Are recruitment agencies reliable?

Caroline Mboijana

What you need to know:

"The beauty of working with agencies is the level of objectivity they bring to the selection process, but before registering some form of due diligence must be undertaken.” understanding on what has been taken into consideration. This will allow you to negotiate if the need arises”

Are recruitment agencies worth relying on when seeking employment, volunteering, and internship? How can I know that a recruitment agency is not fake? Jonathan

Dear Jonathan,
Recruitment agencies have become an alternative avenue for companies to source and select suitable employees. The beauty of working with agencies is the level of objectivity they bring to both the sourcing and selection process. Many also bring a diverse a selection pool ( their own database) of pre-existing applications that may be specific to the needs of the organisation. In terms of “worthiness”, they add value to the HR sector by raising the level of competitiveness.

It is recommended that before one either uses or registers with a recruitment agency, some form of due diligence must be undertaken. This will address the question of “fake”. Conducting a due diligence or reference check will make sure concerns about integrity and reputation are addressed. This can be done either by checking websites to identify previous clients and conducting reference checks; verifying that the organisation is legitimate, through companies of registration; and determining levels of integrity and compliance through URA or NSSF, asking for tax clearance certificates. Whether one is” comfortable” or not is a subjective.

If agency staff communicates well, provides quality customer service; outlines or articulate clearly the sourcing and selection process; clarifies the activities involved during the process; provides continuous feedback throughout the process, whether successful or not, and stresses the concept of confidentiality, all of these indicators should be enough to ensure customers who use the service are comfortable.

Caroline Mboijana
Managing Director
The Leadership Team (U)
[email protected]