As the food industry continues to grow, the demand for businesses to recruit high calibre professionals is more significant than ever. As a result, an increasing number of organisations are looking to work with recruitment partners to help them source the highest calibre of talent.
When choosing a recruitment company for a key headhunt or search you are choosing who is going to market your vacancy so ethics, service, value for money and professionalism all have to be high on the agenda. Choosing the right recruiting partner is mutually cost and time effective and makes recruitment a more pleasant experience. Getting it wrong is a waste of time, resources, and funds for both parties.
Below we’ve outlined six things you should look for before choosing the right recruitment partner…
1. Industry knowledge
A specialist in your industry will have a good understanding of what you are looking for and will understand what good really looks like. They will have a solid understanding of the technical terms and most importantly, they will have a network of candidates that you would very much want to be speaking with.
2. What are their screening methods?
A comprehensive screening process should be an essential part of any agencies process. This will ultimately take some of the guesswork out of a potential interview and will pre-screen candidates for softer skills before submitting to the client. You don’t want to be walking into an interview only to find within the first five minutes that the candidate is completely wrong for the job, often lacking key criteria which should have been picked up by the recruiter.
3. Is there a culture match?
You will be working very closely with your chosen agency, partnering to develop attractive job specs and ads, and regularly providing feedback to make sure candidates are well informed throughout the interview process. Therefore, it’s crucial that your cultures and outlook match. Also, having a similar outlook on what makes a good candidate from a communication point of view means the consultant is able to screen for the types of soft skills that you yourself look for in an interview.
4. Are they well established?
To get the best candidates, you’ll need a recruiter who has been in business long enough to be respected in the industry. (We hope 15 years’ experience ticks that particular box!) Going further you, can even ask for testimonials or check their website.
5. Fees
Depending on your business’ requirements market rates vary, expect the higher end of the spectrum for executive positions, exclusive or retained recruitment. When looking at the percentage of the fee, things to consider are payment terms, guarantee periods and candidate replacements. For example, what are you entitled to if the candidate does not pass the probation period, are you entitled to a free replacement? As with most things in life cheapest is usually not the best option and a race to the bottom on price will not drive the best service.
6. Added Value
Agencies should always be offering more than a shortlist of candidates. The right partner will be truly consultative. If you are working with a specialist, there is no doubt they should be giving insight into the industry job market, it’s trends and opportunities. While other client information will remain confidential, they can provide you with interesting market stats and salary guidance on the role.
Why D R Newitt
D R Newitt understands the importance of working in partnership and will essentially act as an extension of your company. Therefore, in order to represent you in the best light possible, we strive to truly understand your brand, team culture, and ethos.
This will also allow us to tailor our service to suit your business needs. Whether you choose to work on exclusive, non-exclusive, retained or even want one of the senior consultants on-site with you to take part in the interview process, we’ll be happy to talk through the options and help you decide which one is right for you, not for us.
Here are some of the services we offer:
Search & Selection – We have an extensive database of food and FMCG candidates across the UK allowing us to conduct a fully comprehensive search for your business.
Headhunt – Carried out by our senior and executive team, this involves a much deeper search process, identifying target businesses and candidates. Using this method will guarantee the highest calibre of talent.
As a specialist recruiter, we primarily deal with these eight core disciplines; New Product Development, Sales & Marketing, Technical, Engineering, Production & Operations, Supply Chain & Logistics, and Interim. If you have a new position and are interested in an agency, why not give us a call and find out what D R Newitt can do for you? We would be more than happy to chat through any questions you may have. You can reach us 0131 226 5060 or 0161 833 0181 or email register@drnewitt.com