When searching for candidates for open positions, employers often face many challenges. Recruiting the right candidate is time and cost consuming, and this needs to happen next to normal business operations. However, not all employers are confident to outsource this process to an external recruitment agency either because the challenges definitely don´t end there.
So, what are some of the biggest challenges employers face when recruiting and what makes them reluctant to work with recruiters:
- Hiring who they really need instead of just a placeholder
Many employers think that recruiters will do the same as they can do with the difference that they have full-time availability for this. So, when an employer turns to a recruiter they need to have the security they will get the right support to hire the person they really need instead of just someone to fill the empty chair in the office. As a recruiter, you need to provide your clients with a solution to a problem they are having and you need to think about how you will truly add value to the employer.
- Support with their HR dilemmas
Many employers don´t just need support with hiring the right person and that´s it. A challenge that many employers face is that the recruiting agency provides them with the right candidate but then when that person is hired, completely disappears. However, employers often need support with wider HR dilemmas related to the talent they are hiring. This can have to do with how to manage different generations in the workplace, diversity challenges or the situation in the industry. So as a recruiter, make sure you don´t disappear completely after you have received your fee for a placed candidate, be a true partner to your clients and follow-up regularly with them.
- Service providers that are overselling and under delivering
Some service providers are known for being great talkers but not so great listeners. For recruiters, the dropping of big names and bragging about what good candidates they placed at other companies without delivering something tangible are just a couple of examples of challenges that employers face with recruitment agencies. They are unsure about whether to work with a recruiting agency because they fear the agency won´t know their company well enough to actually be able to do a good job. Hence, if you are a recruiter, do your homework and use your ears (much) more than your mouth, listen to and really get to know the employer to be able to add much more value.
- No access to the right candidates for your vacancies
Especially in areas where talent is scarce, a big challenge for employers is to find the right candidates for their positions. So, if talent is scarce in the market, how will they know which recruitment agency can help them find the best candidates? One of the fears employers have is having to deal with candidates that the recruiter provides that don´t even meet the brief just because the sought profile is scarce. Therefore, as a recruiter, make sure to only submit candidates that meet the employers´ requirements. Really work with the client to solve their pain points and find the right candidates.
As a recruiter, being aware of the biggest challenges employers face when it comes to working with recruiting agencies, can help you to truly be a strategic partner and add real value. And as an employer, please know that good recruiting agencies will help you with your recruiting challenges and not add to them.
What are your biggest challenges when it comes to recruiting? We would love to read about them in the comments section!
