There are a lot of recruitment companies out there. Some specialise in particular industries, from digital to construction to engineering. Some specialise in particular roles; marketing or software development. Others focus on a wider range of sectors and industries. When faced with such a wide range of recruitment agencies, how do you choose who to work with? It can be a tough decision, especially considering that the wrong hire could cost your business significantly more than the hire’s initial salary, in on-boarding, training and lost productivity.

So how do you choose who to work with? Of course, it’s worth considering the kind of role you’re recruiting for. A high-level, technical or specialist role requires a high-level, technical and specialist recruiter.

Reason one – They should have an extensive market and industry experience

It makes sense that, if you work in a technical or specialised industry, you’d want a recruitment company (and the individual recruiter within it) to understand that industry. For specialist recruiters, understanding goes beyond simply knowing the companies operating in the industry. It includes knowledge of the best candidates, the disciplines needed, what the salaries look like and the market trends that will affect your industry. Best of all – they know all of this in real-time. By speaking to candidates and businesses within the industry all day, every day, their fingers are really on the pulse.

Specialist recruiters also understand the intricacies of the technologies required by the role and the industry. Alongside this, they’re aware of where the skills shortages lie, meaning they can advise on job specifications and make sure you’re not searching for what can’t be found. With their knowledge of the products and services offered by your industry, they can put roles into context and really sell your business to potential candidates, without sounding like they’re reading from a script.

Reason two – They act as consultants

One of the biggest differentiators between a generalist recruiter and a specialist is their ability to provide consultative advice and guidance. Specialist recruiters can advise on the best way to run your recruitment campaign and can step in to help ease pain points in the process, which could include slow time to hire and a lack of qualified candidates. Along with their industry experience, these recruiters work with their clients to understand where they can add value, whether this is by vetting the candidates or exploring their own networks to find the candidate. Specialist recruitment consultants are looking at the industry from a wider perspective, which means they can be reactive and can offer a unique insight into the market.

Knowing their clients on this level means that specialist recruiters are poised to listen and react when needed, becoming trusted advisors and partners to their clients. In turn, this means they’ll be able to offer their clients a tailor-made service, completely fit for their business, which takes into account their individual requirements, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all service (which often doesn’t!) And, because specialist recruiters don’t have a specific affiliation, they are able to offer impartial and honest advice, as well as confidentiality.

Reason three – They have built extensive networks

It’s well known that recruiters’ networks are their bread and butter. And although this is true of both generalist and specialist recruiters, it’s the value of the specialist recruiters’ network that makes the difference. They don’t go for breadth across the entire workforce, they go for depth in their specific verticals. These verticals are also generally thinly divided. Rather than an ‘IT’ recruiter, each recruiter will have a more specific vertical, such as DevOps or Project Management.

This leaves specialist recruiters in a great position because they are immersed in the world of their candidates. They keep regular contact, building relationships that last for careers rather than placements. Specialist recruiters understand the importance of these networks; for finding candidates, receiving referrals and building their reputation. By leveraging these networks they can offer targeted headhunting and referral opportunities, which is a significant bonus of using a specialist recruiter with a niche network.

Recruiters spend a lot of time developing these networks and building their reputations. They attend industry events, national and international client meetings and have regular contact with the top candidates in the market, meaning if they don’t know the candidate already, they’ll be sure to know someone who does.

If you’re still unsure of the type of recruiter to choose – think about these things;

1. Are you struggling to find candidates to interview?

2. Have you noticed a skill shortage for the role?

3. Are you connected with thousands of potential candidates? (And if you are, do you have the time to sift through them?)

4. Do you know how to overcome the pain points in your recruitment process?

5. Is it an urgent or particularly important hire?

Answering these questions should help you decide what kind of recruiter you need. It’s worth remembering that not all specialist recruiters are made equal. Some will have more experience and industry knowledge than others, so be selective with the final agency.