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It’s not uncommon for human resources professionals to find themselves overwhelmed with duties, especially when a company is in a growth or transitional phase. When this occurs, the HR department may find it difficult to focus on recruiting efforts and may choose to reach out to a staffing agency for support. Despite what you may believe, it is very possible for HR pros to successfully work with recruiters to find great employees and better manage other critical personnel matters. The key is to be on the “same page” and view each other as partners, rather than coming from two sides of the spectrum.

Recruiters are HR professionals and they have your best interests in mind. If you ask any recruiter what his or her biggest sense of accomplishment is, you will likely hear that making clients happy is a Number 1 priority. That means making sure that the HR managers are satisfied with the results of working with a staffing agency is the ultimate goal of a recruiter. When you contact a recruiter, you can be sure that this person will take your HR needs seriously and will help you come up with solutions on many levels.

The first step to make this a successful partnership is to communicate openly about your company recruitment needs. Invite the recruiter to spend a couple of hours at your company location to get a better look at the corporate environment, the job types and the skills needed by potential candidates. HR professionals should make an effort to provide complete information about the requirements of assignments that need to be filled, along with any additional personnel needs such as payroll, training and benefits requirements.

Second, tap into the mind of the recruiter to find out what his or her personal style of recruiting entails. Some recruiters have a more aggressive work style than HR pros can handle, while others are more laid back. It’s important that you “click” with the recruiter you will be working with, so that you don’t encounter any personality issues moving forward. Communicate you expectations and allow your recruiter to provide feedback in order to work together towards a common goal. Both sides should be open to suggestions and constructive criticism at all times for this relationship to work.

The next step is to develop a written plan for bringing on the best candidates to fill critical roles within the company. This can take a little time to work on, but it is well worth the effort. Consider things such as career and educational requirements of candidates, any potential training needs, and timelines for bringing people on board. Without this guide, it may be impossible for HR pros and recruiters to be on the same page in terms of recruitment efforts.

Finally, conduct regular follow-up meetings to keep both the HR department and the rectuiting team up to date on progress. This is vitally important because it lets both parties know what goals are being met, what needs to be worked on, and what needs to change to adapt as the company grows. Besides, it’s just common courtesy to treat each other with respect and keep the lines of communication open at all times.

If your organization needs help with recruitment initiatives, you are welcome to contact Davis Staffing, the leading team of certified recruiters in the Chicago area.