Whether you’re an IT business recruiting new employees or an individual looking for your next tech role, there are a few options available to you. You could go it alone and manage the entire recruitment process yourself, or hire a recruitment agency to support your search.
If you opt for a recruitment agency, there are several advantages, especially if you choose a specialist agency with experience in your sector. In this guide, we’ll explore why using an IT recruitment agency could be the most beneficial option.
What is a specialist recruitment agency?
A specialist recruitment agency works in a niche market, focusing on a specific industry, location, or skill. For example, Greenfield IT Recruitment services the IT and technology sector. We support both IT professionals looking for a new role and companies seeking top tech talent.
The difference between a specialist and a general recruitment agency lies in the knowledge. General recruitment agencies typically recruit candidates across all sectors, job types, locations, and experience levels. They may be sourcing a role in technology in the morning, and one in retail in the afternoon. This means their knowledge about a particular niche could be somewhat limited or superficial.
Specialist recruitment agencies, on the other hand, connect with candidates and employers on a much deeper level. With greater knowledge about the industry, specialist agents often build stronger relationships and understand the specific skills needed for a particular role.
11 reasons you should use an IT recruitment agency
While specialist recruitment agencies help a candidate find the perfect role, or an employer source the ideal candidate, there are also plenty of other benefits.
1. Deep industry expertise
Specialist IT recruitment agencies naturally have much deeper knowledge about the tech industry. This means employers can get straight to the point of their requirements, confident that the agent will source the best candidates with the right skills and expertise for the job.
For individuals seeking a new tech role, this deeper knowledge means agents can better understand your skills and experience. They will know what your past or existing role entailed and how to find a new role that best builds upon that expertise.
2. Faster hiring process
Specialist IT recruitment agencies often facilitate placements much quicker than regular agencies or solo searches. The speedy hiring process is influenced by several factors, including:
- A more streamlined and efficient hiring process
- A vast network of connections
- A well-established talent pool
3. High-quality extensive candidate pool
IT recruitment agencies build relationships and establish networks to expand their pool of high-quality candidates. This wider reach also provides easier access to top talent, which is hugely beneficial for niche roles requiring specific technical knowledge or expertise.
IT recruiters only send resumes from people with the right skills and experience, so employers will have access to the best candidates. If you’re looking for your next role, working with an agency with access to this talent pool means you can leverage their knowledge and identify areas for upskilling.
4. Cost efficient
Companies working with specialist recruitment agencies can often save money too. Of course, there will be fees to pay the agency, but the return on investment is worth it. Specialist IT recruitment agencies have a much more efficient hiring process, meaning the time and money it takes to hire a new person is generally much less.
5. Access to niche talent
The technology sector naturally requires a vast range of skills and expertise, with some roles being particularly niche. By working with a tech recruitment agency, organisations have access to a pool of talent with those hard-to-find skills. Specialist agents also have a greater understanding of specialised roles and know how to find those skills.
If you’re a candidate looking for your next role and have a unique set of technology skills and experience, a specialist recruiter can help you. Your agent’s industry knowledge will help you find roles that suit you, without needing to carry out extensive research.
6. Efficient screening process
With vast numbers of applicants often applying for one position, screening is vital for sourcing the right candidate. Technology recruitment agencies have robust, time-honed screening processes tailored to specific IT roles. This ensures only the qualified candidates with the technical skillset and cultural fit are offered to the company and speeds up the entire recruitment process.
7. Market knowledge and insights
By consistently speaking to connections in the industry, IT recruiters gain valuable knowledge about current trends or conditions. Specialists can offer information and advice on several factors, including:
- Market trends
- Salary benchmarks
- Industry challenges
- Technological advances
- New roles
- Skills or roles in high-demand
Employers can use this information to make informed decisions about their hiring strategy and candidate expectations, making the hiring process quicker and more efficient. For candidates, working with industry specialists means they can gain guidance on salaries, in-demand roles, and other insights to help improve their employability.
8. Streamlined recruitment cycle
Hiring new employees can be time-intensive. However, working with an IT recruitment agency can significantly reduce this time while streamlining the recruitment cycle and ensuring employers remain competitive.
Specialist agents have developed more efficient ways of working and have better access to top tech talent. The impact of this is less time spent sourcing, interviewing, and hiring a new employee. A streamlined recruitment cycle is beneficial for candidates too. It speeds up the time between application, interview, and job offer, and improves the likelihood of a successful hire.
9. Established networks
With several specialised roles available in the IT industry, looking outside traditional recruitment routes is often necessary. Specialist IT recruiters have well-established networks, so they can often find candidates that others cannot.
Not all candidates are actively searching for a new role. This is known as ‘passive talent’ and can take longer to find. However, specialist agents often know who these people are, how to contact them, and how to encourage or incentivise them to move. Passive talent significantly expands the talent pool and increases the chances of finding the perfect candidate quickly.
10. Help navigating hiring challenges
If you’ve tried hiring before, you’ll know it can come with many challenges. Likewise, if you’re looking for a new job, there are several stumbling blocks you can come across. Specialist IT recruiters will have faced the same challenges before, giving them a unique ability to navigate them effectively, while supporting you through the hiring process.
11. Higher fulfilment and retention
Like most things, ‘starting as you mean to go on’ can impact events further down the line. Recruitment is just the same. Specialised recruitment agencies contribute to higher fulfilment and retention rates, which is likely down to several influences:
- Tailored expertise in identifying candidates
- Support in the onboarding process, improving employee retention by 25%
- Offering an efficient and positive candidate experience
- Experience in attracting and placing industry-relevant and skilled candidates
High fulfilment and talent retention are good for both employers and candidates. For companies, the recruitment agency ROI is improved, while job seekers will not need to go through the job searching and hiring process again.
At Greenfield IT Recruitment, we have a 94% offer acceptance rate, clearly showing the link between hiring a specialist recruiter and improving fulfillment rates with the right candidates.
Need an IT recruitment agency?
Working alongside a specialist IT recruitment agency can be hugely beneficial, whether you’re an employer actively hiring or you’re a job seeker looking for your next role. If you’re ready to begin your search, Greenfield IT Recruitment is ready to help you with your next move.
Contact us for tailored career support or recruitment guidance to fill your new roles.
