I’m a recruiter. I’m shameless about it. But when I’m out of my little office, I hear many tales of negative experiences using recruitment or staffing firms in finding a job. Indeed, you’d think that the recruitment agencies stood in the way of a deserving candidate and their rightful job. We seem to get filed with the used car salemen, and that hurts.
Which is why I wanted to talk about how specialist recruitment agencies can help you, and more importantly, how you can get the best out of the services they offer. I am, of course, talking specifically about recruitment in digital communications. A lot of that starts with understanding what it is we do (and don’t do).
For starters, please do not confuse recruitment agencies with employment agencies. We’re not the same thing. The main difference lies in who ends up being your employer:
- If you get a job through a recruitment agency, you will be an employee of the employer.
- If you get a job through an employment agency, you will be an employee of the employment agency.
Usually, employment agencies provide support people to firms. Content roles are normally found through recruitment agencies.
5 reasons to use a specialist recruiter for content hires
Why use a small, specialist recruitment agency to hire your digital communications and content staff? Here are some of the ways you can benefit from using a niche recruiter.
1. Tap into their expertise
Employers often rely on recruitment agencies to recruit for roles they have little expertise in, such as content and digital communication roles. Without the necessary knowledge of the field, recruiting the best candidate for the role could be challenging and difficult – and expensive. Specialist recruiters often have a background in the areas they are recruiting for; that’s where the specialist knowledge comes from.
2. Access their talent bank
Recruitment agencies typically have a vast database of job candidates. This database can easily be tapped when the need arises. But aside from the database, recruitment agencies are always actively sourcing candidates in their wider network.
A good niche recruiter is active in their community of specialisation, not just recruitment. They join online communities; they attend conferences, events and meet-ups; they volunteer to promote the profession. This gives access to word-of-mouth hires because they know who is hiring and who is looking. Staying abreast of the field they recruit in means they’re able to provide more meaningful help to you as an employer.
3. It’s saves time, money – and potentially your sanity!
Recruiting people can be cumbersome (although we try hard to make it look glamorous!). It takes a lot of time, patience and resources – and certain kinds of people skills. For many firms, it’s a real struggle to find enough time to do it well. It’s not their core competency. Hiring a niche recruiter can bring peace of mind as well as being more efficient in several ways:
- No mountain of applications to read – imagine, an employer has to go all applications to look for the perfect candidate for the job. That’s after they have received enough applications to consider because they found the right places to source the talent in the first place. And often, all this work will have to be squeezed into the day job.
- Lower risk of hiring the wrong person – it can be hard to understand what digital roles in particular require. Plenty of applications and low knowledge about the job is a combination that could lead to hiring the wrong person. A niche recruiter with experience in the field will help address this issue.
- Screening means better quality candidates – recruiting agencies source their candidates from various channels or media, and screen them to get the best fit for the jobs employers wish to fill. This saves a lot of time and also increases the quality of hires.
4. It’s in their interests to make you happy
Making a perfect match of candidate and client is what a client is paying the recruiter for, so finding a dependable agency you can trust is essential. A niche recruitment agency’s social capital, particularly in specialist areas such as digital communications, is its biggest asset so they’ll see to it that everyone is happy – both employers and candidates.
5. Enjoy better service with a personal touch
Big recruitment agencies can mean multiple account managers, automated phone queues and faceless, impersonal contact. A specialist recruiter is small by its nature and often just a phone call away.
5 reasons to use a specialist recruiter for finding content jobs
Job seekers can benefit from recruitment agencies, too – and in many similar ways. Here’s what you need to know to get the most out of your job search.
1. Some jobs will only be advertised via recruitment agencies
Employers, particularly large firms or multinational enterprises, use recruitment agencies so if you wish to land your dream job in digital, get to know the recruiters in your field as a way to increase your reach in your job search.
2. Tap into their network’s hiring needs
It makes sense to tap into the benefits a recruitment firm can offer. Not only do specialist recruiters have a large database of candidates, they will have an extensive network of employers, too. A good recruiter working in your field can work to source personalised opportunities on your behalf.
3. Increase your job opportunities using their market knowledge
Specialist recruitment firms have the latest labour market information about their sector, and can provide useful application tips and assistance to you. Their expertise in their field of specialism (content, content!) ensures you get the best and the latest opportunities out there in the market.
4. Get help with your job application
Ultimately, recruitment firms are a dependable resource for you because they have a stake in your success. It’s in their best interest to prepare you well for a potential job, because their reputation greatly depends on the people they place or recommend to employers – if you look bad, they look bad. So, they’ll help you to prepare you for the job application process.
5. Your success is their success!
Recruitment agencies work on a placement-fee basis. If you don’t get the job, they don’t get paid for their hard work. Of course, they want you to succeed!
Tackle the skills gap with Firehead
In our niche recruitment area – the digital communications sector – there is a large and growing gap between demand for and supply of qualified talent. Companies are turning to specialised staffing and recruitment companies, such as Firehead, in order to access the best talent and to maximise the chances of hiring the right person for their content needs.
If you work in tech comm, metadata, content strategy, usability, augmented reality or other digital comms roles, and are looking for your next career move, then do get in touch via our Candidates page.
If you are seeking digital talent or have content roles you need to fill in 2016, then please get in touch via our Clients page to find out more about the variety of solutions we offer.
We also offer a referral bonus scheme – if you recommend our recruitment services to a client, you can receive a financial thank-you bonus. Find out more…
As we say on our homepage, we are niche, networked and knowledgable, so get in touch today to find out more.
