Are you an Executive, Business Professional or HR Manager looking to recruit your next perfect employee?
If so, ensuring that you choose the right Recruitment Agency is vital to your success.
Here is our comprehensive recruitment guide that details everything you need to know about finding and engaging the perfect recruitment specialist for your recruitment efforts.
The best way to describe the current landscape of recruitment agencies is vast and varied. From specialists to generalists, bespoke to one-size-fits-all, any executive or HR manager who scans the market will realise there is an endless array of choices.
As a discerning professional seeking the perfect addition to your team, this recruitment agency overload can no doubt add significant frustration and confusion to your hiring efforts.
It’s worth asking:
What defines the ideal recruitment specialist for my business?
To avoid answering this question with suggestions that are as diverse as the agencies themselves, let’s keep things simple:
The key to finding the perfect recruitment agency lies in choosing a recruitment specialist armed with a dedicated, industry-specific network and knowledge base.
In other words, avoid selecting a generalist recruiter. Instead, identify an industry specialist who operates within a particular sector or niche.
As we will explain in this article, the specialist approach proves to be a more streamlined and effective method for attracting and engaging A-grade candidates who are tailored to your unique job requirements.
But before you jump to the first recruitment agency that identifies itself as a “specialist” it’s important to demystify this term and understand what it means to be a specialist, the benefits of this approach, and how to identify a true specialist agency.
When it comes to your recruitment agency effort, we want to help you make the right choice. That’s why we’ve crafted this comprehensive guide, outlining everything you need to know to make an informed decision.
Understanding the Current Recruitment Industry in Australia
To truly understand the importance and value of a specialist recruitment agency and to identify the top recruitment agencies in Australia, it’s important to frame this discussion by first considering the current recruitment industry in Australia. So, here is a summary of the key trends that we are seeing.
1. It’s a ‘Candidate Short’ Market
Australia is experiencing a true employee-led market with the current unemployment rate at just 3.7%, hovering close to all-time lows of 3.4%. This small unemployment rate represents a scarcity of available talent who are willing and able to work.
Adding even greater strain is the fact that the annual retrenchment rate was recorded at just 1.4% – the lowest since records began in 1972. Put simply, with fewer people being forced out of a job than ever, and fewer people looking for a job than usual, a large number of businesses are fighting for the attention of a limited pool of skilled professionals.
2. Candidates Are More Selective and Confident
We’ve also noticed that in the current employee-led market, candidates are showing heightened levels of selectivity and confidence. Most top candidates understand the state of the job market; they recognise that the prevailing labour shortage works in their favour, and many of them are capitalising.
One of the world’s largest management consultancies McKinsey & Company put it this way:
“Because of the current labour shortage and the greater acceptance of remote work, employees in many industries are confident that they can find work anywhere, whenever they are ready … They have seen friends and colleagues depart and survive, and they are confident that they can, too.”
3. Candidates Also Have More Options to Do It Themselves
McKinsey & Company also explain that candidates:
“have access to more information about the labour market than ever before—through word of mouth and social media sites, for instance—so they don’t need to rely on the usual recruiting resources.”
Digital platforms, especially LinkedIn, have transformed the job-seeking process, providing candidates with unprecedented access to opportunities. This ease of access, coupled with increased confidence in their skills, encourages candidates to proactively reach out to companies directly and to take charge of their career trajectories.
4. Top Talent Tends to Go to Specialised Recruitment Agencies
Of the A-grade talent that doesn’t reach out to companies directly, or doesn’t have success, we’ve found that they tend to consult with Specialised Recruitment agencies. Generally speaking, the best expert recruits often have distinct career aspirations and a clear vision of their professional trajectory, and so rather than seek generalised advice are inclined to seek the expertise of a specialist recruiter.
To source high-calibre professionals, businesses need to meet top candidates halfway and align themselves with recruitment specialists who can comprehensively understand and cater to the unique needs of top-tier talent.
But let’s dive a little deeper.
The Importance of Choosing a Specialist Recruitment Agency
Specialist Recruitment Agencies are Ambassadors for Your Business.
