Be Prepared for Your Recruiter
There are certain things that an employer should have ready before speaking with a recruiter, and several decisions to make. One item a hiring manager should have in front of them is the job description for the position they are hiring for. If an employer does not already have a job description written, they can always ask the recruiter for assistance and often times the recruiter will help them put one together.
A recruiter needs to know whether or not their prospective employer is going to be willing to cover relocation expenses for a candidate who is not local, or if they would prefer a candidate who is local. While being willing to relocate a candidate can just add extra expenses, the number of candidates the employer will be able choose from is going to be much, much larger. Allowing an employee (when possible) to work remotely can certainly cut a lot of expenses, and will also widen a candidate pool significantly.
When an employer has determined that they would like their prospective employee to be local, they should also specify if a candidate lives far but is willing to commute. For example, a gynecologist/obstetrician is going to need to live closer to their job than a salesman, typically. Commuting may be practical for some occupations, but it certainly isn’t for others.
The base salary, additional compensation or commission, and any perks or benefits that will attract a prospective employee to a company should be considered prior to a conversation with a recruiter. A recruiter can also offer insight and do research as to what a candidate in the applicable position should be making, and what competitors are paying their employees. It is always good to stay ahead of the game. Remember, fairly inexpensive perks can help a potential employee to decide between companies if they are toying with another offer at the same time.
Most employers know their biggest competitors. This is usually a part of a recruiter’s research as well, as they get to know a new client. If there are specific competitors that a company prefers employees from, and this should be addressed with the recruiter. If a recruiter understands why an employer prefers candidates from certain companies, it can help them better understand their organization. The more detailed a hiring manager or employer is with the staffing agency or executive recruiter, the better.
If the position an employer is hiring a recruiter for is one where the potential employee would be interacting with others, whether it is with clients, customers, or a team of employees…there is a specific type of personality that would get along best with that team. These things need to be considered before a new employee is hired. For example, if the position is a high pressure one, an employer would benefit most with an employee who is thick-skinned, and someone who has a history of working well under a significant amount of pressure. If the job is a fast paced one that requires doing several tasks at once, multi tasking is a skill that the candidate would need to excel at.
When an executive recruiter understands what type of candidate an employer is looking for, it makes it easier to source and weed out candidates who wouldn’t be a good fit for your company. Sometimes an employer prefers someone versed and experience in their industry, and other times they would like someone fresh out of college and ready to train using the company’s methodologies. Whichever is preferable should be expressed to the staffing agency and executive recruiter.