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.

Recruitment Agencies - Why You Should Use Them

Numerous contractors hold the view that recruitment agencies don't supply value for money. Now this can be true of some agencies however utilizing a good agency to secure a contract can be quite cost effective. As a contractor there are two ways to find a contract:

1. Using the recruitment agency
2. Finding a contract for yourself

What's involved in finding a contract yourself?

Firstly, you need to find time to research the companies along with contract opportunities that suit your skill set which means trawling through umpteen job sites as well as boards and understanding where to look.

If you are already in a contract and looking for your forthcoming one then it's very difficult to find the time in the working day whilst you're at the client site to cold calling HR departments of potential clients, after all you are getting paid on an hourly basis by your current client plus they are not going to be very happy if your telephone is glued to your ear all day or sneaking off to the hallway every 10 mins.

If you have no experience in selling then it can be a daunting prospect. You may be a specialist in the field that you're in but are you an expert sales person?

The biggest challenge is developing contacts. These days the majority of Human resources departments within multi-national companies possess preferred supplier agreements with agencies and will only take on a candidate when they come via one of the companies on their preferred supplier list and therefore these people won't even entertain an individual approaching them directly - 'If you're not on the list you can't come in'.

So why make use of a Recruitment Agency?

You can treat recruitment agencies as your sales force, working for you on a commission basis. The nature of the recruitment agency business model would be to make money when you are paid commission for effectively placing applicants with clients, so it's in their financial interest to find you a contract as quickly as possible.

The agencies invest a lot of time and cash in creating contacts as well as building associations with customers. They contend with each other to get on preferred supplier listings of customers which involves lots of wining and dining and jumping through hoops.

Clients also want the safety that if a candidate doesn't work out then your agency is actually obliged to find another using the relevant skills. It may be possible to earn more money if you found your own agreement and skipped out the 'middle man'.

However, what you need to ask yourself is whether or not you have:

1. The contacts
2. The sales knowledge
3. The time
4. The understanding

Even if you were able to by-pass the preferred supplier lists it might take months for you to find a contract by yourself, during which time you most likely won't be earning money. The time being from a contract searching for a new one is possibly more costly compared to the margin the experts at a recruitment company charge their own client.

Check out here for how to start a recruiting business.

The Advantages Offered by Recruitment Agencies to Job Seekers

It is not easy to find a job these days. The requirements of employers are becoming ever higher, while the competition for each vacancy is fierce. In this situation, each job seeker has to adopt a precise strategy for reaching his goal. One highly effective strategy is to use the services of a recruitment agency. Find out how it can help you secure a job.

Recruitment agencies are intermediaries between employers and job seekers. Their aim is to match the right person to the right job. That way, both workers and businesses are satisfied. It is worth pointing out that typically job seekers do not have to pay a fee for accessing the job ads and for using the core services of an agency.

Job Ad Reliability

The major advantage of using the services of an agency is that you can have peace of mind about the dependability of the job advertisements. Each employer submits their requirements to a recruiter and the professional starts the search for the right kind of talent. The credentials of employers are verified in advance and there are no fake ads simply designed to attract people to the agency's website. When you make an application, you can rely on a response from the other party, even if it is a negative one. You will never have to worry about applying in vain. The security which you will get is in great contrast with what free job ad websites have to offer.

Variety of Employment Opportunities

Recruitment agencies have a very broad scope of services, which employment seekers can use to their advantage. They advertise vacancies in all industries and in companies of all sizes. They offer part-time as well as full-time jobs.

Some recruiters offer temping opportunities as well. Temping is a great solution for the long-term unemployed, parents returning to the labour force, people looking to change their career and students. As a temp worker, you are employed by the agency and work on different assignments for different employers. That way, you gain experience and new skills and have the chance to impress the employer and to get offered a permanent position in addition to earning income.

Professionals in a specific field can find lucrative contracting opportunities via a specialised agency. They can establish solid relationships with clients and earn even better contracts every time.

Last, but not least, recruitment agencies offer personalised support and assistance to job seekers. You can work with a professional consultant who will help you prepare your CV and covering letter and train you for job interviews.

Know more about how to start a recruitment agency from home.

How Do Recruitment Agencies Work?

Recruitment agencies act as liaisons, intermediaries between hiring firms and prospective candidates seeking employment. Basically, they pursue candidates that meet the specific needs and requirements of the hiring firms, managing thousands of resumes and matching them with prospective employers. They work with large corporations, enterprises, government agencies and many other workforce organizations, often specializing in a specific field, such as the legal sector, the medical industry and so on.

How do agencies work?

