Looking for a job can be a full-time job in itself. The process can involve sending out multiple applications, attending job fairs and networking among other things. In other words, spending a great deal of time and money that might end up getting you nowhere or getting you a job with a salary that’s far below what you are worth, and a work environment that is not to your liking.
This is why a staffing agency or staffing firm might come in handy. Also known as recruitment agencies or employment agencies, these organizations zero in on jobs and companies that are to your liking and save you a great deal of time in your search for your ideal job.
What is a recruitment agency?
A recruitment agency is an organization that helps companies meet their staffing needs. It serves as an intermediary between a potential employer and qualified candidates, who have the background and skills that the employer is looking for.
Recruitment agencies help companies fill temporary positions as well as permanent positions. They usually specialize in specific fields, such as technology, healthcare, and business. Spartanium, for example, specializes in staffing for insurance, legal or accounting companies.
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How do recruitment agencies work?
Recruitment agencies partner with employers seeking to fill vacancies. On behalf of these employers, they sift through pools of job seekers to identify high-quality candidates suited for the position. The employer pays the recruitment firm a fee for their services. In other words, for the recruitment agency to get paid, the agency recruiters need to succeed in finding the ideal candidate to fill the vacant position.
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How to choose the right recruitment agency
Before choosing a recruiter to help you with your job search, you need to learn more about employment agencies. There are a number of questions you need to ask before deciding whether a recruitment firm is the right fit for your needs.
Have the agency recruiters actually worked in the field?
Working with a staffing firm whose staff have actually worked in your industry is essential if you want to find your ideal job. Every profession has its nuances and complexities and recruiters who have also been industry insiders are particularly well placed to address the unique challenges associated with the industry they serve.
How long has the agency been in the business?
Experience matters, especially if the agency in question is a specialist recruitment agency. A staffing firm that specializes in filling the staffing needs of potential employers in specific sectors of industry needs to be knowledgeable about its chosen areas of expertise.
It also needs to have strong working relationships with HR professionals and hiring managers in the fields that it focuses on. Most importantly, it should have a proven track record of successfully filling positions in its chosen sectors of industry. A recruitment agency with many years of experience likely ticks all boxes.
Does your agency recruiter have a relationship with the employer?
As with any other businesses, successful recruitment firms have good relationships with the employers they represent. These relationships are based on continuous conversation and dialog between agency recruiters and hiring managers. However, some recruitment agencies separate their sales staff from their recruitment professionals. In such agencies, it is possible that all conversations that take place between the recruiter and the employer are between the salesperson and HR.
As a result, the recruiter who is interviewing you may never have spoken to HR or the hiring manager. Such a recruiter is at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to serving job candidates. After all, how can a recruiter who has never interacted with the client be expected to have insights into the employer’s corporate culture, hiring practices, and salary ranges?
How interested are they in you?
A good recruiter will always take a deep interest in their job candidates and be committed to connecting them with opportunities that are conducive to their career growth. Which is why, during your preliminary conversation with a recruiter, you should also play the role of interviewer and observer and look at the level of interest they have in understanding your needs.
To begin with, a good preliminary interview with a recruiter should be at least an hour long. During the interview, recruiters should offer tips on how you can improve your resume and interview skills.
What are the types of recruitment agencies?
Specialist recruitment agencies
A specialist recruiting agency, also known as a contingency recruiting agency is a type of employment agency that focuses on specific sectors of industry. For example, specialist recruiting agencies may help employers in specific fields such as healthcare, hospitality, insurance, retail, or finance find high-quality candidates for roles requiring knowledge and skill sets that are specific to these sectors.
Temp staffing agencies
A temp staffing agency is one that focuses on helping companies fill temporary positions.
Businesses often partner with such staffing firms when they need to hire part-time or seasonal workers, need help with a temporary project, or need to fill a temporary vacancy left by an employee taking maternity, paternity, or sick leave.
Executive recruiting agencies
Executive recruiting agencies, also known as retained search firms, are a type of employment agency that focuses on helping companies fill high-level positions. These can include positions in management or C-level positions such as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, or Chief Technology Officer.
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What are the benefits of using recruitment agencies for candidates?
Many high-quality candidates use recruitment agencies to assist them with their job application process. Using a recruitment agency to find a job can help you in your job search in a number of ways.
Agencies can save you time
Recruitment agencies operate on behalf of companies. As a result, they already have access to the information you would otherwise have to find through networking and research.
Agencies can prepare you for job interviews
An agency is constantly in touch with the employer’s hiring manager and often has insights on the employer’s hiring process. These insights can include specific qualities that the employer is looking for in a candidate, the employer’s salary range, and the hiring manager’s personality among other things.
As a result, they can send you into the job interview with an edge over the competition. This is a definite advantage over trying to arrange a job interview on your own and attending it without knowing the needs of your potential employer or your job interviewer’s personality.
Agencies can negotiate on your behalf
When employers advertise jobs, they often don’t mention salary ranges. As a result, during the interview, you might find yourself faced in the awkward position of having to disclose what your salary expectations are. Employment agencies often have access to this inside knowledge and are able to brief potential candidates on how much an employer is willing to offer. In many cases, they are also willing to negotiate on your behalf.
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Find a job through Spartanium
If you’re looking for a job in insurance, accounting, transport, and logistics, you don’t need to look further than Spartanium, a Montreal-based specialist recruiter that works with many leading employers in these fields. Spartanium partners with employers in the above fields to help them find ideal candidates.
Spartanium’s agency recruiters are well connected to the industries they serve and, through their extensive knowledge and expertise have established a long track record of success in bringing together employers and candidates. What’s more Spartanium has an impressive job database that candidates can sift through, while looking for their ideal job.
