The recruiting industry is constantly changing, with more firms entering the field every year. Now that recruitment is more competitive than ever before, how can an agency stay ahead and build a name for itself? For many firms, the answer is growth by buying up another agency or via paid outreach. But for most, the smarter choice is organic growth – investing in the company itself so that it can do more work, more efficiently.
From increasing efficiency to using innovative technology, there is a plethora of options for companies looking to grow their business organically. Here are some recommendations that recruitment agencies should consider.
Technology and the Internet
When recruiting companies fall behind in technology adoption, they find it hard to grow. Agencies benefit from tools that increase efficiency and cut costs. Our GRID Survey showed a thirst for technological advancement, however, finding that over one third of recruiters considered ‘investing in new technology’ a top priority.
Machine learning and artificial intelligence-powered tools can amplify the work of each employee and make the whole company run more smoothly. By collating data, automated programmes can flag issues to human decision-makers almost instantaneously.
Most people search for jobs online. Without a robust web presence, an agency is likely to struggle to attract applicants, making growth impossible. Recruiters need to serve up relevant offerings and rank well on search engines. Also, it can feel overwhelming trying to manage applicants across various social media channels; a data-driven CRM will help firms stay on top of prospects in this manner.
Recruiters can also experiment with targeted social media posts to attract younger applicants. This is still a relatively new discipline, so recruiters will need to learn what works best for them and which platforms are best for reaching certain types of candidates.
Learning and Development
An agency’s employees are its most valuable asset, and a well-equipped workforce is what sets great companies apart from the rest. Recruitment is all about connecting people, and the importance of client management and relationship building cannot be overstated. In fact, more than one in five respondents to our GRID survey felt that this was the ‘top area’ that their peers needed to work on, placing it at the top of the list.
In particular, technology has radically reshaped the industry, and the way recruiters work today is a world apart from how they worked a decade ago. This development is unlikely to stop any time soon, so technology-focused L&D is essential.
However, this isn’t just the merciless march of progress – learning new technologies and software can improve quality of life for employees. Automation is taking over menial tasks like scheduling and CRM, allowing human recruiters to focus on the parts of the job at which they excel.
Nurturing Employees
Respecting work-life balance makes employees happier, better-rested, and ready to do their best work. Modern services make it easy for even the smallest companies to offer employees benefits such as working from home or flexible working hours. These perks don’t hurt the company’s bottom line, and they can make a huge difference to employees. Additionally, they can help agencies to attract the best candidates when they are hiring for themselves.
Many prospective employees, especially younger ones, are interested in working for considerate companies. This can mean understanding the importance of diversity, doing pro-bono work for worthy causes, or offering support for mental health issues. Whatever the case, things that make people happier or more comfortable in the office are great investments.
Caring for employees is a perfect example of an indirect investment in growth: A few small policy changes can pay significant dividends in terms of harder-working, more committed employees.
Investing in Your Agency
Growing a recruiting company organically is a fantastic way to stay competitive. Such growth means investing in parts of the business that improve efficiencies and allow employees to work better.
