Should you Hire a Recruiter?

According to the newly released 2012 General Social Survey, more Americans feel confident in finding a new job, if necessary. Yet, we still hear a lot these days about how difficult it is to find good, solid employment if you’re a job seeker; or how a lot of workers (especially recent graduates ) are underemployed. However, it can certainly be just as difficult on the other side of the fence. Finding qualified, available professionals that are truly right for the positions at hand can be like looking for needles in a haystack. You can’t always trust that someone viable will walk through your door looking for a job. If this were true, there wouldn’t be data upon data suggesting that companies cannot find qualified talent. 

Hiring the wrong person for a job can be a lot more than just an inconvenience. A really bad decision in this regard can really gum up the works and cause problems that are difficult to undo. This only becomes more the case when we’re talking about a pivotal position in a given company.

A recent survey from CareerBuilder found that 27 percent of employers reported that the cost of a bad hire was more than $50,000. That could be one person’s salary alone! And that’s not the only thing bad hires affect. Check out the chart below based on the survey:

This is exactly why so many companies are turning to recruiters for help. A good recruiter can help make sure you make your hiring decisions the smart way the first time around so you’re not simply looking for a replacement in a month or two. Let’s take a closer look at some of the biggest advantages working with a recruiter can offer you. and/or your company:

1. Save Time and Effort

Often, the best candidates for a given position aren’t necessarily pounding the pavement looking for you. They’re out there conducting their own search for available positions or they might already be employed somewhere. You’ll need to find and approach them, because they can’t be expected to come to you. However, actually accomplishing this can mean investing a fortune in time and effort. Let a recruiter do the legwork attached to finding your next perfect employee so you can spend your time taking care of your existing responsibilities.

2. Cost Effective

For small to mid-sized businesses that aren’t necessarily at a place where they require a full HR department or recruiting department, a headhunter can represent a cost-effective alternative when it comes time to acquiring new talent. Many recruiters work on a commission or incentive basis, so you only have to pay them if they successfully deliver for you. Keeping someone on staff will naturally require the payment of a full salary with benefits and so forth.

3. Gain Experience

Last but definitely not least, you get to enjoy the same advantage you do when you hire any other seasoned professional – knowledge, know-how, and expertise that you yourself may not have when it comes to ferreting out the best candidates for a given job. Professional recruiters have solid instincts, great people skills, years of experience, and often professional training on how to match people with companies that are right for them. Any company of any size in any industry can take advantage of something like that.

When it comes to your company, it pays to play it smart when it comes to making your hires. A recruiter can take the guesswork and hassle out of the process for you. What are your thoughts, Recruiter.com readers? Does it pay to work with a recruiter to ensure a successful recruitment process?