Thousands of individuals seeking employment sent their resumes to such agencies, hoping for a better career. The recruitment agency creates a database to maintain all the resumes, and classifies them based on specific criteria. Firms with job openings frequently outsource the staffing responsibilities, thus hiring specialized recruitment agencies. They detail their job openings, their requirements and expectations, and after thorough assessment and research the recruitment agency finds the best candidates from their database. In order to cater the specific needs of their clients, agencies specialize in certain core fields.

They constantly extend their databases with increasingly more clients and resumes, pursuing candidates through effective strategies. They create their networks by attending job fairs, trade fairs, industry exhibitions and expositions, always meeting new people and creating alliances with other agencies. What makes recruitment agencies so powerful and effective is their strategic staffing methods, catering directly to the business needs of the hiring firm, both on short term and in the long run.

If you are looking to hire a recruitment agency, first of all determine the exact needs of your company. Generally, each employer seeks a certain set of skills and qualities in a prospective candidate, according to the goals and values of the company. Determine the set of skills and qualities necessary for your company, decide how many employees you need, come up with a detailed job description and then set up appointments with representatives of several agencies. Remember to request references from the agencies, and once you find one that seems to suit your needs, propose a trial period.

Agencies can make a great difference in the productivity and overall success of your company. They consist of teams of highly qualified professionals, with extensive recruitment experience in the field they specialized in. They already know your competition, the current requirements of the labor market, and they have direct access to the best candidates. Finding the right recruitment agency will take your business to the next level and ensure you have the best team of employees to stay on top of your competition.

Please visit here for how to run a recruitment agency.

How Recruitment Agencies Can Help Find You the Right Job

Looking for a job can be a time consuming and frustrating experience. Telephone interviews, in person interviews, waiting for a call that sometimes doesn't arrive can all add up to stress that makes it hard to focus and find that job we are seeking. When we have done everything we can think of to find that job, what else can we do? One answer might be to try a recruitment agency.

The customers of job recruitment agencies are the employers. It is in the agencies interest to place candidates, because when a candidate that they recommend is hired, the agency gets paid. The employer and the agency work out the terms of the commission amount. This relationship is best explained by saying that the recruitment agency is there to serve the needs of the human resource department of the organization. The quicker an agency finds the right candidate, the quicker they get paid.

Agencies keep a database of potential candidates to make their match quickly and efficiently. When an opportunity comes up, agencies will contact candidates to see if they are still looking for a job, and if available, the agency will do an interview, sometimes at that moment on the phone to determine the candidates match, as well as get any relevant updates, and will often send qualified candidates over immediately.

If you have reached a point in your job search where you feel as though all your options have been gone through, an agency might be able to put you in contact with a job, the one that you really want, that you haven't been able to locate on your own.

As a prospective candidate, you don't pay any fees to an agency, the company hiring does. The agency takes care of all arrangements, setting up the interview, and following up after the interview with you to see how it went. If it is not the right fit, they will continue to look for you until a job is found.

The best way to maximize your experience using a job agency is to communicate everything with them that is relevant to your search. Give them testimonials from previous employers. Show them your qualifications. Perhaps you have been in school, or have found you have a strong attraction to certain types of jobs. Give all of this to the agency so it is considered when you are competing for jobs. Having an agency look for you can help find that all elusive, perfect job that you could not find on your own, at no cost to you.

Visit here to know how do recruitment agencies get paid.

How A Recruitment Agency Works

Recruitment agencies are a common way for companies to outsource the process of finding short term staff, or the filtering of applicants for full time positions down to a manageable few candidates. From the outside, whether you need a staff member or need a job, it can feel like you talk to only a single person in the company and they handle the whole process of matching vacancy with worker. In reality, recruitment is teamwork, both within the agency, and with the clients with vacant positions and the candidates looking for work. Here we look at how a standard recruitment agency works, and how a vacancy is filled by the recruiters.

Standard practises within recruitment agencies

Usually, recruitment agencies larger than a few people will split their staff in to two roles. The 'Consultants' will talk to the agency's clients and gather requirements. The 'Resourcers' will find the right candidates for the vacancies the Consultant and client have defined.

A Resourcer needs to be good at communicating with people looking for a job, assessing which teams they would work well with, how reliable they are, what skills they have, and how someone's skills can change over time. As they progress through their working life, a candidate's experience and skills will change, and their needs and wants may change too. A younger person may be relatively inexperienced, but be willing to commute long distances to a role that will accept them, or stay in cheap accommodate near a the workplace for a contract. Conversely, the same person a few years later may have much more experience, but also a family and will not be willing to spend time away from home. However, their expertise may mean a client will accept them working from home if the right balance between that and a presence in the office is negotiated.

