Getting leads is a little complex for recruitment and staffing agencies.
Recruitment and staffing businesses are not competing only against agencies, but also against AI, various job platforms, job seekers, and the economy. So, it needs a clear direction when they search for good leads.
If you own a recruitment agency or are a decision-maker of a staffing agency, you need a simple guide for lead generation.
Consider this blog as your guide, as we are going to explore everything about leads for your recruitment agency. Read it slowly and explore everything you need to understand about recruitment & staffing leads.
Let's first start with the recruitment agencies type…
Types of recruitment agencies
Before diving into lead generation, you need to understand what kind of lead generation agencies are out there that you compete with. Here, we are addressing two types of agencies: recruitment agencies and staffing agencies. The pattern of work and the method of acquiring leads differ for both organizations. Let's highlight the differences first.
Recruitment agencies vs staffing agencies
| Factors | Recruitment agencies | Staffing agencies |
|---|---|---|
| Hiring Intent | Hire people for long-term roles | Hire people for temporary roles |
| Mode of work | In-house hiring and, mostly, hybrid working | Find people to work remotely, and sometimes, hybrid |
| Nature of hiring | Direct, long-term placement | Cyclical hiring, fill positions temporarily |
| Time factors | Avoid quick hiring | Hire quickly |
| Candidate selection | Lengthy process. Checks skills, attitude, mindset, and other factors | Short process oftentimes hires candidates based on skills only |
Verticals for recruitment & staffing agencies
Every industry has some distinct needs when it comes to recruitment. With the changes in the job market, things have become more complex over time. Getting the right leads of suitable candidates is becoming a more complex and costly matter.
To overcome all challenges, you need to understand the vertices of recruitment for these agencies. Every vertical serves different purposes and has unique staffing needs. We are going to understand each of them here in detail.
Executive search
Established organizations, once in a while, look for highly experienced people to fill their high-level executive positions across their leadership roles. Searching for high-level executives is common across all industries.
IT & technology staffing
Knowledge of tech stack or any particular software is the top priority when it comes to hiring IT and technology professionals.
Industrial & manufacturing recruitment
Filling the vacant position as quickly as possible with the aim of recruiting in this vertical. Hiring skills and semi-skilled candidates is common here. Manufacturers hire these candidates for temporary as well as permanent positions.
Sales and marketing staffing
Candidates are getting selected for sales and marketing roles based on their specific expertise, industry knowledge, and the tech stack they are proficient with. Organizations give preference to the updated people when it comes to hiring.
Healthcare recruitment
Licence and certificates play the most critical part in the healthcare recruitment process. Industry prefers experienced people who are also qualified.
Administrative and clerical staffing
Knowledge of general application and willingness to learn things are the two deciding factors to hire people for clerical jobs. Organizations keep these positions filled for both permanent and temporary hirings.
Education and training recruitment
Qualification matters the most when hiring for educational and training institutes. Mostly educational institutes or training centers hire trainers and educators on a contractual basis.
Challenges of lead generation for recruitment agencies
The entire recruitment and staffing industry works in two ways. On the one hand, companies are opening positions to hire people. On the other hand, job seekers are looking for new employment opportunities. So leads can come into the flow from both angles and make the processing complex.
Here are the two interesting factors that can make the lead generation part for the recruitment agencies complex.
Industry of fast movers
Decisions should be made faster in this industry to get the hiring process done on time. The recruitment industry is offering three types of work for a single role. These are – permanent, contractual, and temporary.
Job seekers try to maintain contacts with multiple recruiters during and after the interview stage. So after selection, the candidate may ghost the recruiter if he/she find another lucrative offer. Hence, to keep these candidates, recruiters have to move fast and initiate the documentation as early as possible. Hence, after getting the leads, you have to work fast to push the leads for conversion.
Skills top everything
The threat of AI is visible now in the field of human skills and expertise. McKinsey predicts that AI could replace 30% of employee hours by 2030. Hence, human skills are no longer irreplaceable. At present, only a few people qualify to match organizational needs. Organizations hire these people to make the workflow operations and try to educate them while they work.
Best channels to follow for better lead generation
Companies need skilled people, and skilled people need better opportunities. Both factors need to be considered here to get leads for your recruitment and staffing agency. Basically, you can use multiple platforms to get your leads. We are going to cover a few platforms here.
You can find all professionals on LinkedIn. It's a social media platform for professional networking. Agencies use this platform as a lead generation mechanism. Like other social platforms, you can run ads here also in different variations. Companies also verify candidates through the LinkedIn profile they share on job applications.
Job Platforms
Almost half of the companies use job platforms or portals to post current openings. Mostly, the jobs they offer in these portals are at the entry-level. Top-layered executives are getting hired using different media. Extracting data from these job platforms can help to find good leads for your recruitment and staffing agency.
Email Outreach
Hiring for the top-level executives is mostly done via email, formerly known as email outreach. Top executives contact other top-level executives of different companies to make connections and referrals. If you're a recruitment agency, you can also be involved in that process. You have to plan for a comprehensive email outreach to get those leads.
Events
Participating in networking events can help get exclusive leads. Job seekers or recruiters often consider these events as an opportunity for growth. Your agency should participate in these events to collect fresh leads.
