Engaging multiple agencies may work well for general positions that are easy to fill. However, in a candidate driven market it is important to think about how you approach your recruitment, in order to secure the best talent in a competitive environment.
Exclusivity means the agency has time to conduct a thorough search and present a curated shortlist of high-quality candidates. The most important thing is getting the right people hired, so the exclusivity should have a time limit. Below are some insights into process and key points to think about.
Quality
It takes time and dedication to fill niche skillset roles. An understanding of your business and also taking the time to really understand the candidate’s motivations and aspirations is required. If a recruiter knows they are up against other agencies it creates an unnecessary sense of urgency around sending a CV. This often results in a dip in quality and prematurely sending candidates that are not the best fit, or that ultimately will not accept the role due to their own requirements. Recruiters are more likely to send applications out of fear they will be sent by someone else first, rather than because they have been carefully selected for your role.
This approach may waste your time reviewing low quality submissions, or worse spending time interviewing a great candidate that won’t accept the role due to lack of care in the qualification call!
Candidate experience
Non-exclusive roles with multiple agencies tend to result in a poor candidate experience. While most agencies have their own database, they may use the same tools and external databases to search. Thus, candidates may be contacted multiple times about the same position from different points of contact. As you have had different conversations with each agency there may be discrepancies in the reach out, leading to confusion on the role requirements. This may damage both the agency brand and your employer brand. This approach can also increase salary expectations as candidates feel sought after.
Prioritisation
The fact is any well-seasoned recruiter, won’t want to work on a non-exclusive role. They will have clients they have good relationships with and commitment from. A role with no commitment will be the bottom of the pile, or worked by a junior consultant to help them learn the market. You will be reviewing candidates that are out of process at other clients, essentially, candidates your competitors didn’t want to hire!
EnviroTech Talent only actively work on exclusive roles. The most important thing to us is that you get the right people onsite, so there is a time limit of 4-weeks for your peace of mind, in which time most roles are filled (depending on length of process!). We have filled 100% of our exclusive roles to date and believe this is the best model for you to getting top talent on-site. Reach out to info@envirotechtalent.com to discuss your hiring.