It still surprises me that many employers don't always know if recruitment could benefit them, or whether they should simply advertise their jobs directly.    So, how do recruitment services differ from direct jobsite / website advertising campaigns?

The key factors  when choosing a recruitment agency  are TIME and COST.  Yep, you read that right,  cost is absolutely a reason to use  an  agency instead of advertising directly, recruitment can actually be more cost effective, but we'll get to that later.   Like most services, you get what you pay for, so direct recruitment through advertising is a great budget option because you do all the legwork yourself. Hiring staff this way is the traditional route and gives you full control of the process, but it can be time consuming, bringing us to our first point.   

TIME: 
Do you    have the time to find your own staff?    
If you do, then give it a go unless you are recruiting for very niche  or   'in-demand' skills.    You will need to write an engaging, legally compliant job ad  (research a little, to ensure you post it in  places likely to reach your desired applicants - Facebook Jobs is a great free service for this).   Allocate time to taking queries by phone and email, going through  applications, shortlisting your top choices, rejecting  unsuccessful applicants (ideally with some constructive feedback) and spend time contacting all those you wish to meet with in order to arrange meetings.  All this before you even begin the interview process!  

If this seems like a lot of time to take away from your day to day duties, then  a recruitment consultancy will handle all of the above on your behalf. At Sunshine Recruitment Solutions for example, we take care of the whole process from beginning to end.  

 The D.I.Y route can also take much longer to engage the applicants you need which can be problematic if your vacancy is  urgent. Recruiters spend all day, every day sourcing talent, so when you call them they have options right away, options that are skills matched to your needs. Often these are applicants who would not naturally respond to an advert, known in the industry  as 'passive applicants' (individuals who are in work and not actively searching for new roles through job-sites, relying instead on an agency to match them with relevant opportunities.)

COST: 
Dependant on requirements, I do sometimes advise my clients to try advertising first before  instructing a recruitment service, but only if I think they'll get a good response, because lets be honest, hiring new staff  can be  costly.  In my opinion the WORST scenario as an employer sourcing staff, is to spend money advertising your role directly, only to then instruct an agency  anyway.   So before you allocate your budget, ask yourself; 

Am I likely to fill this role with an advert?    
Factors to take into account here are  skills,  urgency and competition.   If you are looking for a rare skill set and you are not already  naturally attracting  speculative applicants, chances are an advert won't do  the trick, plus the more adverts you try, the more expensive it gets. I speak with employers who have spent thousands on advertising, through print and social media, on job-sites and Linkedin, only to end up with zero  relevant applicants.   Had those employers  used a recruitment firm at the start of the process, they would have actually saved  money (and of course time)! 

The reverse is also true, if your company naturally attracts applicants when you do not have vacancies, you are likely to do well out of a direct advertising campaign.  Job-hunters clearly identify with your brand  and an  agency would be overkill!   Equally, if  your role is not highly skilled,  and there are plenty of relevant applicants out there  with the skills you need (customer service, retail and front of house hospitality  roles are good examples)  then you are likely to have plenty of choice from  advertising on a jobsite or in the local paper. 

If   talented candidates in your  sector are like gold dust (good examples are software development, engineering and medical professions) get straight onto a specialist agency, or a recruiter who focuses on your geographical location. They will have a head start on available applicants AND importantly they will know about the competition (other companies looking for similar skills) and will be able to champion your role, one on one, ensuring engagement with your target market from the start. 

I mentioned at the start, you get what you pay for, and in recruitment that is so true. What many employers do not realise, is that  with the majority of  recruitment firms, if you cannot find what you need, you don't pay a penny (be aware some agencies do charge retainers, for very niche markets).  Sure you might not find your perfect candidate, but you will have  kept your budget, the same cannot be said for advertising, once you spend that marketing budget, it's gone whether you get 100 applicants or none!   

It's also worth noting when discussing fees, that recruiters also usually have a 'rebate period' to protect your  investment (ours at Sunshine is 8 weeks). This means that  if in the early stages of a contract, a new member of the team doesn't work out (or accepts an alternative job offer)  you can actually reclaim some or all of your fee.  This safety net can be very reassuring when on-boarding new staff. 

There is no definitive system that works for every business, so when you have a vacancy looming, take the time to ask yourself the two important questions Do I have the time to recruit? and Am I likely to find my employee via an advert?  If the answers are both yes, don't be afraid to recruit directly by yourself but,  if the answer is no,  to both of these, I'd recommend getting an agency you trust on the case straight away! 

