Joining Their National Industry Body Helps Recruitment Agencies Emphasise a Good Reputation

Employers and recruitment agencies are subject to various rules and regulations and membership of a national industry organisation that asks members to sign up to best practice can be a significant boost to their reputation.

These bodies provide a valuable service in keeping members informed on changes to legislation, updating them on industry information and in lobbying government and other agencies about issues of concern to their membership.

In the UK the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) provides all these services and functions and has more than 9000 members from all industry sectors as well as from the Institute of Recruitment Professionals.

Members must agree to sign up to a code of conduct in order to join and this covers nine principles from respect for the law, to behaving ethically with candidates and clients, working with honesty and transparency and in a way that pays heed to issues of diversity and to safety at work.

For a specialist recruitment agency, membership can provide evidence of its reputation, credibility, expertise and adherence to best practice and this can be an important deciding factor for candidates looking for a recruitment agency that will best help them to find suitable work in line with their skills, capabilities and employment experience.

It is also helpful for any corporate level employers planning to recruit through the agency. Such clients, perhaps looking for an executive PA, for example, will want to be assured that the agency it is using understands the culture in which candidates will be working, which often requires a high degree of confidentiality and tact.

Employers and recruiters have access through their membership to a wealth of information to not only on best practice but also on their rights and obligations.

It also provides guidance to candidates and job seekers on how to get the best from the agency including asking the recruitment consultancy for a copy of the CV they are intending to send to clients and finding out what the agency's policy is on submitting CVs to possible employers.

It also suggests that candidates need to decide on whether they wish to be consulted before an agency puts their CV forward to a potential employer and advises them to keep in regular contact with their agency.

They included avoiding increasing taxes on business to encourage investment and job creation and also reducing and simplifying the regulations governing the labour market in order to encourage business growth. The third area of focus was on building a highly skilled workforce and tapping into the expertise of recruitment professionals to provide guidance for job-seekers.

When competition is all the more fierce in a difficult economic climate membership of a professional body can make a significant difference to the success of an individual recruitment business as well as providing an avenue for raising issues that are affecting the industry as a whole.

Interested to know more about how to run a recruitment agency from home.