How to Choose the Best Recruitment Agency — As a Candidate

Last time, we talked about whether you should use a recruitment agency to find a job or not. We established the fact that recruitment/staffing/employment agencies are a thing of the present as more and more employers are turning to them for help. Moreover, for technical positions like IT and engineering, employers heavily rely on recruitment/staffing agencies for their human resource needs.

In a nutshell, here are the reasons why recruitment agencies are good for you:

• More and more employers use them; they have the network. Thus, they can provide you limitless career opportunities.
• They are industry leaders, they are industry experts, (meaning they know the trends, updates, and prospects of the industry); they can give you beneficial career insight.
• They have a stake in your success, for if you look bad, they’ll look bad. So, they’ll do everything to prep you up for any potential job opportunity.

So, as a fresh graduate seeking your first shot at the real world, or a young professional looking for better opportunities, or as an established career person hoping to expand your network and career, you probably might need a little help from industry experts and recruitment consultants. So, how do you choose the best recruitment agency out there? How do you get what you want from their recruitment consultants (aka. technical recruiters).

Here are a few tips:

1. You may ask your peers in your industry which recruitment firm they’d recommend (probably the one they’ve tried and enjoyed working with).
2. Check job boards (e.g. Monster, Jobstreet, etc.). Find roles that interest you. How does the agency/firm represent the opportunity? Are their job-descriptions clear and well-written?
3. Is the firm as specialist or generalist firm? Specialists (e.g. IT recruitment/staffing company) have better relationships with their clients. Specialist firms can better represent you than a generalist firm (say you are an IT professional, it’s better to try an IT recruitment firm than a generalist manpower service provider). Also, specialists often have a better grasp on your industry.
4. Check the company website. Is it a corporate firm or a startup company? Do you prefer working with a big corporate agency or with the ones with the personal approach of a smaller firm?
5. Check out the LinkedIn page of the recruitment firm, and their other social media profile. Does the firm post interesting content that might help prospective candidates like you? Do they have a solid online presence? Are they trying to help?
6. How long has the firm been around? What do their previous clients say about them? Do they have a good reputation? Recruitment firms that have been around for decades are typically industry leaders. They know the best practices, trends, and prospects in their industry of focus. They can give their candidates beneficial career insights and guidance (let alone the fact that they most likely have a vast network of employers that trust them).
7. Check out the recruiter’s LinkedIn Profiles. Do they have many recommendations from satisfied candidates or clients? How do they represent themselves? Remember, if they look bad, you’ll look bad, too.
8. Talk to their recruiters. How do they interact over the phone or Skype? Do they sound professional and credible? Do they listen to you? Do you think they are eager and genuine enough to take notes and find you the best match?
9. Does this firm or its recruiters provide tips or any help in making sure your resume looks its best for potential employers? A good recruiter or recruitment agency will do its best to put you in the best light. They know they have a stake in your success, so they’ll help you even in as simple as preparing up your resume.

It is important that you get the right help from the right people. Thus, when it comes to your career, it is also important that you find the right firm which can help you in your career direction. Well, you have to try one to know for sure. Who knows? One might completely knock your socks off.

First Published in Sysgen Career Information and Resources (How to Choose the Best Recruitment Agency – As a Candidate).