Using Recruiters

At TechAnimals we understand that finding the right talent is not an easy task. Why? Posting an open position on your career’s website, or a job board is sometimes not enough, potential candidates have been interviewed and the right one does not seem to materialize, the search is confidential as it deals with replacing an employee that will be terminated, etc. Regardless of the reason, to achieve filling open position sometimes will require to use a recruiter. If that is the case, you must look and carefully evaluate your choices before making a decision. We have searched various industry resources and have found the following excellent articles which outlines insights on Recruiters. Enjoy your reading!

Sponsored by: CIS Corporate Information Systems – The Software Sales Recruiters

CIS specializes in the placement of software sales professionals throughout the United States. Our focus spans the hi-tech industry with clients ranging from the new VC-funded start-up and pre-IPO companies to the Fortune 500. For almost two decades they have recognized CIS as their best source for staffing specialized Sales, Managerial, Executive and Systems Engineering personnel. We welcome the opportunity to earn your business through our confidential approach to effective software sales recruiting.

When to Use a Recruitment Company and When to Go It Alone

By: Tracey Bowyer

Life is hard for businesses looking to recruit new staff at present. There is a worldwide skills shortage and online job advertisements are at a record high. In response, the recruitment business is booming as employers look for external assistance to ease their plight. The question is, when should you use a recruitment agency and when should you go it alone? Recruitment agency fees are expensive and you want to be sure you are getting value for your money.

The first thing it is important to understand is that most recruitment firms are really just job advertisers and do not undertake employee selection for you as well. There are some agencies that do and if you require this from them this should be an important part of your selection criteria when deciding which firm to use.

Given that most recruitment firms don’t provide selection services, if you are able to write an effective job advertisement or have other arenas through which you can source potential job applicants yourself, such as through word of mouth from your current employees or through other contacts; or via signs in your place of employment or local area, then you will save considerable amounts of money by undertaking all of your employee recruitment and selection process yourself.

A recruitment firm can offer you great benefits if you are looking to hire staff for short periods of time and also wish to use the recruitment company’s services as an outsourced employer. The recruitment firm will charge you an hourly or daily rate for the contractor and also act as the worker’s employer and will be responsible for insurances, salary, superannuation and all employee benefits. Although this is generally more expensive than if you act as the employer yourself, there is just a single invoice to be paid rather than the workload associated with an additional employee. Also the recruitment firm takes all the risk and you can ask for replacement staff at any time if the employee is not working out like you hoped or if you no longer require their services. This can be particularly useful if you require particular skills for only a short period of time, for example you need an accountant to help you out at tax time or a receptionist to fill in whilst your regular employee is on leave. Using a contractor through a recruitment firm can also often be cheaper than using a professional services firm.

A recruitment firm can also provide you with benefits if they are expert in a particular industry or employee market. They may have specialized knowledge of where to find and how to attract employees of particular skills types. If you are unable to attract the employees you want yourself, you may require the services of a recruitment agency that has good industry contacts and can headhunt the appropriate staff you require.

Whilst most recruiters are sales professionals (not employee selection specialists), some agencies hire staff with extensive experience in a field (e.g. electrical engineering) and teach them how to recruit and place. Recruitment consultants who themselves have the particular skills and experience you require, are generally better able to understand and assess what it is that you are looking for. This means that the quality of the short listed candidates that are provided to you to assess will be higher.

Many employment markets are so large that for a business to initially screen all applications for a position would be so time consuming that it could result in lost business whilst this process occurs. This is particularly the case in large cities such as New York and London, however this problem also occurs in cities within the EU where applicants readily apply for and move to new jobs right throughout the region. The use of recruitment firms in this instance can save considerable time and stress provided that correct selection and screening procedures are utilized.
Similarly, if you do not have the time to undertake the recruitment and selection process yourself and the cost to your business in lost business or business development opportunity during the recruitment process is more than the cost of utilizing a recruitment firm, you should definitely consider outsourcing your recruitment. If you choose to go this route however you should insist that your chosen firm undertakes the whole process for you and uses scientific selection methodology.

At the very least your recruiter should undertake background and reference checks on your behalf and use behavioral based interviews. Otherwise you will end up having to put in just as much time and effort yourself anyway to assess the applicants they send you. If not, the effect of your outsourced employee selection process will be just as effective as taking a lucky dip from a hat. And you will have to deal with the consequences, which could not only include you being stuck with a less than productive employee, but even a disaster. I can assure you that the time and effort required to performance manage a poorly performing employee or one with a bad attitude is much, much more than
would be required to undertake a successful selection process in the first instance.

