How to Hire the Right Recruiter

5 questions you should be asking, before you commit


We all know how time consuming and expensive it can be when hiring an employee who ends up being a poor fit, and the same can be said for selecting a recruiter to help you with your hiring needs. Hiring the right recruiter is one of the most important decisions your firm can make, so you need to consider doing more than a quick Google search and website review. This article will give you 5 important questions to consider, as you begin your search for the right recruiter.


Q1: Tell me about your recruitment process?

Understanding the overall process that a recruitment firm uses can reveal a lot about how they operate. How does your prospective recruiting firm find candidates? How are they networked into the candidate pool you need to hire from?  Do they solely post ads and forward you the candidates who would have otherwise applied to your job?  Some firms might use keywords as an initial metric, while others might only do telephone interviews. You need this employee to be a great fit for the position, so knowing how the recruitment firm assess suitability is crucial to a successful hire.


Q2: Can you demonstrate your past success?

From client testimonials to referrals – what can this recruiter do to prove to you they can deliver? The more current this information is the better, as you need to have confidence that this recruiter can meet your needs. How long has the recruiter been in this career?Recruiters typically have significant turnover so if they have great tenure you can be confident, they will be around to support you.


Q3: How do you vet potential applicants?

Once applications are submitted, how is this information analyzed? Is the recruiter drawing from their own pool of candidates, or are they reviewing and matching new applicants to fit your posting? Find out as much as you can about pre-screening, interviewing, reference & background checks so that you can be confident that you won’t be wasting your time interviewing a candidate that you ultimately wouldn’t consider hiring.


Q4: What is your success rate?

It's one thing to fill a position, but a good recruiter wants to fill the position long-term. Sometimes referred to as the “stick rate”, you are looking for a recruiter who effectively matches employers with employees and they stay with that employer for more than 2 years.


Q5: How long does the process take?

From engagement to hire, what is the recruiter’s average time to complete the process? Your company needs an employee now, and you are losing productivity and money each week the position goes unfilled. The time it takes to complete a recruitment might vary depending on how busy the recruiter is or how much attention that can give to your company. Knowing this information in advance will help you make a more informed choice.


Be informed!


A good recruitment partner can help your company and save you money. The wrong recruiter will slow down the hiring process and cost your company money in lost productivity, poor candidate selection and bad hires. The more informed you are about the recruiter you are engaging, the better the results will be. Attracting the best talent available in your market is a huge competitive advantage, and it all starts with selecting the right recruiter for your company.

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