Five tips for optimising your experience with a recruitment agency
Finding top-tier fundraisers can be difficult when you don’t have the time, tools, or the right connections in your industry.
However, recruitment agencies exist to plug that gap.
We discuss the benefits of outsourcing your recruitment in our recent blog post: 5 Reasons to Use a Recruitment Agency to Find Fundraising Talent.
But what can you do to ensure you find the right recruitment partner and have the best possible experience?
Here are some top tips.
1. Read online reviews
Some charities are wary of hiring agencies due to negative stories.
However, we live in the age of online reviews, so you don’t have to rely on one person’s opinion to find out how an agency’s reputation stacks up.
Good places to look? Trustpilot, Google reviews, or Glassdoor.
Just bear in mind, reviews can be biased, so read as many as you can before making a decision.
2. Find an agency with a culture match
A good recruitment agency should be an extension of your HR team. They’ll make the effort to learn as much as they can about your organisation – your values and mission, culture, and the traits your new hire needs to succeed.
You need to do the same. When meeting agencies, get a feel for their culture, values and approach to ensure you’re in sync.
3. Make sure the agency specialises in what you’re looking for
It goes without saying, if you’re looking for a fundraising role, don’t hire a recruitment firm that specialises in finance.
And avoid going too broad. Some agencies cover a range of industries, but this limits their expertise in certain fields.
If you want a top-notch fundraiser, you’re better off working with a specialist fundraising agency. Did someone say Bamboo?
4. Weigh up agency fees against the cost of doing it yourself
Agencies typically charge a fee, which is calculated as a percentage of the annual salary. With this in mind, you need to determine if the agency costs outweigh the costs of recruitment internally (we’re not just talking about monetary costs - there’s a significant cost in time and expertise too).
Terms and conditions vary, so get clear on the fee structure before signing on the dotted line.
5. Be realistic about the job market
Speak to agencies about the state of the employment market to determine the type of candidates you can expect to find within your budget. If necessary, run through the different ways you can adjust your expectations and/or the job conditions to match your budget.
For example, flexible working arrangements may overcome the issue of a lower salary.
Need some help finding fundraising talent? Call us to ger started on 0203 750 3111.