There may not be anything as terrifying as setting up a recruitment agency, and we don’t mean sitting in your mum’s spare bedroom with a telephone and a LinkedIn license. We mean actually building and growing an agency that involves office leases, software budgets, payroll, HR and the million other things it takes to build the walls of an organisation.
Of course, everyone will tell you something different, and with so many eager voices willing to give you advice, you can find yourself snowed under in a heartbeat. So we took a look at some of the most successful recruitment agencies that we know, and we found out the key things that they had in common:
Invest wisely
Cash flow will always be the thing that keeps you up at night, and so be sure you place the money you do have in the right places. Investing in repainting your entire office might not be the most effective use of your money. You’re better off investing in tech and software, things that are going to help you place and find more candidates.
Inch wide mile deep
We’re living in a business world that celebrates niche markets and specialities. Find out what your niche is and become an absolute expert in that. No one wants to work with a recruitment agency that does a little bit of finance, some marketing roles on the side, IT recruitment as well as the odd hospitality placement. Know what you’re good at, then do it well.
Data mining
Yes, we’re talking about data again and I know you may roll your eyes because it feels like the only thing anyone talks about anymore, however, the most successful agencies know how to mine for data, and then how to use it. Make sure you’re collecting key insights about your clients and candidates every step of the way, and then tear that information apart to make the best decisions you possibly can. Recruitment agencies sit on minefields of information, do the smart thing and use it.
Software will make or break you
If you’re using excel spreadsheets to store client and candidate information, you may as well go back to your mother’s spare bedroom. Invest in a recruitment software system that will give you a suite of tools to manage information, provide live reporting across your business and make the lives of your consultants an easier, happier place.
Go online
Make sure you have a strong online presence so people will always be able to find you, literally at the click of a button. That’s not to say you need to be live tweeting your day away, but you do need to publish regular content and be active on various platforms. If people can’t find you, people can’t work with you, and if you make it difficult for people to find you, people won’t work with you.
Keep your customers happy
The end consumer of your recruitment agency will always be the client or candidate. While employee engagement is always important, if you don’t have clients you don’t have candidates, and with none of those things, you don’t have recruiters. Make the journey enjoyable for your customers. Provide client/candidate portals that link to your CRM and keep everyone informed regarding processes.
Step into the future
The world of recruitment is often the slowest to innovate, but step ahead of the game and start providing the things people need. Give your recruiters access to your database anywhere, anytime. The mobile version of our system allows consultants to always have their finger on the dashboard, quite literally. In a world of remote working and flexible hours, the workforce is working differently now. Be the ones to capture this and provide the alternative for your employees.
Contact us and we will show you how software can help recruitment consultants work more efficiently.