Five reasons you definitely should not use a recruitment agency to find employees  (from a recruiter) 

If you’re tossing up whether or not you should use a recruitment agency to hire a new employee, we’re here to set the record straight. Below are five major reasons not to use a recruiter. We should know. We are recruiters!

You want to utilise the network closest to you 

Recruiting someone within your network means you can trust candidates and you know for sure they’re legitimate. They may not have the exact soft or hard skills you’re after, but they probably live in your area so you’ll be able to rideshare with them home. If your dad or sister can’t take the role, your childhood neighbour will no doubt do a fantastic job. Just remember that you won’t ever be able to fire them because your mum will never forgive you.

Why would you use a recruitment agency with thousands of vetted candidates on their database when your neighbour’s hairdresser’s dog sitter is available to start immediately?!

You love learning irrelevant facts about random people 

What are you up to this weekend? Heading to a bar with friends? Quality time with the family? Well, you can put a big fat line through those ideas if you’re DIY recruiting. You’ll be spending the weekend reading the CVs of candidates who are not at all qualified and are very eager to tell you fun facts about themselves that have nothing to do with the job you posted.

The good thing about the internet is that you have access to everybody. The bad thing about the internet is that you have access to everybody. And everybody will be applying for your job ad, whether they have the requisite skills or their only evident skill is ambition. 

You’re after some peace and quiet   

If you’re recruiting for a niche role, especially if there’s a skill shortage in that area, chances are the aforementioned situation won’t be relevant to you. Sought after candidates are much less likely to apply for jobs via platforms like Seek. Knowing they’re in demand, they often sit tight knowing a recruitment agency will find their dream job for them.

This means your social media callout for candidates might very well be met with the online equivalent of crickets and tumbleweeds, as you scream desperately into the void. Fun! 

You love to live on the edge 

Don’t have time for spin class? No biggy. If you hire an unvetted candidate your heart rate will remain above 100 bpm while you try to ensure this new stranger in your building doesn’t run your company into the ground. 

Statistics show 85% of candidates lie on their CV. Good recruiters run their candidates through a range of tests to make sure they are who they say they are. They test for high-level technical skills and soft skills, as well as checking such things as their police records, social media accounts and, say, if they have a history of embezzling money from their employers. And where’s the excitement in that?! 

You get your pick of unemployed candidates 

The thing about DIY recruiting is that you get access to all of the unemployed candidates who are desperately looking for work. That’s great, right? It is. Except, well, many of the very best candidates are working in organisations they don’t love so they can pay the mortgage until the job they do love comes along.

The good news is you’re helping one candidate pay the mortgage. Although, you can’t entirely be sure they’re not just using you until their dream job comes along. But the other good news it that there are plenty more candidates with mortgages to choose from when the one you just recruited abruptly leaves you! 

So, should I use a recruiter?  

If you like your weekends, dislike great amounts of stress and hate upsetting your mum, then, well, in that case, you should just ignore this blog entirely and find yourself a great recruiter! 

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