How a recruitment agency works

The right staffing agency can help your company find qualified employees by streamlining the hiring process. As with initiating any business partnership, it’s important to understand how the relationship works and to prepare in advance for productive discussions with potential agencies.

Below are some typical steps involved in working with a recruitment agency.

Identify business and recruitment needs
Think about the skill gaps and roles you need to fill in order to achieve your broader strategic business goals. During this step, identify the hard and soft skills needed to succeed on your team and determine whether each role is best suited to full-time employees, in-house, or independent professionals. Based on this information, prepare job descriptions to share with potential agencies. While some agencies will help you create job descriptions or job profiles, it is a good idea to be proactive and approach agencies with as much information as possible.
Evaluating and choosing an agency
Based on the requirements you have outlined, find the agency that will best meet your employment needs. Some criteria to consider when checking out veterinary agencies include industry expertise, success rate, hiring process, pricing, and client reviews. Also, ask agencies if they have a guaranteed timeline for filling positions, as bringing in qualified professionals quickly can help your organization avoid losing productivity due to skill gaps or talent on your team.
Agree to the terms and sign the contract
A key step in partnering with a staffing agency is to ensure that the payment and contract terms meet your budget, legal requirements, and expectations. The pricing structure of some staffing agencies is based on the hire, while others charge a fixed percentage of the employee’s salary. Additionally, some agencies offer a guarantee period during which they will look for a new candidate if the initial hire is not suitable within a set offer acceptance period.
Receive and review profiles of the best candidates
Once the expectations are set, the staffing agency will search and screen employees, saving your internal sourcing and recruiting team time that can be reallocated to other strategic business priorities and responsibilities. The most qualified profiles will be sent to your team for review and consideration.
Making the final hiring decision
One of the disadvantages of working with a recruitment agency is that it can impersonalize the process. While agency recruiters do their best to match talent with the skills and qualities needed to succeed on your team, asking your internal team to interview the best potential team members and make the final hiring decision is a key step in creating a successful partnership.