Working with a recruitment partner: what to expect (and what not)

Recruitment agencies have a mixed reputation, and often deservedly so: anyone who ever received ten unfiltered CVs after one ten-minute intake call is cured. Yet the difference between a bad and a good partner is enormous. This is how to tell them apart, and what a good collaboration demands from both sides.

When a partner is worth the money

The sum is simple: a partner pays off when they find the right candidate faster than you, or reach candidates you don't reach. For shortage profiles the value sits mainly in the second: most technical talent applies nowhere, but is open to a good conversation with someone they trust. That network is what you hire, not someone scouring the same job boards as you. Put the cost of the open vacancy next to it (downtime, overtime, postponed projects) and the fee becomes an investment with measurable return.

Recognise a good partner at the intake

You see an agency's quality before signing anything. A good partner wants to see the work floor, probes about the team, the machine park and the predecessor's reason for leaving, and dares to push back on an unrealistic requirements list or a below-market salary bracket. Whoever promises delivery within the hour without one critical question sells CVs instead of matches. Ask about specialisation too: an agency that does everything knows nothing really well.

The agreements you make upfront

Ask how screening happens and what you get to see with every introduction: forwarding a CV is not screening. Agree the maximum number of candidates; a shortlist of three strong profiles says more than ten misses. Fix the fee, the guarantee arrangement for early departure and the exclusivity. And on that last point: putting three agencies on the same vacancy feels like more chance, but gives each agency a reason to choose speed over quality. One partner who genuinely commits almost always delivers better.

What the collaboration demands from you

The best partner strands on a client who takes two weeks over a CV. Candidates in shortage professions are gone again quickly; whoever gives feedback within two days and schedules interviews smoothly wins them. Give honest feedback on rejections too, because that makes every next introduction sharper. And treat the partner as an extension of your employer brand: candidates remember the whole process, not just your part of it.