In this blog, we’re sitting down with our Director of Recruiting, Robyn Wassman, to gain some insight into how companies can prepare to work successfully with recruiting firms. If you’re thinking of looking for help with filling an upcoming position, read on to find out what you need to know before you get started.



What advice do you have for companies who want to ask a recruiting firm for help filling a position?

Before you approach a recruiting firm, it’s important to understand why you are having issues filling a role internally and what exactly you are looking for in your new hire. This will help you ask the right questions and engage the right type of recruiting firm for your needs. Recruiting firms come in all shapes and sizes from boutique firms and industry specific firms, to temporary/staffing companies. Make sure you know what skills are required and what skills are preferred. This will help the company you choose be more successful, and it will shorten the lifecycle of your search—which means you get to hire someone faster. Your timeline also plays a role in the kind of company you choose to help you. If you need someone yesterday, a temporary or staffing agency may be the best fit. If you need someone with a host of specific and technical skills who has been thoroughly vetted and tested, then a boutique or industry specific firm is probably your best match.

When you narrow down your choice of recruiting firms, do your due diligence in researching them and don’t necessarily limit yourself to companies in your immediate radius. Ask for referrals from other business owners or managers and check out firms that specialize in your industry. When engaging with a recruiting firm, make a list of questions to ask. Here are a few good ones:

• How does your pricing work?
• How long will it take to get someone we can hire?
• Do you offer skills assessments or pre-hire testing?
• Do you offer background checks or drug screens? Are those included?
• What happens if we want to change our requirements after the search is underway?
• How do we communicate with each other through our search?
• What happens if you send us people who we don’t like or who aren’t a fit?
• Do you offer a guarantee?

What should employers do before coming to your company for recruiting help?

Before coming to see us, we want employers to have a general idea of why they need help, how soon they need help, and what they are looking for in their next employee. Being able to answer these basic questions helps us determine if we can help you. You don’t need to have your requirements completely set in stone though—we’re great at helping you think through the details and summarize the hard and soft skills that you need. Hard skills are firm requirements that you’re not able to compromise on—like a certain amount of experience or a particular certification. Soft skills refer more to behaviors, personality traits, and work habits. If you’re not sure what you need, give us a call and we’ll be happy to help you figure it out. 

Happy Hiring! 

Do you have a hiring or recruiting question that you'd like answered? Ask us your questions via our online chat tool in the lower left corner of your screen. We are passionate about helping companies hire, develop, and retain smart employees and we love to share what we know!