We often speak with HR Managers and Executives who are hesitant to outsource any their recruiting processes. They already invest in their own internal recruiting team and tools, and don't believe that there would any added value. There is merit in this statement and if there's no need to spend extra money, then it shouldn't be spent. But can companies miss out on opportunity because they don't understand the potential value?
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to determine if you should get a bit of extra help in your recruiting:
Do we need better applicants?
Are we recruiting in a market that is new to us?
Am I falling behind on important tasks while focusing on recruiting?
Do I need to reduce costs in my recruiting process?
Do we have a junior recruiting team?
Is the company growing at a pace for which we're not prepared?
Does this role need to be filled faster than usual?
Do we have an above average turnover rate?
What are your options? Often when we think about outsourcing recruiting, we immediately jump to full service recruiting. That is a great alternative that shouldn't be overlooked, but there are some other ways you can get help.
Talk to Marketing
Solves: Finding better candidates Before you start engaging other recruiting solutions, look at your own internal processes, specifically how you're promoting your jobs and your organization. Talk with your marketing team or an external marketing firm and see how you can drive more traffic to your own job and improve user experience. It may be as simple as improving your content and SEO, or you may need to revamp the entire application process, considering factors like mobile optimization.
Job Boards and Aggregators
Solves: Finding better candidates, recruiting in a new market There are hundreds of job boards, some niche and some broad, where you pay to advertise a job. Aggregators are similar, but they link to your job board for free and you have the option to pay to promote your job, (think of it like a search engine of jobs). Candidates rarely seek out your website to look for opportunities so unless your job board is showing up first on Google, you should be looking at these options. If you're already using them and still not seeing results, you may need to take a step back and review the ones you're using.
Source and Screen Services
Solves: Finding better candidates, recruiting in a new market, falling behind on tasks, reducing costs Source and screen services take care of promoting your job through various sources so you don't need to go directly to different job boards. They also go one step further and screen the candidates for you. Because the costs are often comparable to that of a job board, companies can save time and money using source and screen services. Virtual Recruiter is the first of such service in Canada and remains one of the few, if not the only one, with a national scope.
Hire a Contract Recruiter
Solves: Finding better candidates, recruiting in a new market, falling behind on tasks, junior recruiting team A couple weeks ago we wrote about independent contractors and when they're a great option. That includes your recruiting team! A temporary expert can help mentor a junior recruiting team, guide you into a new market, or just relieve some pressure from your current team.
Full Service Recruiting
Solves: Finding better candidates, recruiting in a new market, falling behind on tasks, reducing costs, junior recruiting team, company growth, need fast turnaround, high turnover rate Staffing firms offer full service recruiting and, although they come at higher prices, they usually have significant cost savings! Staffing firms take care of everything for you, from promoting the job to extensive applicant screening, including interviews and reference checks, all the way to salary negotiations. They're experts and finding niche roles, helping you into new markets, determining organizational fit, and keeping salaries in your price range. If you're looking for extra help in recruiting, don't get scared by the high prices. Instead, carefully work out all of cost savings you'll realize. We agree with the managers who take the "if it's not broke don't fix it" approach, but taking an objective view may reveal areas for improvement.
What sources do you use for extra recruiting help? Share them below so we can add them to the list.