Within many agencies career progression involves starting as a Resourcer and moving on to becoming a Consultant after some experience and training, but this is not always the case, some people stay as very successful, sought after Resourcers for their whole career.

How a vacancy is handled by a recruitment agency

When the client of the agency has a vacancy, whether full time or short term, they will discuss their requirements with a Consultant from the agency. The Consultant and Resourcer then discuss this within the agency and will check their internal database of registered candidates to see if it contains anyone suitable for the role.

If suitable candidates are registered with the agency and have recently been in touch either because they contacted the agency or vice versa, the Resourcer will either call or e-mail them to check their availability and interest in the position. If the candidate is available and interested, the Resourcer and Consultant will start the process to confirm their suitability for the position. Depending on the client's requirements, this may include a phone interview or technical test before the details of the candidate are forwarded to the client.

Applications from candidates new to the agency will be registered in to their database of CVs or disregarded, depending on their suitability. Candidates not right for the position but who fit other criteria the agency like will also be registered, but not put forwards for the position being advertised.

Once the agency has some candidates they are positive are right for the position, they will pass a copy of their details on to the client, often with the contact details for the candidate removed, although that depends on the relationship between the agency and the client. The client then decides, sometimes in collaboration with the Consultant, who to interview, or who to hire - for short term contract work, an interview is not always a requirement.

The agency will send a contract to the successful candidate, which sets up the relationship between the candidate and the agency. This lays out payment terms, what legal rights the candidate and agency have in relation to the work, and other issues related to employment law. If the candidate is being placed in a full time job at the client company, they will also have a contract to sign with the client. When the candidate fills the vacancy at the client, the agency receives their fee, either as a percentage of the hourly rate of the candidate in the case of contract work, or as a flat fee which could be based on a percentage of the annual pay the position for a full time member of staff.

During the contract phase, the Consultant will keep the client appraised of progress, and the agency may keep other candidates ready to step in should contract negotiations fall through for any reason.

Once the candidate is signed up, they will be marked as in work within the agency's database, and if the work is a limited term contract their expected finish date will be registered, as the agency will be looking to place them in another contract when they become available. If another candidate who has good skills has come to light during this process, the agency may try to place them with other existing clients, or use them as a way to gain a new client if they see a company advertising a relevant vacancy. If a candidate has good skills, an agency would much rather place them in a position rather than lose touch with them, even if they missed out on the original vacancy that was advertised.

If you're looking for how to open a staffing agency, Click here.

Benefits to Employers of Using Recruitment Agencies

Finding talent for the vacancies in your company is often challenging and time consuming. For this reason, you can consider using the services of recruitment agencies. Find out more about the benefits that this option will bring to you.

Employers get to use a comprehensive set of recruitment and human resources services. Recruitment agencies do not just post vacancy ads. They actually search for suitable candidates through CVs sent to them by job seekers. The recruitment specialists will work closely with you to determine your requirements for the respective position. Then they will screen applicants based on these requirements. You will just have to conduct the final interview and make the final decision. Additionally, agencies can assist you with employee agreements and other paperwork, with organizational changes and with human resources development.

Using recruitment agencies increases your chances of finding talent for vacancies. In general, by using recruitment services, you adopt an active talent seeking approach which is always more effective than the passive one - posting an ad. Furthermore, agencies use a wide range of search methods including networking. A professional human resources specialist can assess a job applicant much more effectively compared even to the best manager. Another benefit is that you will find the right employees for vacancies faster than if you choose to advertise and evaluate applicants by yourself.

Using the services of recruitment agencies is cost effective. It has been estimated that outsourcing recruitment and HR can save between 19% and 37% of labor costs. These are large savings in monetary terms even for a small company. In general, recruiters price their services competitively and give employers great flexibility when it comes to paying for these services. At the same time, you save both capital and labor costs when outsourcing these functions.

Employers can increase the productivity of their companies in the long run. By recruiting employees that match the requirements for vacancies precisely, you automatically increase the productivity of your company in the short run. However, professional HR services can increase productivity in the long term as well and bring even more profit to the company. By building an efficient relationship you will get talented employees filling vacancies more quickly. You can rely on the agency for large scale projects such as expansion and restructuring. You can even use human resources development services.

The benefits you will get from using the services of recruitment agencies should be sufficient to convince you to take advantage of them. You just need to focus on finding an agency that is known for its professionalism, creative and proactive approach and special attention to clients.

Learn more about how do recruitment agencies find clients.

Compilations of Artilces for Recruitment Agencies

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If You are looking to setup Your Recruitment Agencies, read HERE first! http://goo.gl/SRSE9w

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All articles written by Dougles Chan - The Recruitment Guru - visit his website @ www.dougleschan.com