With the market seemingly saturated with tech candidates thanks to recent waves of layoffs, you might think there’s no need for a recruiting agency. Surely there are so many talented candidates out there now you can easily recruit them on your own. The truth, however, is that your hiring team needs to be more diligent than ever. That “surplus” of tech talent makes vetting even more important – but also more difficult – exactly the reason you need to rely on your trusted recruiting partner now more than ever.
In these turbulent times, leveraging your partnership brings better results.
More effective vetting
If your job postings are generating lots of resumes, that’s a good problem to have – as long as the resumes are coming from people who are well-qualified. But it takes time to effectively sift through those resumes and move forward toward a hiring conclusion. And you have to be always mindful that others are competing for these same top candidates.
The value of a recruiting partner cannot be overstated. Hiring managers and talent acquisition teams have multiple tasks on their plate, including conducting interviews and ultimately making hiring decisions, which can take up considerable time.
On the other hand, vetting candidates is one of your recruiting partner’s core competencies. It’s part of their mission and something they do on a daily basis. That experience makes them more adept at reading between the lines on a resume and digging deeper to really understand each candidate’s prospective value. Furthermore, because they are attuned to your needs, they can easily discern whether individual candidates truly align with your hiring goals.
Alignment involves more than meeting your criteria for required skills or experience; it speaks to cultural fit. Does the candidate have the personal traits and priorities to thrive in your workplace environment? (If not, their resume skills won’t be enough to help your company grow.)
At Power-4, our sourcing experts know that vetting potential candidates represents the artistic side of the equation. We get personal with candidates, speaking with them via video interviews and on the phone to ask detailed questions, dig into their backgrounds and to learn about them as people.
In effect, your agency team members are professional interviewers. That can be especially valuable when you’re hiring in difficult categories such as software developers or life science professionals. A trusted outsourcing partner not only streamlines the process but they also improve the outcome.
With your agency handling this deep-dive vetting, you can focus on the final selection, confident each interviewee meets your criteria in all key aspects. This can get you to the point of making an offer much faster, putting you ahead of other companies the candidate may be considering.
More effective recruiting
Of course, before you’re ready to vet candidates, you have to find them and attract their interest. Strategic active recruitment remains essential because, in a rapidly changing market, you need all the help you can get in order to be ready to hire when the right candidate comes along.
Agencies can even negotiate compensation details as they vet candidates. Or they can at least sound out candidates to learn what factors, monetary or otherwise, may motivate them to choose you over another firm. That way, you can make the most compelling offer when the time comes.
While you focus on traditional inbound recruiting, your agency handles outbound recruitment to passive candidates and referrals to uncover great-fitting individuals. These are people who aren’t actively seeking new opportunities but may be open to learning more about the job and your company.
Establishing a pattern of working together with your agency smooths the process end to end, no matter what ups, downs, or curves the marketplace throws at you. You can consistently and effectively connect with talented candidates who can bring the skills you need and the personal fit to make a solid contribution to your future.