5 Things a Professional Recruiter Can Do Better Than You

By: Kristina Meyer
February 4th, 2011

Cleaning up a hiring mistake isn’t cheap. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it can cost a company $14,000 or more to replace one employee. To avoid such a costly mistake, using a professional recruiter can help you avoid making the wrong hire.

Here are five ways a professional recruiter can top your recruiting abilities:

1. Proven search techniques. A well-trained recruiter will have a stockpile of helpful resources and will know exactly where to look for specific candidates. Whether it’s an online job board or contacts at another business, recruiters develop a long list of sources that have a history of producing successful employees. Their experience has taught them where the good and the bad candidates gather. And when searching for candidates online, they know what keywords will produce the most relevant results. Their know-how allows them to tap into many types of databases and cull the most appropriate candidates.

2. Strong knowledge of the market. Professional recruiters are often inundated with job seekers day-in and day-out. This immersion affords them a firm understanding of exactly how to separate the good candidates from the bad. They’re familiar with what the market salary rates are and the expectations of quality candidates. A proficient recruiter will communicate these expectations to you, so that you’re able to align your job offer with the market. And that will make your business more attractive to top-line applicants.

3. Take the time to get to know the candidates. Unlike you, recruiters don’t have to split their time between recruiting employees and running a business. Therefore, they have time to thoroughly prescreen candidates. A recruiter will sift through a pile of résumés, call prospective candidates and do initial phone interviews, so that you don’t have to take time away from other duties yourself. By prescreening applicants, recruiters get to know eligible candidates and can tell you what their strengths and weaknesses are.

4. Access to the “hidden” job market. If you solely rely on job boards to fill a position, you’re only going to attract those people actively looking for a change. Sometimes, these aren’t necessarily the best candidates out there. Throughout their career, successful recruiters meet and work with a variety of people and businesses. These relationships give them access to highly qualified potential candidates that may not be actively pursuing the job market, but for the right opportunity, may consider a change. Recruiters are able to network and use their web of contacts to find you talented employees you wouldn’t otherwise be able to connect with on your own.

5. Process management. Because recruiting is their sole responsibility, professional recruiters are able to whole-heartedly dedicate themselves to the process, seeing it through to the end. They coordinate each step including sourcing, prescreening, face-to-face interviews and background checks. While you’re busy running your business, they’re busy turning candidates into new employees.

You may be hesitant to hand over your business decisions to someone outside your company. But, if you do your research, you can find a reputable recruiter who will optimize your list of candidates so you can select from the best of the best. A professional recruiter works on finding you stellar employees while you do what you do best — run your business.

Did you find this post helpful?  Yes  No

We appreciate your feedback.

Please share.

Why?  Please select one of the following options:

  Too general
  Not relevant to my industry

  Not well presented
  Information is out of date

  Not what I was looking for
  Other

Please tell us how we can improve our content.
Thank you.

Captcha Fail.

Send

Tweet

You may also be interested in:

		Why You Need an HR Specialist A capable Human Resources (HR) specialist is an invaluable asset to any company. HR specialists can help create and nurture.. more »
		What the Yahoo Scandal Can Teach Us About Resume Fraud Even large companies with deep pockets and vast resources can fall prey to resume fraud if they are not diligent in their screening processes... more »
		Trend Watch: Employee Health Benefit Enrollment Continues To Drop If Americans are required to buy health insurance or face penalties, is your small business ready to absorb the costs?.. more »