6 Reasons For Using A Recruitment Agency

…..and why it’s better than doing it in-house

When a business identifies a gap for a particular job vacancy, they have two options. Either conduct the recruitment process in-house or use the services of a recruitment agency. Recruitment agencies are responsible for handling the hiring process from start to finish. Whichever options you choose depends on several factors, such as the size of the business and how long it’s been established in the local market. We’re going to look at some of the upsides of using a recruitment agency to handle the hiring process.

1 – Recruitment agencies are market experts

Recruiters undergo months of professional training, learning how to keep clients happy and matching them with the perfect candidate. Combine this with years of on-the-ground experience and specialist knowledge, and you’ve got yourself a winner. This is especially true if you’re a new entrant to the Thai market, which many of Smart Search’s clients are. Thailand has lots of “quirks” surrounding their employment laws which are unique to the market. Asking for some advice from us can really help speed up the hiring process. Thailand’s economy is continually evolving and it’s our job to remain updated about new developments across sectors.

Recruiting new staff in-house might be a cost-efficient option, but the opportunity cost is the expert knowledge that could be gained through collaborating with an agency.

2 – Getting an outsider’s perspective

Sitting down and having a chat with your recruiter might open your mind to some new ideas that you may not have considered initially. Many hiring managers have a specific idea about the candidate profile that they’re looking for. Most of the time they’re looking for someone who is working in a similar function with one of their competitors. Recruitment agencies can open your mind to new ways of thinking by presenting candidates from sectors you may not have thought of targeting. For example, former flight attendants tend to excel in Personal Assistant and Secretary roles. This is because they share the same focus on customer service and support. This is something that you might not be aware of if you’re not trained in recruitment.

3 – A recruitment agency has more reach

This might seem fairly obvious, but recruitment agencies have access to a huge pool of talent! Let’s take a real-life example from one of our clients. We recently met with the CEO of a global advertising powerhouse who was reluctant to use a recruitment agency to hire their new MD. Why? There was an expectation from management that the CEO should already know all the senior-level people in the industry in Thailand. But, this time, he wanted to broaden the search to find someone outside the advertising world, perhaps somebody from a tech firm. There is where recruiters come in. We have an existing network of contacts from a diverse range of sectors that we can reach out to.

4 – Recruiters save you time

Recruitment agencies make it their priority to deliver a shortlist of high-quality candidates that are a great match. This gives you more time to concentrate on other important parts of the business – like making money! It’s no secret that hiring new staff is a complex and time-consuming process. This is especially relevant if you are a smaller business without the capacity to support an in-house team of recruiters. Most businesses use outsourcing services in at least one of their departments, whether it be Accounting or IT. Recruitment agencies can be an excellent way to save time trying to source new recruits yourself. You can be confident that your hiring needs are being dealt with professionally.

5 – Recruitment agencies offer replacement guarantees

The majority of recruitment agencies will offer some sort of replacement guarantee as part of their service. In Thailand, you will find that many agencies have a guarantee period of four months, the maximum allowable probationary period. During this time, either yourself or the candidate can terminate the contract without incurring any penalties i.e. severance payments. Sometimes things don’t work out, and perhaps it turns out that the new hire wasn’t the right culture fit. At no extra cost to you, your recruiter will line up a new shortlist of candidates ready for you to choose from.

6 – Searches are confidential

Many businesses choose to conduct a confidential search if an employee is being terminated, or if the positon is particularly senior. Managing a confidential recruitment search in-house, even if you’ve got a separate department of recruiters, is impossible. In this case, the best option would be to reach out to a third-party recruiter. They will be fully briefed about the job scope, but will never reveal the company name to a candidate. Instead, recruiters will give away hints (size of the business, the country headquarter, reporting lines etc.). It’s their job to get the candidates excited about the role without giving anything away. Typically, the company name is revealed to a candidate once they’ve been invited for the first interview.

We know there are positives and negatives when outsourcing the recruitment process to a third party. Recruitment agencies can provide an excellent service dedicated to finding that superstar candidate who is really going to add value to your business. If you’re thinking about starting a relationship with a recruiter, feel free to contact one of our consultants: [email protected]

Smart Search Recruitment is Bangkok’s leading executive recruitment consultancy. We serve multinational and local companies, sourcing high-caliber candidates and placing them in mid and senior-level roles. For recruitment service inquiries contact us. We are committed to meet our client’s needs by delivering an exceptional level of service. We have insightful HR resources updated everyday. Please keep in touch with us via our social media.

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