Recruitment Agencies

Are you a logistics company looking for exceptional employees? Or perhaps you are an exceptional employee and you are looking for your next role in logistics. If so, there is a good chance that you will need to utilize a recruitment agent or a staffing agency to assist you in finding this role. In this section of the Knowledge Centre, we will discuss recruitment agencies and staffing agencies that support the logistics industry. Of course, all the details can be found in the Logisto Directory, which can be accessed here.

Let’s start with recruitment agencies and let’s start with the basics….what is a recruitment agency?

A recruitment agency is a matchmaker, matching employees looking for their next role, with employers who are looking to fix a skills gap. The recruitment agent gets paid when they fill the role with a suitable candidate, and they traditionally work with white-collar workers.

How does a Recruitment Agency vary from a Staffing Agency?

Whilst there are undoubtedly similarities between the two, there is often one key difference:

Staffing agencies tend to be best equipped to support short term jobs, primarily in blue-collar roles, whilst recruitment agencies traditionally focus on long-term, white-collar roles

For the purposes of the rest of this article, we will discuss them as one and the same, as the considerations are largely the same.

What are the main reasons for using a recruitment agent?

The main benefits of a company hiring a recruitment agency to support their search are:

Expertise: Recruitment agents have extensive knowledge of the skill sets required for roles as well as a deep understanding of the industry and the candidate pool that operates in the category. Once an employer has created a vacancy then the agent can start the search for a suitable candidate, utilising their market knowledge and expertise of potential candidates.

Access to the best candidates: In many cases, the recruitment agency will have access to a large pool of experts in logistics, ready to speak to about any vacant roles. Good recruitment agents will also ensure they maintain good relationships with candidates as they move through their careers, so they are ready to support a candidate’s next job search. The ‘ideal candidate’ is often not one that is actively looking but that could be open to a move if the right opportunity presented itself. A good recruitment consultant has strong network that has a great understanding to find these individuals.

Time-saving: Outsourcing the search to a 3^rd party allows a business to focus on its core activities. The recruitment agent will compile job adverts, review CVs, check references, perform interviews and create a shortlist of candidates that align to the company requirements and values

Interim solutions: Using a recruitment agency gives you the ability to flex up your employment requirements as and when they are required. Perhaps a company has secured a new contract that needs extra support, or someone has gone on maternity leave or long-term sick. Recruitment consultants will have professionals on their books that are willing and able to hit the ground running, meaning there is no time wasted in the process.

Industry knowledge: Recruitment consultants spend all day, every day immersed in their industry sector, in this case logistics. As such, they have incredibly in-depth knowledge and insight about the jobs market, which employers can tap into to help plan their recruitment strategy. Recruitment consultants will also understand the employer’s needs, candidates’ expectations, and impacts of supply and demand on the job market in the logistics industry. Working with recruitment consultants can allow employers to make educated decisions, leading to positive impacts on the bottom line.

Sounds good, I can see the value of using a recruitment agency, but how much do they cost?

The cost of using a recruitment agency will vary dependent on the seniority of the role, the niche element of the role, and the difficulty there is in filling it. As a general rule of thumb, it can be expected to be around 15-20% of the 1st year's annual salary, rising to as much as 100% for a senior, C Suite Director. For a staffing agency, it will be a similar percentage, but on a short-term/hourly basis.

For a candidate, it will always be a free service, with the agency taking their fee from the employer.

Are there any watch outs?

• From our experience, if you are open and honest with a recruitment agency, then they will be best placed to help fill the role. This applies equally to employers and prospective employees. However, from our experience, some (and we stress some!) agencies will say they are experts in a specialism, but in reality, they are not and will look to support you once they have you on board. Always best to check their previous experience and see if they have been recruited for similar roles
• Ensure they are clear about what the role entails and the salary and associated benefits. We know of occasions when these are overstated or exaggerated in order to secure a candidate, only for the process to fail when the truth materializes
• Be clear on objectives. For employers, ensure you are clear (and have it contracted) about what services they will support (e.g. background checks etc). For employees, will they be able to provide career guidance or CV support in order to better position yourself for a new role?
• Primarily an issue for employers, some agencies like to operate on an exclusivity basis, so they are the only agency to support your job search. Whilst this can be beneficial in circumstances (once you have established a strong relationship/improved terms etc.), we do not recommend this in the first instance as you will want to trial a few agencies to determine which you work best with

In Summary

If you are looking to hire or be hired, then a recruitment agency should definitely form part of your thinking. We recommend that you reach out to a number of recruitment experts when forming a plan for filling or finding a role. Of course, we have tried to make this as easy as possible for you through the LOGISTO Directory. Please click here to head to the directory where you can find an extensive list of recruitment and staffing agencies that will be able to support your requirements.

As always, if you have any questions or queries about recruitment, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with us via our contact page.

Thank you

LOGISTO Team