Finding the right candidate is hard. Reviewing resumes, finding the right culture fit, checking references, conducting round after round of interviews, and making offers is a daunting task. A task that requires resources and time. Whether you are a dedicated in-house recruiter or an executive looking to build your team, hiring is a difficult task. Recruitment firms exist to ease this pain point. The great thing about using a recruitment firm is that they take the time and resource-consuming aspect of hiring. With so many recruitment firms out there, how do you know which one to choose? Here are 3 things to look out for when choosing a recruitment firm.

Look for a recruitment firm that has a proven track record. When researching a recruiter or talking to a firm, ask them to tell you about their track record placing candidates. Some important statistics to uncover are: how many companies they have worked with, their percentage of successful searches, their “stick” ratio (how many candidates stay for more than 3 months), their percentage of repeat business, among others. Understanding how many companies they’ve worked with and how successful they have been in each search gives you a good idea about how great of a job they can do for you.

There are recruitment firms for every industry. Accounting recruitment firms? Of course. Executive recruitment firms? You got it. Recruitment firms that do it all? Absolutely. When engaging with a recruitment firm, make sure that the firm has experience sourcing and attracting candidates in your specific industry. Ask them about what other companies in your space that they’ve worked with. Why is it so important? Isn’t recruiting candidates the same no matter what the industry? Let’s look at an example. You want to hire a Controller for your accounting team and you engage a recruitment firm. If the recruiters don’t know how to speak the accounting language and know the right questions to ask, it’s likely you won’t get the right candidate.

What do other hiring managers and business leaders say about the recruitment firm? Anybody can claim to be great to work with or provide a great client experience. It’s important to talk to both past clients and candidates alike to see what they say about their experience with the firm. There are some important things to look out for when reading testimonials. Pay attention to how the firm communicated with the client, how well they felt they understood the company culture, and overall how seamless the experience was.

The right recruitment firm can take your hiring to the next level and help you attract the best talent. If you are looking for a recruitment firm, please reach out! We are happy to tell you about our track record placing candidates, tell you all about the industry experience we have, and provide testimonials from both clients and candidates alike.