In a constantly shifting job market and economy, HR departments in all industries are continually looking to streamline their hiring processes. By collaborating with staffing agencies, you will get the best of in-house expertise and understanding as well as the specialized knowledge that recruiters gain over years of experience. This might be a new process, but it’s worth it in the long run. With proper communication between HR and your recruiter, your company will find the best candidate for the position. Keep reading to learn more about how exactly the two parties work together.
Align on Values
The values of a company are a core part of its culture; this is more important to the hiring process than you might think. In fact, according to BetterUp, high-trust organizations have employees who report and experience 74% less stress than their counterparts. When trust or any other value is baked into the hiring process, you don’t have to worry about welcoming a team member who will just wash out in a few months. While this collaboration can take longer than a typical in-house hiring process, this part of vetting can help reduce turnover in the long run.
New hires who report that their company’s mission, vision, and values align with their own are more likely to recommend their employer as a great place to work at 70% vs. 25%. They also say this work provides them with a feeling of personal accomplishment at 72% vs. 29%, according to a new study from Qualtrics. By understanding your values, staffing agencies can even preemptively eliminate candidates who don’t have those soft skills that are crucial to the position. As long as your HR department provides your staffing agency with an accurate assessment of the cultural requirements for a candidate, you’ll be met with new hires who fit right in.
Determine Required Qualifications
There are few things worse than putting a new candidate through the training process only to find out they’re ultimately not qualified to perform the job. This part of the job is the responsibility of the HR department. Make sure that all necessary qualifications (advanced degree, certifications, experience) are shared with the staffing agency service. Without detailed information, your mechanical engineering, manufacturing, IT, or accounting and finance headhunter won’t have the tools they need to find the proper candidate. It might even be useful to prepare a small skills assessment for the first round of hiring. This is good for weeding out unqualified candidates and helps recruiters understand the position better.
The best staffing agencies know what they need, and they won’t go forward without all this information. It might be helpful to go back and look at all your highest-performing employees; by using their background, you can give recruiters a guiding light. Consider the performance of all employees to find where the strengths and weaknesses lie, too. Not all candidates need to have the exact same education or experience but this is a good place to start!
Communicate Job Expectations
Besides the technical aspect of the job, there are a plethora of other requirements that every company has. This includes hours of operation, productivity metrics, and even dress code. It might be helpful to explain the reason behind certain expectations, especially if yours is a high-performance environment. This can help get your recruiter and new candidates on board from the start. Even if your team has expectations that seem obvious or a given, communicating these to your recruiter will help eliminate any knowledge gaps about expectations when finding new employees. Providing clear and unambiguous expectations during a hiring process is also a great way that recruiters can help your company retain its image as an honest organization, even if the candidate doesn’t get the job.
It might even be useful to reach out to newly hired employees. When your HR team reaches out to newer employees, they can learn about which expectations are clear during the hiring process and where they have room to improve. This could include job demands like hours, workload, and offline availability. By gathering feedback, your team will grow internally and with your new hire. This information is crucial to staffing agencies, especially when working with a company for the first time.
Keep an Open Line of Dialogue
After you’ve shared everything there is to know about the open position, whether it’s an operational manager or a financial advisor, it’s time to recruit! Your HR department can craft the recruiting process to suit the needs of your business. This might include giving the HR department the first look at applicants that come through the pipeline or following up with an email after a promising third interview. Either way, both parties should continue to communicate throughout the process to stay aligned on the goal. Don’t be distressed if you’re not seeing immediate results. Sometimes, it takes a while to find the right candidate for a position. While your recruiter should stick to the general timeline, it’s better to invest your time in a great candidate than to rush the process.
This is also a good test for staffing agencies of all types. If they’re not communicating regular updates, it may be time to move on to find a better fit. On the opposite end, it’s a good time to check in on the effectiveness of the HR department. You want to get the best results when investing in an outside recruiter, so be sure that your internal operations are meeting the external consultants with just as much focus and communication.
Do you have more questions about how headhunters help businesses staff across industries? We at Kane Partners have the answers you need. With over 25 years in the recruiting industry, we have the resources to find a candidate that truly fits your workplace. We’ve built trust as a Philadelphia-based staffing firm over the years, and have therefore built a cultivated network in multiple industries. Don’t wait until you need to fill a position to talk with a recruiter. Contact us today to get started.