Katy Harwood 
Founder - Sunshine Recruitment Solutions

Recently I was chatting with a job hunter who was keen and enthusiastic with great experience but struggling to get booked for an interview. She told me how frustrating it was that she hadn’t heard back from a job she really wanted and had applied to 4 weeks ago. My first question was “Have you phoned them for feedback?”. The answer was no and when asked why, her response was “I don’t want to put them off, or seem too pushy”. 

This is typical of job-seekers, caught in no-mans-land, wanting to appear keen and pro-active but frightened of scaring off potential employers. I pointed out that after 4 weeks, she wasn’t likely to hear from the employer anyway, so there would be little risk in calling for feedback. 

She called the employer, and politely asked why she hadn’t been selected for interview. After a minute or two of investigating, her records could not be found. She hadn’t been rejected, they simply didn’t have her application. The employer was impressed with her approach and as they hadn’t filled the job, she was offered an interview on the spot!

To be fair, the result is not always so positive, but it is always useful to know why an application was unsuccessful.   Perhaps your CV was not well presented, maybe grammatical errors held you back, you might not have followed the application instructions or you simply might not have been right for the job.

Whatever the feedback, you can use it to your advantage to help do better next time. Here at Sunshine Recruitment Solutions we’ve put together some key points to help you get constructive advice on your job applications.

• Follow up on applications,  but not before the closing date. The recruitment process takes time, so pressuring an employer before they’ve even reviewed your application is unlikely to win you an interview.
• Make contact by phone.   Do not send an email, emails are easily avoided and companies are reluctant to give criticism, even constructively, in writing. A quick, friendly phone call is always better to get the information you need.
• Stay calm, you won’t get constructive feedback arguing with someone, X-Factor style for not choosing you. Try not to take offence and be polite as you never know when your paths may cross again.
• Ask the difficult questions, “what could I do better next time?” and “would you consider me again in future?”. Criticism is never easy to take, but employers hate rejecting applicants, they want you to find work, so if they can help, they will.

You won’t always like what you hear but, if you know what is going wrong you can fix it, otherwise you risk feeling confused and frustrated 4 weeks later when no-one has booked you for interview.

Go on, get the feedback, it could open the door to your next role! 

We are taught from an early age to say please and thank you, to always think of others, to not interrupt and to wait our turn. Attention to manners and etiquette is seen internationally as a quintessentially British trait, something we can all be proud of.

It seems a shame then, that we don't always apply these useful and admirable skills to our everyday working life. For example, when it comes to the application and interview process, good old fashioned manners all too often sail out of the window! Of course, applicants mostly present themselves well, introduce themselves politely and behave impeccably at interview,  but in the process surrounding the interview, both before and after, I often find myself asking "Where are your manners?"

One particular scenario that highlights this crops up all too often in recruitment, the interview cancellation, by an applicant.

It is usual for applicants to apply for more than one vacancy, therefore multiple interviews are commonplace, particularly with skilled candidates. It's only natural that some of these appointments will fall by the wayside, perhaps due to an exciting job offer or a change of heart. The reasons vary, but one thing is constant, there is   always  someone at the other end, an employer or recruiter, who has taken time out of their schedule, shortlisted, prepared, re-arranged and taken care to conduct that interview.

This is where etiquette and plain simple manners should come into play. It takes no real effort to pen a quick and polite e-mail to inform a potential employer that you are unable to attend interview, better still, to call them up and thank them for the opportunity and explain why you have decided to walk a different path.  It seems so obvious, and polite! But what we actually see more and more of is the bane of many recruiters existence,  'the no-show'. That moment, when the clock ticks past the 'reasonably late' into the 'they aren't coming are they?'.

This is the worst case scenario for most interviewers, it messes up schedules, creates frustration and bad feeling, and it will put a black mark against the absent interviewee, closing the door to that business in the future (I already have a policy to not work with any candidate who has not shown up for interview without some prior communication, regardless of how skilled they may be).

It is difficult when looking for a new role not to become utterly focused on your own needs and anxiety, but I try to advise my applicants to always think of the person who's hiring, not the business, but the individual, and to take their needs and anxiety into account when making decisions about applications and interviews.

I'm genuinely not sure why so many people opt to simply not show up for their interviews, particularly those that have been carefully arranged, planned and confirmed. Perhaps they are too nervous, or worried that someone will be angry with them, or try to convince them to attend after all? Whatever the reason, the next time you change your mind about attending an interview, be bold, be brave and remember your manners! Say thank you, apologise for any inconvenience and give the interviewer as much notice as you possibly can.

It's the polite thing to do.