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As an operations manager for your company, you’re feeling the pressure. The company is growing faster than expected and you need another Executive Chef, an Operations Director and a Restaurant Manager.

The obvious answer is to hire an outside recruiter, but the array of recruiter options to select from is overwhelming. There are dozens of search agencies including retained, contingency and employment clamoring for your business.

While you realize the impact the new hires will have on your company’s future, you must also understand how critical your role is in selecting the right search agency. That is, the search agency that will successfully manage the recruiting process and place the talent you need in a timely manner.

Why Hire an Outside Recruiter

• For staff/time you don’t have.
• For contacts you don’t have.
• For special tools to get the job done. A better process, a customized system, or technology you don’t have?
• For credibility. Are you looking for a well-known expert who can challenge traditional practices or bridge disparate views?
• For objectivity. Are you looking for someone who can come to the table without any preconceived notions to help your organization make the best decision?

Keys to Successful Recruiter Relationships

It is important for the client and the recruiter to consider the following factors to ensure your expectations are met, from project start to project finish.

Take time out to get to know each other. All too often, we needed everything done yesterday and we don’t invest sufficient time to learn each others’ businesses and services, meet all the right people, or share and understand the nuances and complexities of the challenge.

Check out a search agency’s experience by asking:

• What industry experience do you and your team have?
• What search assignments on their client list they personally completed?
• How long did these searches take to complete successfully?

Understand the search agency’s process by asking:

• How will the search be conducted?
• When will I see information on potential candidates?
• How can you accommodate your firm’s process to fit my company’s needs?

The best recruiters do their homework on your company before meeting with you. They know the questions potential candidates are likely going to have about your company and the position. In other words, they arrive prepared to discuss the position and search strategies.

Test the recruiter’s approach by asking:

• How would you describe our needs to a prospective candidate?
• How would you describe our business and culture?
• What are the hurdles in the search assignment and how will you overcome them?

Be up-front and honest. The more up-front and honest you are about your project needs and expectations, the better the chance you will have at being satisfied in the end.

Understand roles and responsibilities by asking:

• Do you require any further information on the company and position?
• What parts of the search will you personally handle?
• Who screens candidates and interviews them?
• Who evaluates the candidate and makes presentations?

Check the recruiter’s workload. You want to ensure that your assignment doesn’t get less attention due to a higher billed placement or lack of resources. Make sure the recruiter has enough interest in, and bandwidth for, your assignment by asking:

• How many search assignments are you currently conducting?
• How many searches is your staff handling?
• How do you prioritize your searches?

Be clear on contracts and commitment to client satisfaction. Defining and agreeing on project milestones and successes is a key component of meeting your expectations. It is essential that milestones occur throughout different stages of the project versus solely at the end.

Understand who is responsible for what expenses and what guarantees exist by asking:

• What charges are included in expense billings? Do you provide supporting documentation?
• What happens if the search is not completed in a given time?
• What happens if the placed candidate does not work out?

Recruiters can be a key resource to help your staff and management meet their goals, but knowing when and how to use them effectively is key to gaining the ultimate return on investment.

Strategic Hospitality Search is an integral and dependable partner, exponentially increasing client efficiency by delivering talent otherwise unobtainable via conventional recruitment practices.