Recruitment - In-house v Outsourcing

Getting recruitment right the first time…use an external agency or your internal people?

Recruiting staff is no easy task and so it is important to get it right first time to avoid costly mistakes.

If using an external recruiter it is important to have a good relationship with them so they know the culture of your business and the type of person that would be a good fit.

Always provide a thorough and true account of what your expectations are and what the work environment is like. Be honest to avoid unnecessary surprises for both parties when you try to work with a square peg in a round hole…they really don’t fit no matter how hard you try!

If going down the track of sourcing your own staff make sure you: Have a position description; check qualifications; check culture fit and reference check, reference check, reference check ! (even if they are recommended to you or are a friend of a friend). Remember, the staff you employ will play a major part in the success or failure of your business.

Here are some advantages and disadvantages to consider before embarking on your next recruitment process.

	Advantages	Disadvantages
Internal Recruitment using your own people	Less expensive	Internal staff may not be skilled or confident in the recruitment process
	Able to maintain full control of the recruitment process	Can be time consuming, taking internal staff member away from their normal work
	Internal recruiting staff have a good understanding of your culture and work environment	Internal staff may have a bias to pick someone less competent than themselves in order to appear good themselves
	Candidates get a clear perspective of what the companies expectation is required for success in the role	Employees may pick a friend or work colleague because of difficulty being objective between them and a competent external candidate
External Agency assisted recruitment	Saves your time so you can focus on your own business	Can be an expensive process
	Some agencies can assist with parts of the recruitment process, saving you time and supporting in areas you are not as confident with	May not have a close enough relationship with you to understand your needs
	Recruiters are skilled in the process and know what to look for	Can sometimes take longer than your own internal recruitment process.
	Recruitment Agencies may have an additional pool of candidates outside of active job hunters responding to advertisements and therefore you may not need to advertise
	Some agencies will guarantee the placement staying for a period of time or will refund a portion of their fee