Recruiting the right IT, technology, and digital talent is essential in modern organisations, but what is the best approach to take? Do you assign multiple agencies to the task or work with one recruitment partner exclusively?
In this blog, we’ll explain why exclusivity is a must. To do so, we’ll start with a 16th-century English warship that served during the time of the infamous King Henry VIII.
The Mary Rose
The Mary Rose warship was launched in 1511, served for 33 years, and sank in 1545. A historian at the time, John Hooker, used what he called a “common proverb” to explain why the Mary Rose sank: “the more cooks, the worse potage”.
This is where we get the modern saying “too many cooks spoil the broth”. Hooker explained that the Mary Rose sank because there were too many people on the ship who “contending in envy” didn’t do what was “most needful and necessary”.
There is often a lot of pressure to fill essential IT positions. On the surface, it can make sense to work with multiple agencies. After all, the more people working on the task, the more likely you will find the right talent, right?
No, in fact, the opposite is true, as, like the Mary Rose, too many cooks spoil the broth.
Working exclusively with one recruitment agency will get you the best results. It is particularly beneficial to work with one recruitment partner when you are hiring skilled talent, including employees for IT, technical, and digital roles. Here are nine reasons why.
9 Benefits of Working Exclusively with a Recruitment Agency
1. Build a Stronger Relationship
By working exclusively with a recruitment agency, your partner will get a deeper understanding of your business, its culture, and the type of people you need to recruit. Not only will this help with finding the best people, but attrition rates will be lower as the identified talent will be more aligned with your organisation.
2. You’ll Be a Priority
When you work exclusively, it’s not just you who is committing to a recruitment partner; the recruitment partner is also committing to you. This includes committing to strengthening the relationship and sustaining it over the long term by delivering on your objectives.
3. The Right Focus
Working with a recruitment partner exclusively also means the focus will be right. When there are multiple recruitment agencies working to fill the same positions, the focus inevitably turns to where the quickest and easiest wins can be achieved. Quick and easy rarely finds the best talent, however.
By working with a recruitment agency exclusively, the focus will be on finding the right person for the job, rather than filling positions quickly and with as little friction as possible.
4. Higher Quality Candidates
Following on from the last point, when you appoint multiple recruitment agencies to fill the same position, you are essentially firing the starting gun in a race. Unfortunately, this often results in a race to the bottom. Why? The recruitment agency that secures the hire is the one who gets paid, so the priority becomes winning the race. That race is about finding a candidate, not necessarily the right candidate.
When there is no race (because you are working with one recruitment agency), the priority is to find the right candidate for the role. This doesn’t mean the process has to be slow, as targets and KPIs can be defined. What you can expect, though, is higher quality candidates for consideration.
5. Saves You Time
Managing multiple recruitment agencies takes time. This includes time to brief them on your company and the type of people you need to recruit. You will also have to sift through more CVs when you work with multiple agencies. One of the reasons for this is that some recruitment agencies will submit CVs to you almost as soon as they receive them. They do this so they can lock in the candidate just in case, even though the candidate might not be exactly the right fit.
When you work with an agency exclusively, fewer discussions and explanations are required, saving you time. You will also receive more targeted CVs, so are likely to have fewer to sift through.
6. Better Candidate Experience
When you work with an agency exclusively, candidates won’t be contacted multiple times about the same role. Candidate engagement and support will also be better, particularly with passive candidates who, while passive, are the perfect fit for your organisation.
7. More Consistency
You can expect greater process consistency when you work with a recruitment partner exclusively. You will probably also work with the same people, increasing consistency levels even further.
8. Saves Money
Working with a single recruitment agency can save you money on a contractual basis, but the biggest savings come from finding the right talent, i.e., employees who have the right skills and who are culturally aligned with your organisation.
9. Present the Right Message
The message you present to candidates can have a big impact on the success of your recruitment campaigns. As an exclusive recruitment agency will have a deeper understanding of your business and the people you want to recruit, candidates will receive a clearer and more accurate depiction of your organisation and the role.
Cooking Up the Right IT Talent for Your Organisation
The advantages of working exclusively with a recruitment partner centre on finding you the right talent – talent that will deliver on your requirements today and into the future with low rates of attrition. As your exclusive recruitment partner, we can help with your hiring requirements and objectives, so speak to a member of our team today.
