5 things you didn’t know about recruitment agencies.

Recruitment agencies are a great resource for both employers and prospective employees.

Recruiters can get job seekers in front of employers, provide invaluable insight, and help during a career change. In fact, they can help in a lot of ways many individuals just haven’t thought of. Here are five things that most people just don’t know about recruitment agencies.

1: Recruiters can offer lots of industry information.

Recruitment agencies often specialise in different areas of employment and recruitment professionals can be a great source of industry information for job seekers working – or wishing to work - within those sectors. Job seekers can gain valuable insight on what they need to know about the major employers within their prospective industry when choosing the right recruitment agency. It is also a good idea to find out how many placements the agency works with on average each month to get an idea of the current state of the job market.

2: Recruiters can help job seekers hone their interview skills.

Interviewing for a job can be intimidating, especially if one isn’t prepared. Recruitment professionals offer a great opportunity for job seekers to practise and hone their interview skills. Meeting or interviewing with the recruitment agency is an excellent chance to practise for the job interview, but recruiters can also set up mock interviews for their candidates in preparation for the real deal.

3: Recruiters may work for the employer, but it’s a candidate driven market

A recruitment agency works for, and is paid by, the employer. However, this doesn’t mean that job seekers aren’t their main concern. With there being a skill shortage across sectors, recruitment agencies are struggling to find quality candidates with the right skill set, making the candidate essentially king.

The recruitment process is actually a win-win situation for all parties involved – employers find solid workers, job hunters find work, and the agency makes a profit. Recruitment agencies are always on the lookout for fantastic employees that will meet the needs of their clients and will do their best to match those individuals with the right company. If they don’t offer successful placements, they lose business.

4: Recruiters can help with negotiating benefits and salary.

Often, the relationship between the job seeker and recruiter doesn’t just end once an interview is scheduled – it lasts right through to the end of the job-seeking process. In essence, recruiters take on the role of the job seeker’s agent and will often help in the negotiation of benefits, salary, and commissions. Again, it is in the recruitment agency’s best interests that both the employer and employee are satisfied.

5: Companies use recruitment agencies to hire the best talent.

There are a number of job boards online, but all too often, the listings on them aren’t for positions that many job seekers are after. This is likely because many of the top employers are using recruitment agencies to find their employees. Today, many companies use recruiters to sort through countless CVs, do initial screenings, and conduct early interviews to save both time and resources.