Top Ten Tips for Hiring a Recruiter to Fill Your Open Requirements in 2023

The global heat treatment industry is universally facing challenges finding and retaining good people. As such, many companies are wisely looking to external help from third-party search and placement firms to support their recruitment efforts. Utilizing the expertise of a recruiter is a great way to expedite time-to-hire while improving the overall quality of your candidate pool.

If you find yourself considering hiring the services of a recruiter in the New Year, keep reading for expert tips from Jessica Maier, Sr. Recruiter with heat treat focused search firm International Search Partners, for her opinion on the Top Ten Tips for Hiring a Recruiter to Fill Your Open Requirements in 2023:

• Set aside time to talk to your recruiter. Have you sent a recruiter a basic job description and expected great results? That might work if you have a long-standing relationship with your recruiter and they’ve filled this position before, but in most cases, and almost certainly if this is your first time working with this recruiter, you’ll need to have a longer and more in-depth conversation before engaging the search.
• Know why your company is great. This sounds silly but remember that you’re trying to attract the best-of-the-best and top talent wants to know what makes your company better than their current employer. Of course, money talks and compensation is always a factor, but often company culture, career progression, training, etc. are just as important. Think about what sets your company apart and let your recruiter know!
• Recruiters are your strategic partners. Just like any aspect of your business that you outsource, you should consider your recruiters part of the team. Stay honest, stay communicative, and stay open to feedback.
• (Good) Recruiters don’t lie. If you’re working with a reputable search firm with a long history (like ISP!!), your recruiters won’t lie to you. For example, if your recruiter tells you a candidate is looking for $45/hour, then making an offer at $35/ hour “just to see” is only going to frustrate all parties.
• Recruiters are market experts. Just like the tip above, trust your recruiter. An active recruiter might speak to 100 or more prospective candidates for every search and work on nearly 5-10 new openings each month. These conversations result in having a solid “pulse of the market,” and imparting this insight to you is part of the service offered.
• Be ready to hire. Don’t engage the services of a recruiter until you’re ready to pull the trigger on a hire. “Kicking tires” on prospective candidates is a good way to lose a recruiter’s services and burn bridges with prospective candidates.
• Don’t wait for the perfect candidate. Sorry to burst your bubble, but your “perfect candidate” probably doesn’t exist! If you interviewed a candidate that ticks 8 or 9 out of the 10 requirements, make them an offer! Many companies wait for the 10/10 unicorn, while their competition gets ahead by hiring the 9/10 who is still an all-star.
• Follow the recruiters order of operations. Your recruiter wants the offer accepted more than you do. If they want an offer sent to them prior to sending to a candidate, follow their instructions – it’s for good reason. Once again, recruiters go through the hiring process every day and have perfected the way to ensure success with different types of situations and candidate personalities.
• Don’t forget about your competition. Recruiting firms work with multiple companies at one time. If you’re not communicative, not listening to your recruiter, and offering way under market value, you’ll likely not get first look at any candidates.
• Communication, communication, communication. A successful working relationship with your recruiter boils down to making sure your communication is direct and honest, while listening to and trusting your recruiter is just as important.

Jessica Maier has specialized in talent acquisition for the heat treat industry with International Search Partners since 2015 where she loves the thrill of the search and helping put “good people in front of good companies.” ISP was originally founded in 1998 and is the only search and placement firm to specialize exclusively in heat treat. For more information email [email protected] or call 619-465-9621.