few factors before finding out which one is a good option for your business.
External Recruiters
External recruiters can come from regional companies, national staffing agencies, or local recruiting agencies. There are also different types of search firms. For example, you may be able to hire an executive search firm to fill specialized or C-level positions.
Some recruiters have specialized expertise in a certain niche. When you work with an external recruiter, you’ll likely pay them on a retainer or contingency basis.
If you have a recruiter that works on contingency, they’ll get paid when a candidate accepts a new job offer and stays with the company for a certain period. People call this the trial period, and it can be as short as three months or last as long as six months.
The contingency commission is usually the primary source of income for recruiters. Some of them usually take a percentage of the candidate’s first-year salary. If the company chooses another candidate that didn’t come from the recruiter, then the recruiter won’t get paid. That way, they’re incentivized to bring the best talent to the table.
On the other hand, the external recruiter could work on a retainer position. This is where the recruiting firm will have full access to fill a particular position. They’ll act as an extension of your company, but they’ll work on a contract basis.
They will be a team with your current hiring managers and department to find the right candidate. They’ll use their talent pipelines to find qualified candidates and work on the selection and hiring process for you.
Retained recruiters will typically take a higher percentage of the candidate’s first-year salary. However, the hired employee will still need to go through a trial period.
Internal Recruiters
The hiring company also has the option to hire an internal recruiter. An internal recruiter will be an excellent option for your business if you know that you’re going to need to fill a lot of positions and grow your business. Or, you might be anticipating more turnover.
Your internal recruiter will be just like any other employee, and they’ll focus on filling all of your open positions in the best way to save you money. They might not have as many resources as an external recruiter, but they can still hire candidates in a way that won’t have you paying extra fees.
If you want to find an internal recruiter, you might post on specialized job boards or LinkedIn. This strategy can be a gamble, but you’ll need to build a relationship with your internal recruiter.
In terms of pay, you will typically only pay them a salary. In some cases, you can offer them a commission for hires, but it’s unnecessary with external recruiters.
Consider Compensation
As we mentioned, the compensation can be different depending on what type of recruiter you want to hire. You’ll need to look at your recruitment budget and figure out how much you can afford to pay your recruiters.
When you hire a recruiter who works on a contingency basis, you could end up paying more. Still, you’re also more likely to have top talent. Since they usually get paid based on a portion of the new hire’s salary, this might be a good option for filling positions that don’t have a high salary.
If you’re interested in filling C-level positions with a high salary, you might want a retained recruiter so that you don’t have to pay as much for the higher position and salary. However, make sure that you have a retained recruiter who can still source a quality candidate for you.
Consider Specialty
Do you need to fill a job title in a specific field? Some recruiters have more experience and specialty in some niches than others.
The recruiter must understand the industry needs, and a more specialized recruiter will understand this better than a generalist recruiter. When a recruiter has more experience in a niche, they’ll know the industry and focus on one thing rather than the entire job market.
These recruiters also know what employers need from employers in that industry. This can give them more insight into finding a candidate that will work in your position. This expertise and knowledge can give them all kinds of connections, including connecting with the candidate and asking them specific questions about their skills.
For example, if you need to hire a mechanical engineer, you want a recruiter who will know a bit about the engineering world. That way, they can have more information to analyze the candidate’s qualifications for the job.
Consider Sourcing Strategies
Lastly, you’ll also need to consider how the recruiters will source these candidates. The candidates will meet with this recruiter first and evaluate whether they are worthy for the hiring manager to interview.
Suppose the recruiters don’t know where to source candidates outside traditional job boards. In that case, you’re not having much help in finding top talent. You’ll want to find recruiters who have an extensive talent pool, several LinkedIn contacts, and relationships with all kinds of great talent.
When trying to find a recruiter, ask them about previous positions they’ve filled and their process for filling current positions. Do they post job listings and wait for someone to apply to the job openings, or are they spending time turning top passive candidates into active job seekers?
Hire the Right Recruiter Today
Hopefully, this article has helped you narrow down which type of recruiter you want to hire. Whether you want to hire external or internal recruiters, Recruiter.com has you covered.
If you’re looking for an internal recruiter, you can post an opening on our specialized job board just for recruiters.
If you’re looking for someone who can be a great addition to your team, we have recruiters you can hire on an as-needed basis. These recruiters have specialized experience and can help you find the ideal candidate.
We also have machine learning software to source ideal candidates for an open position.
If you’re interested in any of these hiring solutions, contact us today !
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