Hiring qualified professionals for your organization can be tricky and time-consuming. A highly experienced recruitment firm can do most of the heavy lifting for you, sourcing and selecting experienced candidates while you spend your time where it’s more valuable.

However, not all recruitment firms are made equal. There are a lot of factors to look for that separate the all-star players from the rest, and failing to ignore these signals could be costly. In this article, we’re highlighting the big indicators to watch for when choosing a recruitment firm for your organization.

Track Record

One of the most important signals to look for when choosing a recruitment firm is a track record of success. Not all firms operate the same or have a proven track record of success.

At STRIVE Recruitment, we’ve been recruiting top-tier talent since we got our start in 2008. We’ve built a team with experience from a wide range of industries and a deep understanding of the local market, we have access to one of the world’s top AI-powered Talent Intelligence platforms.

As a result, STRIVE has a track record we’re extremely proud of. Over the past nearly two decades, we’ve become a certified Great Place to Work, gathered a near-perfect Google Reviews score from over 350 reviews, and amassed countless testimonials on our website.

At STRIVE, we’re so confident in our track record that we offer a 90-day Placement Guarantee. That means that all of our recruitment solutions come with flexible guarantees of 3 months so that you can rest easy with your hiring decisions. On top of that, we’re proud of our 95% conversation rate on exclusive assignments, which is only possible when you truly understand the needs and requirements of each client.

Areas of Specialty

Another factor to look for when choosing a recruitment firm to find your next top talent is the area or industries they specialize in. Certain firms will have recruiters with experience and connections in certain industries, which contributes to the firm’s area of specialization when it comes to finding talent.

At STRIVE Recruitment, we’ve steadily built up our areas of specialization since opening our doors in 2008. When first starting, the flagship division of the firm was Accounting & Finance. Soon after, STRIVE expanded to specialize in Manufacturing & Operations.

Fast forward to today, STRIVE remains a specialist recruiting agency for Accounting & Finance and Manufacturing & Operations, with the addition of Corporate Administration. With our big three areas of specialization firmly in place, we work with companies of all sizes, from small locally-owned businesses to Fortune 500s.

 

Your Recruitment Needs

The third and perhaps most important piece to consider when hiring a recruiting firm is the specific needs of your organization. Every business has its own needs when it comes to hiring, and not every firm has the recruiting services available to match your needs.

Whether you’re looking for highly qualified executives, short-term contract workers or advanced payroll services for your peace of mind, STRIVE has a recruiting service to match your needs.

• Permanent Recruitment

Permanent recruitment services are designed to fill positions in your organization that support your long-term goals. These professionals must be qualified to start, have the desire to stick around and impact your business for years to come and have the ability to jump in seamlessly.

At STRIVE we can handle the entire recruitment process from start to finish, providing you with a shortlist of top-quality candidates in 3 –10 days for intermediate roles.

• Temporary Recruitment

If you’re looking for temporary recruitment services, you could be looking to fill a position for someone on leave, cover for a holiday, or hire for a specific contract length. These positions typically have an end date attached to them, and require the chosen candidate to jump in and get up to speed quickly.

Regardless of the timeframe you need workers for, STRIVE Recruitment will be there to find people with the skills and experience vital for your industry who can integrate seamlessly.

• Executive Recruitment

To find the highest calibre talent to fill major leadership roles that can help move your organization forward, you’ll need executive recruitment services. At STRIVE, we’re able to leverage the connections and industry experience of our consultants to find these high-value targets. Our dedicated executive search specialists will implement our seven-stage search process to ensure you find the talent you need without having to compromise on key final decisions.

• Payroll Services

Payroll services can allow you to scale your workforce and operations without taking on costly overhead and administrative expenses. Payroll is a service that not all recruitment firms can offer, but at STRIVE we’re able to take payroll processing, tax filing, time and attendance tracking and more off your hands.

 

If you’re ready to bring on a recruitment firm to start filling permanent, temporary and executive positions, reach out to STRIVE Recruitment for an introductory discussion. We’ve got the skill and experience to find what you’re looking for, with a proven track record to back it up. Contact us today to get started.

Recruitment agencies have grown in popularity in recent years, both for the organizations that use them and the candidates who want to find their dream job. It’s not that they’re new – recruitment agencies have been around for decades. It’s more that the labour market has become more nuanced than ever, and a good recruitment agency knows both the requirements of a role and how to find the best person to fill it.

Some recruitment agencies specialize in a specific niche, like high-tech workers or high-level executives. At Strive Recruitment, we generally focus on Accounting & Finance, Manufacturing, Corporate Administration and Construction, although there can be exceptions.

But how exactly do recruitment agencies work, and how can they help you get the job of your dreams? Let’s talk about that.

What is a Recruitment Agency?

A recruitment agency is a firm that helps in various stages of the hiring process. It’s a tool used by many organizations, which would sometimes prefer to hire someone else to the searching for high-quality candidates on their behalf.

It’s the agency’s job to know the client (the organization that wants to hire someone), the role, and just as importantly, the labour market. Never underestimate the importance of this – the labour market is highly fluid, and factors in a variety of elements that can raise or lower demand for a particular field, and the requirements for a job or industry.

You can look at recruitment agencies from the perspective of the client or the candidate. If you’re a client, you’ll generally hire a recruitment agency like Strive Recruitment to help fill a role. If you’re a candidate, you’ll look to recruitment agencies to consider you for jobs that are a good match for what their clients need.

If there’s a match, the agency recommends you, and the client agrees, congratulations – you’ve just experienced first-hand why a good recruitment agency is a great tool for clients and candidates alike.

How Recruitment Agencies Work

When an organization hires a recruitment agency to fill a role, it will pay a service fee to the latter. This fee covers all the costs for the recruitment agency to find the right candidate, from the search, narrowing down candidates, the offer and the onboarding process.

While some agencies simply charge a fee upfront, others get paid with a contingency fee. That means the organization that hires an agency does not pay the fee until a candidate is successfully placed in the role – that’s what we do at Strive Recruitment as we feel it’s a better way to put the client first.

If you’re a job hunter, there’s good news: you don’t pay a cent. The client pays the fee. But that doesn’t mean recruitment agencies will just ‘give’ you a job. You’ve got to earn their recommendation to the client. After all, it’s the agency’s reputation. That’s why along with your resume, you’ll need to do at least one interview, and might be required to do a series of tests to verify your skills. The agency may even offer further training if they feel you’re a strong candidate.

How to Get Recruited

If all this sounds like recruitment agencies can help turn job hunters into ‘free agents’ like in the sports world, in a sense, that’s correct. But to get their attention, you’ll need to be a strong candidate. Here are several ways you might get recruited:

Be Active On LinkedIn – This is very important. Aim to have a least 100 contacts – and post relevant content too!

Be Specific About Your Desired Role – Want an accounting job? Say that, on your resume and LinkedIn profile summary.

Network at Events and Conferences – Don’t wait for recruiters to come to you. Get out there and network, and mention your job hunt.

Look For Recruitment Agencies With a Good Reputation – Make a list of agencies that do job searches in your city or town – then look for contacts at each one of them.

Call Those Contacts – Call them at 8:30 AM or 5:30 PM. That’s generally right before things heat up or cool down for the day.

 

Reach Out to Us!

Strive Recruitment is a recruitment agency based in Vancouver BC. We understand the labour market – and we get what it’s like to be a client looking to hire a great candidate for a hard-to-fill role and the job hunter who doesn’t want just ‘any job’.

Perhaps we can help you land it; let’s chat.