There are a variety of reasons why a company many choose to employ the services of a recruitment agency to assist in the recruitment process. The main reason is that it takes the stress away from businesses, allowing them to leave recruitment in the hands of the experts whilst they can concentrate on their business. Although it is easy to leave this all to them, it is essential that you acquire some knowledge and research beforehand. This can safeguard you and your company against any legal damage that could incur. You also have to pay attention to every aspect of the agreements made and paperwork that you may have to sign.

If you select your recruitment agency wisely then you can save valuable time and money for your organisation, the wide range of contacts that recruitment agencies have grant businesses access to candidates that would typically be hidden from them, which saves considerable amounts of time for you during the screening process (checking through CVs etc).

There are recruitment agency for nearly every profession you can think of, so whichever area you're looking to cater in, they can provide you with pre checked staff in a short amount of time. Below are a few tips on the selection process of your perfect recruitment agency:

• Look out for members from professional recruitment trade bodies, this will provide you with a professional organisation safeguarding you from any legal problems that you could encounter. These members can be located easily by conducting a quick search on-line. Typically these trade bodies ensure that every agency that is listed as a member is bound with a Code of Professional Practice.

• If somebody recommends a agency that does not specialise in a specific area that you require, do not immediately turn your nose up. In many instance a good recruiter is simply a person with excellent communication skills and adept at locating scarce resources. Remember you only have to pay a fee if they manage to find the candidate your looking for, so its a win win scenario.

• Ideally you should meet with a consultant so you are confident they will get you the best possible result on your behalf and this is a way to familiarise yourself with the company too. This is where you will be able to identify whether or not they are suitable, if they do not strike you as a knowledgeable consultant at this point, move on to the next agency. Do not waste any more time!

• Are you looking for specific qualifications and skills? For example, if you’re looking to recruit an automotive engineer you should start off by searching specifically for automotive engineering recruitment agencies? Once you have exhausted this list and you still don’t have the candidate you want it may be a good idea to source engineering recruitment companies that have a more broad engineer sourcing background. However do not aim for just any agency, locate the specific skills you require as there will be agencies that cater directly to those needs. They will have a deeper understanding of what your business requires.