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Bespoke or Brand: It Doesn't Have to Be a Choice

When it comes to using recruitment companies to try and expand headcount, often companies either see it as a straight choice between either using recruiters, or not doing. 

What many of these companies don’t realise is that, once you have taken the decision to use a recruitment firm to help with your search, the choices available in terms of what type of recruitment company you use are substantial. Just like in any industry there are vast differences in terms of size, service and quality between different providers.

The benefits of a large company are obvious and there are a few names that attract both clients and candidates to their services through presence alone. A recognisable name, multiple locations, thousands of employees and massive infrastructure can all combine to give the impression that these businesses can cope with even the most daunting of staffing requests. To someone considering working with a recruiter, these types of organisations can sometimes seem as though they have all their bases covered.  

However, it’s important to understand these considerations when dealing with such companies. One of which is size. Perhaps billion-dollar companies are more likely to favour other billion-dollar companies; if a contract is being offered with a global organisation across three continents. Presumably this work will be prioritised over a small, independent start-up who is trying to bring a new technology to market. If you are looking for one key player, say a BDM or Sales Manager to help start up a region, will these companies be able to take the time to thoroughly understand exactly what you want from a candidate in terms of a cultural fit? If you’re a candidate looking elsewhere, will you be provided with a proactive approach, or will you be discarded if you don’t provide an immediate match? 

A knock on effect of this economy of scale approach is that finding that one, absolutely business critical role, wouldn’t be paramount for a recruitment behemoth, present in 100+ countries, especially if that role is difficult to fill, perhaps in a remote location, or with a very specific product background. 

Similarly, if you’re a candidate, can you be sure that these companies can find roles to suit you? Realistically, if global companies have obligations to fill positions with similarly huge organisations, can you be sure that a role will tick all your boxes? Or will you be more likely to be shoehorned into a role that the business needs filling? 

Sometimes, engaging a smaller organisation can bring differing elements to the table which might better suit your needs, either as a candidate or client. Specialist agencies are more likely to listen to your requirements and may be more inclined to spend their time and resources on that business-critical role you need to hire. These businesses need the candidate to succeed with your business, so it’s natural that they would put more into the search.

Obviously, when the decision is made to engage a recruiter, the ideal scenario would be to combine the best of both worlds – a global presence with the flexibility to meet any requirements you may have, combined with a personable and bespoke approach to create a seamless recruitment experience is what anyone would look for from a provider. 

But searching for a firm like this is an exercise in recruitment and due diligence itself, right?

Specialising in the Life Science, Medical and Energy sectors, at Charlton Morris, we feel that we can provide the best of both worlds. Combining an international reach (we’ve placed in over 48 countries  since starting in 2013) with a tailored, personable approach to recruitment, is what places Charlton Morris at the head of the pack when it comes to recruitment. Ranking in the top 1% for firms of our type on LinkedIn in terms of followers, whilst utilising the latest tools and technologies available, we can make the experience of getting on board with a new business, or a finding your next role a seamless process.