Whichever recruitment specialist you choose, it’s important to understand that they are the first point of contact between your business and a potential candidate, and so, are a representation of your brand right from the beginning.
It’s best to picture your recruiter as a business ambassador.
Their role is to ensure your potential employees get the best possible first impression. To achieve this, they need to do more than just represent your interests; they need to truly understand your business and speak from industry experience as they communicate your business’s worth.
Specialist Recruitment Agencies Understand Your Industry
Specialist recruiters understand the heartbeat of your industry and the markers for success within it.
Think of it this way: if your recruiter doesn’t grasp the nuances of your industry, how can they possibly gauge if a potential employee aligns with the role, you have available, let alone your business’s vision? It’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole – it just won’t work.
A specialist recruiter who truly understands and operates in your industry daily can paint an accurate picture of your business to attract the right talent.
True Specialist Recruitment Agencies Assess Beyond “Skills”
Most recruitment agencies will pitch themselves as doing more than just matching a resume to a job description and yet, all they do is match a candidate’s skills to a job.
Although this step is highly important, what separates the best recruitment agencies is that they look beyond the surface level of skills – they determine how well the candidate will fit in an industry and a business by measuring and focusing on the intangibles – the cultural fit, the compatibility with the manager, and other variables that a resume can’t capture.
This level of personalised attention simply cannot be replicated by a generalist who doesn’t understand your specific business on a deep, operational level.
At this stage, you might be wondering how a recruitment agency actually executes this process. If the variables that determine culture and rapport are less tangible than your typical skills, how can they be measured?
How a Specialist Recruitment Agency Works
A consultative approach
A recruitment specialist starts its process with you by first getting to understand the unique needs of your business and the role you are trying to fill. They invest time in grasping the current requirements of the vacant role as well as any future plans for both the role and the candidate to ensure long-term alignment.
Skills match
The recruitment journey continues with a crucial step – the skills match. Armed with industry knowledge, specialist recruiters seek out recruits who have the precise skills needed for your role by meticulously dissecting resumes and qualifications to ensure a seamless alignment between the candidate’s capabilities and your business needs.
Identifying non-skill competencies
What sets specialist recruitment agencies apart is that they take the time to assess non-skill competencies.
Using the expertise of recruitment consultants trained in behavioural-based assessments, the goal is to understand the suitability of a candidate beyond their qualifications. This is achieved through behavioural-based interviewing techniques unravelling qualities such as attention to detail, a tendency to go above and beyond the norm and a genuine desire to contribute meaningfully.
It’s a process that delves into the fabric of how an employee will support and connect within your unique professional setting to ensure that the candidate not only possesses the technical know-how but is also aligned with the values and culture of your business.
Two Key Benefits of a Specialist Recruitment Agency
When it comes to choosing a recruitment agency the two primary goals are to attract and retain talent. Think about it this way; it isn’t useful or efficient to find good talent only to lose them shortly down the line, nor is it worth recruiting the wrong talent but then ultimately retaining them.
A specialist recruitment agency ensures your business enjoys the two beneficial outcomes of attraction and retention – here’s how.
Improved Candidate Attraction
Specialist recruitment agencies leverage their recruitment expertise to better attract candidates. Here’s a closer look at the reasons that contributed to this outcome:
1. They have a specialised understanding of talent requirements
A recruitment process that not only identifies requisite skills but also delves into the nuances of what truly makes a candidate shine in a specific role or company is sure to attract more optimal job candidates than a generalised alternative.
2. A more efficient and focalised approach
By taking a more focalised approach to their daily recruitment efforts, specialised agencies become hyper-familiar with your specific industries’ labour market. This streamlined approach is not only more efficient in terms of time and resources used but also leads to more precise conclusions about a potential match.
3. A trusted industry-wide network
By operating daily only within one industry, specialist agencies bring with them a laundry list of industry connections. By having contact with key stakeholders, personnel and other businesses in the industry, a specialised recruiter can seek hidden hiring opportunities such as those currently employed but open to strategic career moves. This expansive network translates to a deeper base of potential hires who might not be actively job hunting but are open to the right opportunity.
