Should We Work With A Small Recruitment Agency?

Working with a small recruitment agency can give you the dedicated service and personal touch you may be seeking, but with the expertise of a large agency.

No business wants to make the wrong decision when it comes to choosing the right recruitment partner to support their growth. Choosing to work with a small recruitment agency that isn’t a household name and  has less brand recognition may seem risky, however, it might be the right decision for your organisation.

The key advantages of a small recruitment agency

Working with a small recruitment agency comes with many advantages, and these positives will differ depending on the size of your business and the breadth of your recruitment needs.

Each job is important

Small recruitment agencies appreciate every role they are asked to fill. They make sure to give every business a 5 star service, as most rely on word-of-mouth and reviews, rather than brand recognition. If you are a small business looking to advertise a singular job role, you may find with a large recruitment agency that you are less of a priority and one of a long list of clients. The recruitment agency you work with should make clear efforts to prioritise your vacancy.

Consistent points of contact

One of the key advantages of a small recruitment agency supporting your hiring efforts is that you will not be passed from consultant to consultant.

Many larger agencies have an unfortunate ‘hire and fire’ approach for new recruiters. Experiencing high targets and significant pressure often leads to an inevitable increase in employee turnover. This can mean that whilst you are working with the agency to find the right candidate, you might end up talking with multiple agents throughout your recruitment process. Starting a new working relationship with consultant after consultant could be very frustrating, especially if specific details are not transferred over correctly and things are missed.

In comparison, a smaller recruitment agency tends to take more time considering the hire of a recruiter before hitting the green button because there are costs associated with hiring each consultant. Many small recruitment agencies pride themselves on offering a fantastic level of service, which includes them nurturing and encouraging strong relationships between their recruiters and the organisations they work with. By using a small recruitment agency, you will benefit from the consistency of building a strong relationship with one consultant who truly understands your business.

Each consultant is mentored by the best

Continuing from my previous point, not only is there a higher bar for hiring recruitment consultants in a small recruitment agency, but they also provide fantastic training opportunities too. As there are fewer consultants in these kind of agencies, those who are entering either with experience or as a trainee tend to have more face-to-face time with and might be mentored by senior recruitment figures within the business. These senior colleagues generally have vast amounts of experience, meaning your consultant will have been trained extensively and should have an excellent grasp of the market.

This is in contrast with larger agencies where each team is so big, junior staff may get lost in the crowd and team leaders may be unable to offer individual bespoke training.

More flexibility

There is less red tape in a smaller recruitment agency. They have the capacity to be agile when it comes to enacting and changing procedures and processes. This is in stark contrast to larger agencies that normally have a long chain of command that can slow down certain processes and changes.

A small recruitment agency is often also flexible in the services they offer as they will want to provide a bespoke service for your business, whatever your needs.

Local

A small recruitment agency will normally have at least a proportion of their recruitment consultants focusing on the market in the area they are located in. This can be a drawback in some circumstances, but if you are a local business wanting to work with local professionals, a small recruitment agency could be perfect for you. They will have huge local talent pools, understand your direct competitors, know what your competitors are offering employees and the projects they are undertaking.

A small local recruitment agency will also be able visit your business to gain greater insights into your way of working, your values, and your team. This can make them more effective ambassadors of your business.

Larger recruitment agencies will not have the motivation to do this unless you are a high value client with lots of roles and hiring needs. They may also have branches not situated near you, so would be unlikely to understand the local area and converse with candidates on simple things such as knowing where to park and what the traffic will be like before the interview. If the candidate is considering relocating for the role, it’s even more crucial that the recruitment consultant you work with can speak with them about local attractions, amenities etc.

Potential limitations of working with a small recruitment agency

There are many advantages to a small recruitment agency, however, these positives will not suit every business and the drawbacks might outweigh the benefits. It’s important to understand these potential limitations before you make any decision over what kind of recruitment agency to work with.

Limited capacity

If you are seeking an agency to cover your whole hiring strategy, managing 100’s of hires across your business, a small recruitment agency may struggle to cover this within the time frame you require. This is not to say that some small recruitment agencies would not relish the challenge and be very successful with it!

Brand name

Larger agencies often have an established brand, which people automatically assume means they can be trusted. This can give certain large recruitment agencies an advantage, especially because they are sometimes the first place that candidates think to look for jobs or send in their CVs to.

However, from my points previously, just because a small recruitment agency does not have a widely recognised brand, it does not mean that they are not highly respected by the clients and candidates that they work alongside.

If you are searching for a top IT professional and want the close personal touch of a small recruitment agency, VIQU is the small award-winning IT recruitment agency you should be considering! Get in contact with us for help with your hiring processes and securing the right professional for you.