There is no shortage of recruitment agencies telling you they can fill your job. That is the easy bit. Finding out which one understands the work, can reach the right people and will be useful when the search gets difficult takes a little more thought.
I run a small recruitment business. Being small does not automatically make us better, just as a bigger logo does not automatically make somebody else better. What matters is the person doing the work and how they intend to do it.
If you have decided you need an agency, these are the five questions I would ask before instructing one.
1. What do they actually recruit for?
A company may cover engineering nationally, but who will handle your vacancy? Do they understand your part of engineering, or has the job landed on whichever desk had space?
I have used the retail comparison before. Halfords sells car and bike products. A supermarket sells some of those products too. Neither is automatically wrong for what you need, but the advice and depth of knowledge may differ. And if you want milling bits, you are going to ask a few more questions about where you buy them.
The same applies to recruitment. “Engineering” covers rather a lot. Ask what similar work the recruiter understands, which skills matter and what they would need to learn about your business.
For an engineering or manufacturing SME, the title rarely tells the whole story. Design, production, projects and technical sales can mean very different things from one business to the next. A useful specialist should want to get underneath that.
Do not assume a specialist will always be cheaper or more expensive. Compare the actual proposal, terms and work involved.
2. How will they find the people?
Posting an advert may be part of the answer. It should not be the entire conversation if you have already tried advertising and found very little.
Ask how they will approach the requirement. Which parts of their network are relevant? Where do they expect suitable people to be working? How will they establish interest and assess whether somebody is worth your time?
Market mapping, direct approaches, databases, advertising and referrals can all be useful. The point is not to collect a fashionable list of methods. It is to understand why the proposed approach makes sense for your job.
If the recruiter promises candidates before they have properly understood the brief, ask another question. Confidence is useful. Mind-reading would be considerably more useful, but I have yet to see it on a recruitment invoice.
Expect a realistic explanation of what may be difficult, including the package, location or particular combination of experience. That is a more useful start than being told everything will be easy.
3. Are they listening, or delivering a sales pitch?
Recruitment is a conversation. Can this person explain their thinking clearly? Do they ask relevant questions, listen to the answers and challenge something that does not add up?
You should be able to discuss why the vacancy exists, what success looks like and what happened in previous attempts to fill it. You should also be able to disagree without the conversation turning into a performance.
There is nothing wrong with a recruiter wanting your business. I want your business too. But a polished pitch is not the same as understanding your problem.
Listen to what they ask about the role, manager and team. If all the questions concern the fee and how quickly you will interview a CV, there is quite a lot of the job still missing.
4. How will communication work?
Agree this before the search starts. Who is your contact? How often will they update you? What will the update contain when there is no candidate to send?
I have worked with a client who called at 9 pm during a recruitment project. Another mainly emailed and only called me once during the process, at offer stage. Different people work differently.
That is an example of agreeing a way of working, not a promise that every recruiter should answer the phone at all hours. Set sensible expectations both sides can meet.
Useful communication includes what the market is saying, where the brief is proving difficult and what needs a decision. It also works both ways. If the recruiter is waiting for feedback, a changed salary or an interview date, somebody in your business needs to own that response.
5. Do you believe their plan for this particular job?
Forget the office size and the snazzy marketing for a moment. Having discussed the role, do you understand what the recruiter will do and why you believe they can help?
Not “do you like them?” Not “was that the lowest fee?” Can you see a credible route from the brief to relevant conversations and a properly assessed shortlist?
Check the written terms as well as the conversation. Understand the fee trigger, the service being agreed and any relevant exclusivity, rebate or replacement provisions. Resolve uncertainties before introductions start.
No agency can guarantee that the person you want will accept. You can still expect honest advice, an agreed approach and accountability for doing the work.
Thomas Lee Recruitment focuses on engineering, manufacturing and technical sales recruitment. That is where my engineering background and recruitment experience are useful. If your role sits in that space, I am happy to talk through it and answer these questions myself.
If you are still deciding whether you need help, read when a business should use a recruitment agency. Once you have chosen one, Part 3 of the recruitment process series covers working together. The Employer Recruitment Pack contains the practical resources.