4. A finger on the pulse
With a hyper-focused perspective, specialist agencies have an acute awareness of talent movements within your specific market and stay abreast of industry trends, shifts, and emerging talent so that they can respond swiftly to your hiring demands.
In this way, specialist agencies empower your business to stay ahead of the curve and stand out to top talent, confirming the fact that they are exactly the type of agency you should seek when choosing a recruitment partner.
Improved Employee Retention
Employee retention comes down to two variables that must exist at the same time – your employee wants to stay in the business, and you want them to stay in the business. Here’s why choosing a specialised recruitment agency enables both outcomes.
The employee wants to stay
Specialist recruitment agencies pave the path for longevity by investing time and resources into understanding not just the present needs of the vacant role but also the long-term aspirations of the candidate in question.
The recruiter’s job is to ensure that from day one, the candidate is on a trajectory that aligns with the trajectory of the role. Not only does this increase the likelihood that individuals fit into the business, but they thrive in the business and have a genuine desire to stay and contribute.
You want the employee to stay
When it comes to retaining talent, it’s best to choose an agency that significantly increases the odds that you will want the selected candidate to stay for the long haul. As discussed, specialist agencies place emphasis on the competencies that directly contribute to a positive workplace culture.
By starting with a more detailed and focused recruitment process, specialists ensure that you don’t just get a skilled person whose contribution to the team is task-orientated but that you get a candidate who brings also unique qualities to the company culture.
How to Determine if a Recruitment Agency is a Specialist Agency?
As we have laid out, the answer to “What sort of recruitment agency should I choose?” is a specialist recruitment agency that understands the intricacies of your industry, not just an average employment agency in recruitment.
But the next step in choosing the perfect recruitment agency for your business is being able to identify whether or not an agency is a specialist agency that can deliver the benefits and outcomes that we’ve discussed.
1. Look at the agency’s job board
When determining if a recruitment agency is truly a specialist, there is a very simple way to start – that’s by scrutinising their current job board.
Most recruitment agencies have some form of a public job board. When reviewing a genuine specialist agency it will be clear from this job board that they only focus on one specific sector or industry. Examples might include:
- office support
- marketing
- accounting
- C-suite roles
all of which showcase a tailored approach.
Be cautious of agencies that claim to be specialised but list jobs indiscriminately, as this will indicate a lack of true focus and often undermine your chance at receiving the benefits and outcomes we’ve previously discussed.
Additionally, it’s worth examining how broadly a recruitment agency defines an industry.
For example, a financial recruitment agency may focus on everything from accounting to banking to financial lawyers or even marketers who have worked in financial companies. A broad definition of your industry could dilute their perspective and indicate that despite how they describe themselves an agency isn’t committed to specialisation in practice.
2. Screen the company
Like any other company you consider engaging, it’s important to conduct a thorough screening of a potential recruitment agency by engaging in meticulous research and due diligence.
To do this, a great place to start is to explore website testimonials and Google reviews and gather insights into their reputation. It’s also advisable to reach out to individuals within your industry and to gather firsthand experiences and reviews.
In short, you must never take a recruitment agency at face value; instead, it’s better to be safe rather than sorry. By delving into the company’s background and reputation, you can decide whether it truly embodies the success and specialisation that it promotes.
3. Look at their long-term track record
A recruitment agency’s long-term track record both internally and for their clients is a great indicator of their worthiness.
Think about it; what is more telling about the success of a recruitment agency than its own track record of staff recruitment, specifically attraction and retention? When deciding on any agency it’s best to look for signs of longevity both in terms of their staff retention and the agency’s own existence. While internal staff information can be difficult to find, platforms like LinkedIn are a great place to start.
It’s also important to seek verifiable evidence about the impact the agency has had on its clients through case studies and other published results. A specialist agency with a robust long-term track record not only demonstrates stability but also provides confidence that they can effectively meet your needs, especially the needs specific to your industry.
Looking For a Specialised Office Support Recruitment Agency?
When it comes to office support, MJD Recruitment is trusted by many high-value organisations for temporary staffing recruitment services.
Contact us on 1300 251 905 or reach out to Tara Elias our General Manager of Recruitment to learn more about how we could assist.
