10 Questions you should be asking Recruiters!
How can you tell if your recruitment partner is the right one for your business?
Here is our guide to help you see through the marketing jargon and test your recruitment supplier's value to your business.
First things first
We put together this guide in order to help our valued clients (you) form an opinion of the various recruitment agencies breaking into the niche markets such as Payments & eCommerce.
Sometimes you cannot only work with one supplier and you need to tap into more resources in order to get the job done quickly and this guide should help you navigate the minefield that is the recruitment industry and sift through the time wasters.
Let's Begin
Let's face it, finding new people and successfully hiring them is a Manager's nightmare. On boarding a new member of the team can be very time consuming project, therefore main priorities are normally:
- Ensure we have the best process.
- If you have to hire from an external supplier, quickly find the right one for our needs.
- Try to have pre-screened, prepared candidates who really want the job. Quickly sourcing and reviewing the most relevant candidates.
- Interview with a purpose to hire the right person first time.
- Make sure the candidate walks away with a good feeling about the company.
We think that the best way to achieve all of the above is to establish a lasting relationship with a well-known recruitment partner specialising in your niche.
A good agency should be able to help you with your process, give advice on market salaries (especially if you have never hired in that particular position/location before) and deliver the right candidates on time.
They should also have solid relationships with their candidates who respect the recruiter as a trusted adviser focusing on your position.
There are literally thousands of recruitment partners across the planet, some small, some large, some specialities, some generalities. Depending on what you are looking for, many have their place in the market and can add value to your business.
We find, the best recruitment partner to be specialists in niche markets are committed to a long term relationship and are diligent about who they work with and who they do not.
When your recruitment partner listens more than they talk, you are normally off to a good start.
The reverse can also be true, however, and you can often find yourself doing the job of your recruitment partner for them, often taking on even more work at the profit of an agency that is not doing you any favours.
If you can find a recruitment partner that you can work well with, they deliver the goods and they add value to your business then this guide is likely repeating what you already know.
However, if you are still struggling to find the right agency, please read on as this will provide valuable insight into how to get the most from your recruiting partner.
What you are about to read are the 10 most essential questions you can ask whilst qualifying a new recruitment partner:
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How long have you been working for your company?
If you are taking the time to establish a relationship with a recruiting partner you need to make sure they will be around for a while or it will cost you time in the end trying to get know his/her replacement when they leave. Asking this question will allow them to elaborate on their background and give you an idea of how long they intend to stick around as well as reflect on their experience in the market / their ability to deliver.
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What steps do you normally take to find new talent?
This question is designed to understand the process of any agency so you can work together and not in competition. It could be that you have already advertised your position on industry job boards, LinkedIn Groups etc. So here you are looking for answers that involve tapping into established talent pools, networks and contacts that you do not have access to as well as targeted headhunting from competitors in a structured manner. If the agency simply says that they scour LinkedIn and Monsterboard for the best candidates then this agency may not be the right one to add value to your business.
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How quickly can you deliver?
Depending on the urgency of your vacancy, this is of interest. You want to hear that they have filled similar positions (and be able to show evidence of this) recently with similar companies in your sector. Look out for vague answers or lack of knowledge of available candidates. Depending on the process from your side, a specific process should be in place with delivery deadline and solid milestone throughout the search project.
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Do you understand the industry in which you are recruiting in?
This is one of the most important factors. You need to be sure that your recruiting partner is passionate about the industry you are in, shows strong knowledge in relevant areas and understands how to talk your language. You want to see what they know about your company, what their opinion is on you company's position in the market and what they think of the state of the market in general.
If the agency is lacking this area, you can be sure that you will be taking a great deal of time to educate them so you are probably better moving on to another agency that does understand and coming back to these guys in a year or so. Of course you should not expect the agency to have all the right answers but at least be able to talk about the market in a certain degree of confidence and knowledge.
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Are you familiar with the industry players & the roles they play?
This ties in to the first question a little as your recruiting partner should know the industry well enough to know the cultural differences between smaller PSPs, Banks, Acquirers as well as what it is like to be working in various vertical markets such as Gaming, Travel, FX, etc. Failure to question your potential recruiting partner around this will result in many profiles coming to you who will be eliminated at the first interview costing valuable time.
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What are your expectations of me as your client in this relationship?
This is a question often overlooked and is one of the most important. With this questions it really gives you the chance to bond with your recruiting partner and see what they expect from you and in turn you for them. This is time to establish a solid process, follow up reports, and agree on feedback time, sharing interview agendas and communication protocol. The agency should be answering this with a solid list of needs from their side. Be very cautious if an agency simply replies with "absolutely nothing, you sit back and let me take care of this project for you".
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What is your daily availability?
Hiring top talent is an art that relies on a solid process and quick reactions from all parties involved. It's one of the most important aspects of growing a business. There is nothing worse than wanting to act quickly on a candidate that you have identified as your next hire and you cannot reach the introducing party as it's gone. Your recruiting partner should be available when you need them or at very least have an assistant in the office that can be reachable when things need to happen yesterday.
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What is your fee structure?
It's important to know up front what the agency will charge, how they will invoice you and if they are flexible on price should more commitment be on the table from your side.
A good agency should look for a "seriousness fee" or "retainer" for any project they undertake. By committing some capital and time upfront you can be sure that your recruitment partner will put their all into your project. At this point you should remember that you are most likely not the only client this agency is working with so the more you give them, the more they will prioritise your needs.
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Do you have Example Candidates?
Before committing to a partnership agreement, retainer, exclusive search assignment or contractual agreement on a search you may want to ensure that you are talking the same language with regard to specific type of candidate you are both looking for. Ask 2/3 example CVs of candidates that they think would be interesting to you. This is also a very nice way to fine tune your own profile and make sure you only receive relevant CVs.
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Can we meet?
Often overlooked is a meeting with you recruiting partner. Many agencies are not in your area or even your country but should be able to take the time to come to you and meet in person. Get the agency to know you as a company so they can better inform their candidates over your competition, this can make all the different in the beginning and end of the hiring process.