ATS software vs relying on recruitment agencies

In this article, I’m going to talk about how in-house recruiters can have the ability to directly source talent (using tools such as an applicant tracking system) vs. relying on external recruitment agencies: otherwise known as recruitment’s very own battle of Waterloo.

I’m confident I could set this article to the Scandinavian delights of ABBA with hits such as ‘the winner takes it all’, ‘money, money, money’ and ‘Super Trouper’.

On a serious note, as a corporate recruiter it’s without question a mandate either bestowed on or set by one’s self to tighten the reliance on recruitment agency hires across any business you are working for.

Changing the way you hire and managing reliance on recruitment agencies

The challenge is not so much the desire to reduce the reliance on recruitment agencies (although this is always on the list) or even coercing your cohort of busy hiring managers into shape who rely on a ‘bat phone’ (dn dn dn dn don’t call the agencies) to their favourite agency. The challenge comes in managing the change, whilst maintaining the recruitment service to the business and tracking your wins as you go.

My all too many years of experience have taught me that there are a plethora of challenges to tackle and doing so overnight is just not an option. This is an exciting opportunity to be strategic and change the relationships across the business and with recruitment agency suppliers for the better.

Bringing and managing your recruitment in-house – our top 4 tips

1. I suggest the first step is to target a gradual, realistic reduction and will be achievable when increasing direct sourcing, advertising and marketing of the organisation’s brand in your team. Decisions and targets must be fact based – and not plucked out of thin air! – and my first step was always to analyse the status quo (not another music reference, I promise!). Which roles are currently being sourced directly, which should be if you had the bandwidth and which realistically will be the last roles you’d tackle because they are niche or senior.
2. Secondly, define which agencies are supplying quality candidates, have placed candidates in niche roles and those you have built a good relationship with. Continue to nurture and manage those relationships and, whilst you don’t want to rely on them, it’s not sensible to forego recruitment agencies altogether in most cases. Work out which challenging / senior roles may need to go via the agency route and focus the team on wins they can have. Of course, this analysis relies on robust source tracking and reporting and whilst it’s often a ‘swear word’ for recruiters it’s time to get your MI in check!
3. Communication is vital. Arrange some face time with your hiring manager population. Share with them the facts about cost, time and energy spent and most importantly share the wins and what your team can achieve. Don’t forget to ‘break up’ with the agencies that are not sending quality candidates too.
4. The next battle is ensuring that your route to market for the top tier candidates you want to attract is quick and agile. Considering candidates’ application habits of today, the following is a must:

Clear and on brand communications about the opportunity and advertising your jobs

The ability to advertise using multi-posting tools. This means that at the click of a button, you can post to your chosen job boards, careers site and social media platforms in an instant.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

A strong focus on SEO (search engine optimisation) won’t go a miss either.

Team-work

Work as a team with the hiring manager, marketing and the recruitment team to ensure your message is as attractive as possible.

Candidate experience and engagement

Your candidate experience must be on point! Does what the candidate sees on your vacancies page closely match with your own website’s look and feel? Is it simple and straightforward for candidates to search and apply for vacancies?

Pro-actively sourcing candidates

Talent pooling and exploring your organisation’s network

Have the best tools in place to help!

When bringing recruitment in house, you will have at your fingertips a huge volume of candidates. In-house recruiters need to be realistic and ensure the right technology is in place in the form of an agile applicant tracking system.

5. It’s time to track everything to within an inch of its life. Roll up your sleeves and get forensic about sourcing talent and whatever you do don’t stop sharing the facts. Cost to hire, time to hire, agency spend and hiring ratios.
6. Stay creative and keep pushing the target you set at the start in your favour.

Winning the battle and sourcing candidates directly

When I look back through my career, the most focused and happy recruiters I worked with and managed were the ones who were knee deep in candidates. These recruiters had sourced these candidates themselves and the sense of pride they felt when one of those candidates walked through the door on their first day was epic!

Conversely, is there anything worse as a corporate recruiter than signing off a PO for an agency fee when you know you could have sourced that candidate yourself.

Finally to win the battle of Waterloo, stem the flow of 'money, money, money' and know your team are 'super troupers', it’s difficult to manage and track without the right tools and online recruitment software in place.