Why hire a PA through a recruitment agency?

A good recruitment agency will save you time, hassle and money – a bad one will make you never ever want to repeat the experience.

A guide to working with a top London recruitment consultancy:

1. A professional recruiter knows their market very well and has access to a variety of sources to ensure they find the right candidate for you. Find a consultant who cares about your business and who shares your passion. They will represent you well in the market place and will be proactive in their search, leaving no stone unturned in order to get the best candidates.

2. They meet each candidate face-to-face (well the good recruiters do), others rely on a Skype call. Personally I like to meet the individual to get the best sense of who they are and whether they are right for our clients.

3. A good recruiter is naturally nosey and becomes attuned to reading between the lines. They interview many times, every day and are naturally interested in the choices people make. Knowing when something doesn’t sit right and delving deeper all comes with experience. Sometimes I find myself switching into interview mode at weekends when meeting new people – occupational hazard!

4. A good recruitment agency remains impartial to office politics and presents the right candidates for the business.

5. If you hire through a friend of an existing employee and it goes wrong, many relationships suffer.

6. Recruiters are great at presenting options who may be slightly left field. Sometimes having an objective view on what the business needs can be very beneficial. This happens a lot with our entrepreneurs when they make their first PA hire.

7. They provide a good buffer between you and the candidate to have all those awkward, yet much needed conversations.

8. Recruiters have strong relationships with their candidates and clients and because of their split loyalties this ensures everyone’s interests are looked after.

9. Some London secretarial agencies have a guarantee period in place for the first three months of employment where they will offer a replacement service should the candidate drop out

10. They are in touch with the candidate and client throughout the first year of their employment to ensure everyone is happy and off-set any potential problems.

A successful relationship with your recruiter relies on trust. Attic Recruitment is here to make your life easier and our whole ethos is about building long term relationships. We want your business to be a success by recruiting the right individuals for you.

Kirsty Miall
Director