If you’ve realized you need some help with the hiring process, you might be looking for a recruiter or a staffing agency to be your partner in the search. The right recruiter will take the pressure off your HR team to sort through piles of resumes and will filter out the best person for the job through their own network. To find the right staffing advocate, you’ll need the right questions to ask recruiters.
The ADAPTURE staffing experts have decades of industry experience matching candidates with the right companies. To get started on your search for your recruiting partner, you should be asking these questions.
Questions to Ask Recruiters: Who are Your Other Clients?
While a staffing agency might not be able to share all of their client names, you’ll want to know the recruiter has placed successful candidates in similar companies. This shouldn’t be about competition but making sure the recruiter has the capacity to work with an organization like yours.
Any Specialties?
One of the benefits of hiring through recruiters is their specialized network. Your HR professionals could fill a position, but they don’t have the connections in every industry that you’ll find through a recruiter.
When you choose a specialized recruiter or staffing agency, they’ll have access to a talent pool already meeting your unique specifications for the position.
Preferred Size of Business?
When you hear the other clients they work with, you should get an idea of their preferred business size. You want a staffing agency familiar with the needs of companies like yours−whether you’re a small local business or a large firm with several offices around the country.
Choosing a recruiter who knows your business well and the kind of candidates you need even before he or she dives into your company details will help make the process smoother and more efficient.
How Many Candidates Do You Place in a Year?
This question is aimed at the recruiter you’ll be working with specifically. Because of the payment structure at some firms, a recruiter might have really high placement numbers, but the candidates may not be a great fit for their roles. Consider follow-up questions about the retention rate of these placements to learn more.
What Do Your Process and Lead Times Look Like?
When you’re looking for a temporary employee, you might want to hire someone quickly for your open position. With direct hire employees, you probably have more time to decide what makes the best fit. Each agency operates a little differently and might focus on one method over the other. The questions to ask recruiters should give you an idea of how well their process fits with your own.
For some temporary roles, the agency’s screening and interview process may be enough for you. For more specialized roles, you’ll probably want to interview the candidates yourself before committing to any of them.
Your role requires the right agency process. The recruiter might be hesitant to send someone on an interview for an assistant position they want to fill quickly, or the recruiter might not have the in-depth network you need for a managerial role. Clarify the lead time you require and the importance of the interview process on your end, then look for agencies that can work with the same model.
How Do You Look Out for Our Best Interests?
The recruiter should always be bringing you the best talent and understand that temporary employees have the opportunity to become permanent. They should be looking for the best candidate for your company as a whole, because keeping that one person will be easier than finding a different permanent employee later on. Asking the right questions early on in the process with help ensure you work with the best recruiter for your needs.
How engaged a recruiter is with learning your process, what you’re looking for in your candidates, and your company culture, should give you a strong indication of how dedicated he or she will be to finding the right candidates for your team.
Questions to Ask Recruiters at ADAPTURE
The ADAPTURE staffing team is completely transparent about our processes, whether you’re looking for a contractor to help you with a short-term project or your next direct hire. We’re happy to answer these questions and more.
We’ve built a network of highly qualified professionals, sourcing active and passive job seekers to find the best candidates for our clients. Connect with us today to get started.
