If your human resources department is working with a recruiter, recruiting firm, headhunter or otherwise, you will want to ensure your business is getting as much as possible from the relationship between the two. A few simple steps and practices can help empower your human resources department to deliver more specific, accurate and relevant information to the recruiter, making the recruiter’s job more fruitful and efficient.  From choosing a specialized recruiting firm to knowing what makes your business special, here are five ideas to help HR and recruiters work more seamlessly together.

Choose a recruiting firm that specializes in your industry

Specialized recruiting firms are incredible resources for a number of important reasons. A firm with a close familiarity in your industry is more likely to have an active and cultivated network of professionals specific to your needs, is familiar with the ins, outs, and quirks of your business and will know what kind of background and education is required to successfully fulfill a certain position. 

Be specific with feedback

Recruiters and your human resources team need to work together in order to locate and land the most qualified talent. This is not always easy, especially when the recruiter and HR department do not have face to face meetings, and need to rely heavily on email and other online forms of communication. When your HR team is able to provide specific and thoughtful feedback, this will immensely assist the recruiting firm or headhunter to understand and modify the search, according to specifications given. Through quality feedback, the recruiter will be given more of the tools needed to deliver top talent candidates.

Answer that email sooner rather than later

A recruiting firm depends on the human resources department in a variety of factors including moving forward with great and qualified candidates by scheduling meetings and interviews between talent and upper management. An HR department that is able to remain responsive and engaged with the recruiter or recruiting firm will help to motivate the recruiting firm as the probability to make placement is higher. Many candidates are lost in slow communication and delay in decisions- so be proactive!

Know what makes your business special

The ability of a human resources department to verbalize and communicate critical advantages or selling points is crucial in assisting the recruiting to be able to deliver honest, authentic and quality information to potential candidates. Advantages like a high salary, attractive bonuses, healthy and established company, strong investors, great product/solution, positive work environment, flexible hours, important core values, the potential for fast career progression, and more are all wonderful ways you can assist recruiters in the search process. HR will need to carefully define the advantages and communicate them with the recruiter or recruiting firm so that the advantages can be leveraged into obtaining high-quality talent.

Do not just send the job description

As the saying goes, the devil is in the details, and recruiting is no exception to this rule. Job descriptions can explain the basis of any position, but job descriptions do not always provide the total picture or give enough ammunition for the recruiter to “sell” the position to potential candidates. Be sure that critical factors like a lively company culture, salary limitations, personality issues or preferences, work environment elements, and other issues are communicated to the recruiter or headhunter. By providing a complete picture of the job, recruiters can more easily understand the position and locate the best talent for the job.