In summary, recruitment firms can provide you with many valuable services, particularly in such a tight employment market as it is at present. It is important however to assess potential recruiters carefully and ensure that they provide you with the services you require. The free industry guide “Recruitment Agency Secrets” provides more information on how to assess potential recruitment firms as well as inside information to assist you in getting value for your money when you do decide to use them.

About the Author

Tracey Bowyer is a recognized authority on the subject of employee recruitment and selection. Her website http://www.employee-selection-guide.com provides a wealth of information and articles on how to hire better and find the right employees for your business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracey_Bowyer

Why You Should Be Using A Recruiter

By: Carl Mueller

I’m a recruiter so it probably won’t come as a surprise that I’d recommend using a recruiter as part of your job search. Rather than justify my existence, I think it would be more valuable to you the reader to understand exactly how a good recruiter can add value to your career search.

Truthfully, a good recruiter can help give you an advantage over other people looking for (and interviewing for) the same jobs you are.

1. A good recruiter can help you find jobs that you might otherwise not know about. You may have heard about the “hidden job market.” Sometimes it’s so well hidden, you can’t actually find it. A recruiter has two main goals in life: to find jobs to fill and then to find the person to fill it. So first off, the recruiter needs to find open positions that they can help a company fill. Then they look for suitable candidates like you to actually present to the company for consideration for the job. In other words, a recruiter is a person who by definition needs to know where the available jobs are and who is hiring. They do this so that you don’t have to.

2. A good recruiter should help you prepare for interviews. I don’t just mean that they email you a link to the company website and read directions to the company out to you over the phone, either… If your recruiter just does that, get a new recruiter! A good recruiter will shed light on specific information that will help you stand out from others who are interviewing for the same job as you but who applied on their own and won’t have access to this information. This can only help you! A good recruiter will know the hiring manager (or whoever is interviewing you) and will be able to fill you in on some information you wouldn’t otherwise know about.

For example, information that I always pass onto my candidates include things like:

the personality of the interviewer(s). Imagine if you always knew before the interview what sort of people you’d be interviewing with so that you could prepare for each person individually?
hot buttons that the interviewer/company really wants to see ie. the recruiter tells you what to focus on during the interview so that you don’t forget to mention the skills and experience that the interviewer really wants to know about.
where other candidates who have interviewed for the same job have failed. In other words, a good recruiter will tell you how to avoid making mistakes that other candidates have already made!

3. A good recruiter will help you role-play for an interview. In other words, they will help you prepare for the interview by mimicking how the interview could actually go. It’s easy to surf a company website and think of a few ways to answer possible questions that might arise during the interview. It’s another thing altogether to actually answer questions as if you were already in the interview. Role-playing where you verbally answer questions as if you are already in the interview is far superior to simply thinking about how you will answer the questions. An interview – especially when it’s for a job you really want – is not the time to freestyle it and think that you can go into an interview and just wing it and still win the job.

4. A good recruiter understands the importance of timing. Often, finding a new job is (among other things) a case of being in the right place at the right time. Not only does the job become available at a time that suits you, but the company comes along with a position that requires the same experience and skills that you happen to have at a time when you just happen to be considering switching jobs.
How many times have you been happily working away and not thinking about looking for a new job when a position pops up that would interest you if only it had have been presented to you in say 6 months or perhaps 12 months from now?

I’ve seen that happen quite a bit, where the timing just isn’t right to change jobs. Timing really is everything especially when it comes to changing jobs.

And a good recruiter who knows you well will help you find a job within your time frame which will save you from having to constantly keep your eyes open looking for the same positions or positions that would suit you that you didn’t even know about. The best part is that you don’t pay to use a recruiter, the hiring company does. My suggestion is to find a small handful (ie. 3-4) good recruiters (you’ll quickly see the difference between a good one and a bad one…) that you trust and allow them to help you with your job search. You should also quickly see the benefits of using recruiters at this time.

About the Author

Carl Mueller is an Internet entrepreneur and professional recruiter. Carl has helped many job searchers with their career searches and would like to help clear up some of the job search myths that exist while also making job searchers aware of things that they can do to improve their chances at landing their dream job. Visit Carl’s website http://www.find-your-dream-career.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carl_Mueller