In our recent blogs, we talked about what employers and job seekers can do in a candidate short market. Now we’ll discuss the third perspective of the job-hunting triangle: the recruitment agency. When faced with a short supply of qualified talent, what can agencies do to enhance their recruitment efforts and meet the high demand from employers?

Recent studies have shown that almost 74% of employers have hired the wrong applicant for a job role. Around 60% of candidates will actually discontinue their application if it is too complicated. What’s more, 72% of job seekers who have gone through a bad recruitment process will talk about it online or with another person.

These numbers alone further stress the need for a highly skilled recruitment agency, especially in a candidate short market. They should be able to provide quality prospects for the employer and make the entire process a more positive experience for the job seeker. Here are the benefits of having an expert recruitment agency, so your organisation can still obtain the best candidates for the job despite the current shortage.

1. More viable sources and strategies for talent acquisition

A recruitment agency can provide you with access to plenty of sources for highly skilled talent. They can create and employ different strategies to reach out to potential candidates. They can build a talent community, engage with passive candidates, tap into niche networks, source via social media (more on that later), establish an employee referral program, among others. These can help narrow down their search and shortlist the most qualified talents who can fulfil your job requirements.

In a candidate short market where there is a lack of onshore talent, a versatile recruitment agency can cast a wider net by offering options for outsourcing workers from abroad who have the skills and experience to do the job.

2. Variety of digital tools and social media platforms for recruitment

It was recently reported in a survey that 70% of recruiting managers have found success in hiring candidates via social media. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are being utilised now as sources for prospects as well. LinkedIn still holds a strong position when it comes to recruitment. In fact, 95% of Fortune 500 companies use LinkedIn’s Talent Solutions services as part of their recruitment efforts and almost 95% of recruiters find talent via LinkedIn.

Recruiters must also be adept in making search engine tools work for them. Google has a Job Search tool that can help job hunters find work within their area. AI recruitment software such as Fetcher, Paradox, and XOR can help agencies efficiently source, screen, and hire the best candidates.

3. Targeted job advertisements

Recruitment agencies have to be adaptable when it comes to posting job ads to target their candidate market. But more importantly, you want to make sure that the people who respond to your ad are the right ones for the job role.

That’s why it’s necessary to have a recruitment consultant who can fine-tune your job descriptions, including the specific tasks and the qualifications needed to perform them, so you can attract the most appropriate prospects. Taking full advantage of algorithm operations in online job-search platforms will also help ensure a more focussed recruitment of candidates who will respond to the job ad.

4. Candidate-friendly assessments for more in-depth results

One reason why there is a candidate short market is due to the fact that some candidates – though qualified in terms of technical skills – lack soft skills that are essential to the work involved, such as problem-solving and communication. That’s why a good recruiter should perform valid pre-employment assessments that can provide valuable information about the core competencies of the candidate. Recruiters who use pre-hire assessments are 36% more satisfied with their selections versus those who don’t.

Conversational assessment in interviews is highly recommended. The overall experience of most candidates is that they tend to feel unmotivated in taking written tests and answering questions that are irrelevant to the job they’re applying for. Discussing with the candidate about their expertise, their work experience, and how they can handle certain on-the-job situations will give recruiters a much better picture on whether the prospect will be a good fit. This will lead to faster hiring and a better bonding between the company and the new employee.

5. Save time and money

An efficient recruitment agency who can provide the best candidates for the job will save valuable time for your organisation. This not only refers to the time used in going through hundreds of applications, but also from hiring the wrong candidate and going through the whole recruitment process all over again. Plus, a good hire means there will be less time to train as they are ready to hit the ground running once they start their new job.

Furthermore, recruiters who are highly capable of sourcing, filtering, and selecting the most qualified prospects will save the company thousands of dollars from hiring the wrong candidate. Based on studies, an organisation can end up wasting almost $15,000 just because of a bad hire.

The leading talent acquisition consultant in Ho Chi Minh city

Among the head-hunting firms in Vietnam, The Talent Consultants is an industry leader when it comes to matching highly trained workers for multinational businesses. Our recruitment agency in Ho Chi Minh City has the expertise and experience to recruit the most qualified talents from the Southeast Asian region for various job roles – from technical work to c-suite positions.
If you’re searching for a new career opportunity, visit our job vacancies page for more details and send your CV through our online form here. For employers, learn more about our efficient recruitment process here or give us a call on +84 28 7309 7991 for more information.