Making the most of using recruitment agencies

Recruitment Agency’s are ideally placed to help find the best solution to both staffing problems for client companies and placing candidates in post’s that suit their skill set and career aspirations.

Recruitment cost savings can be made in various ways, however, by far the biggest saving is the valuable time taken to process all aspects of recruitment. In today’s environment where time is often limited in either finding suitable employment or finding the right candidates agencies can really make a difference to the efficiency and effectiveness of your job/candidate search.

Which agency should I use?
When deciding which agency to use always make sure that the agency is a member of the REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation), as these agencies are governed to use codes of best practise and will be able to advise on all aspects of the recruitment process in line with current legislation and legal requirements. Agencies are often specialist in one or two different fields so ensure the agency you use has worked in your industry sector or at least in a similar discipline. There are a number of ways to find agencies by sector, visit www.agencycentral.co.uk for further information.

Agency guidelines:
For clients wishing to fill vacancies:
Check the agency you are working with is a member of the REC.
Agree Terms and Conditions prior to embarking on the recruitment process.
Give as much information relating to your company and its culture along with definitive details relating to the position you are trying to fill and associated duties of that role and provide personality traits that would suit this role.
Be prepared to work with the agency in order to ensure the most effective response. Time spent on preparing a decent person/job spec at this stage will save endless amounts of time and frustration further into the recruitment process.

Be honest and open about the vacancy and the companies position and ethos. This will encourage long term retention of good candidates and avoid any disappointment to both the client and candidate once an appointment has been made.

Give feedback to the agency including candidates suitability for the post and the service given by the agency - enabling agencies to learn further insight into your requirements.

For candidates seeking employment:
When your CV is on the desk of a potential employer, it speaks for you. Take the time to make sure your CV will say the right things. It should be easily read and clearly presented, avoiding superlatives, clumsy jargon and over-used cliches.

Remember that agencies may be faced with many CVs, and their first objective is to filter out all of those applicants who are unsuitable for the job. Ensure that your CV stands out in the face of stiff competition – it should include in a clear and precise layout contact details, date of birth, nationality and marital status; your availability; whether you are a driver/car owner and; your general state of health.

Ensure there is a brief synopsis of your experience so far on the FRONT PAGE of your CV. This should detail briefly experience of techniques and instrumentation used and any associated software if applicable. It should also include your most recent job title and briefly cover your immediate future career aspirations.
Your CV should show your range of experience and your professional development, and also identify the key skills and responsibilities of each position you have held. If you are a graduate looking for your first job, you can use this section to describe your final year project, your areas of interest, and any positions of responsibility you held within university societies.

You should:
· List positions held in reverse chronological order
· For each position, clearly state company, job title, dates, responsibilities, duties, projects and achievements
· Think about the specific tasks and challenges of each position and your role in the company or project.
· Give more detail for your most recent positions – these will be given far more attention by employers.
Ensure your CV makes the right visual impression. It should be clear, attractive and stylish and show a level of professionalism which immediately gives a prospective employer confidence. Here are a few key points to remember:
· Your CV should be no more than two sides of A4 (except for senior management level, where three may be necessary).
· Use a simple layout that is easy to navigate, directing employers straight to the important information.
· Use a quality paper in white or cream, and choose a clear typeface (such as Times New Roman or Arial), font size 12.
· Bullet points, bold headings and clever typesetting allow you to present a lot of information without it seeming crowded.
Overall, the design and layout of your CV should show an employer that you have put time and thought into it.
Finally…
· Check your CV for spelling and grammar! Or better still, get someone else to check it. Trivial spelling and grammar errors make a poor impression, if you cannot produce a professional CV you are inviting an employer to question your overall competence.
· Send your CV unfolded, accompanied by a covering letter
· Finally, as always, keep it brief and simple!

For further information on your future recruitment needs or job search, please contact Christine Suckley at QADS Technical Recruitment Specialists on 01244 323400, email chris@qads.co.uk. QADS - Setting New Standards in Recruitment.