We have been asked this question for the last twenty years, why use a Recruitment Agency? Although the job market can fluctuate and candidate sourcing can sometimes be more challenging than at other times, a good Recruitment Agency is worth its weight in gold.
A Recruitment Company that understands your company with regards to culture, skill sets needed, experience and vision will act as an extension of your business and be able to find you the right PA candidates quickly through their own connections and resources. Working with an agency that is aligned to your core values and ethos can help promote your company brand and introduce you to candidates that would have been otherwise outside your reach.
In today’s highly competitive, candidate-driven market, a Recruitment Agency is key to employing the right staff. They are professionals at what they do, this is what they do for a living, they have years of experience of recruiting for their clients across sectors such as finance, professional services, property, tech, hospitality, media, design and FMCG.
A reputable agency will have a pool of live candidates looking to join companies such as yourselves, and they will know their backgrounds, aspirations/long term goals, salary expectations and more often than not most importantly their personality! They will also have access to a vast pool of passive candidates who are not necessarily applying for roles but are open to exciting opportunities.
Using the right agency offers you peace of mind and can save you from a lot of frustration. Recruiting can be stressful and very time consuming, taking you away from what you do best, your job! Time spent sifting through CVs, scheduling interviews, interviewing, getting comparisons, negotiating over contract details, referencing, even payroll can all be done via the agency in a timely manner.
The Recruitment Agency will restrict the disruption of any staff changes within your business and can enable a seamless handover from one PA to the next. Agencies can also offer you an interim solution to cover any vacancies or projects that need additional PA support. All these temporaries have been previously interviewed, skill tested, reference checked by the agency and are available immediately.
A Recruitment Agency also can provide other services to you as a business, salary surveys, in-depth knowledge of the market, assist with work contracts and writing of job specifications whilst always being there to support any teething problems of any new member of staff. Use their expertise and resources, build up loyal and trustworthy relationships within the agency and the value that it can bring will be plentiful.
As a candidate the benefits of a Recruitment Agency are considerable. Whether you are looking out for your first role straight out of school or University or an Executive Assistant at the height of your career, an agency can give you plenty of opportunities and advice moving forward. They will have expert knowledge of the type of companies that will suit you and offer you the development and career challenges that you are looking for. They will have connections within companies that can fast track you straight to interview stage and can give you interview training and tips prior to these all-important meetings. Thus, giving you the best chance of securing a role in this competitive market.
A good Recruitment Agency will want to spend time getting to know you, finding out what motivates you and your personal likes to ensure that you get introduced to the right companies. Agencies can cover sectors such as finance, professional services, property, tech, hospitality, media, design and FMCG and depending on what they specialise in can assist with all types of roles such as PA, EA, Private PA, Team PA, Team Assistant down to Reception.
Recruitment Agencies will be with you through every stage of your job seeking process. Your skills can be tested which will highlight any areas that need working on and essential feedback will be given throughout the process. The relationship between the Recruitment Agency and the company will be a strong one and candidates will be privy to company information not to be found via job boards and have the added benefit of being briefed fully on the background of the company, company culture and personalities of the teams or person that are looking for support. Once a candidate has been successful and an offer has been made, the agency can assist with any negotiations that are needed with regards to contract terms and start dates.
A Recruitment Agency can also help you throughout your career and building up a strong relationship with an agency can add value even if you are not looking for your next move. They can advise you on how to go about getting a pay rise and getting that next promotion, can introduce to you to PA networking groups and can let you know of that dream job that might just come through when you are not actively looking.
The benefits of using a good agency are significant and from both the client and candidate side, peace of mind is the main advantage. We are proud to share that we were listed as one of the best recruitment agencies in London by Wunderlust. To find out more about the benefits of working with a reputable Recruitment Agency, contact us.
