Your brand is so much more than your logo, it’s your reputation. It’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room.

Focus on substance, not sizzle.

Most recruitment agencies put most of their energy into candidate attraction and placement. All the sizzle is focused on source and pre-onboarding. Creative marketing strategies are developed, resource deployed, new technologies sourced and job boards engaged to focus on candidate attraction. It’s understandable. They are in the recruitment business after all. But when it comes to contingent workers, recruitment is just the beginning of their relationship with recruiters. To deliver on your brand you have to look at the whole journey.

Sourcing is just the beginning.

Unlike permanent employees, contractors have a longer-term, dual relationship with both the recruiter and the end-hirer. And with strong estimates that 50% of the workforce will be contingent by 2020, this complex relationship is rapidly becoming the norm. All of this means that engagement has to be a priority throughout the contractor’s employment journey. From source, through compliance, on-boarding, time & attendance, pay & rewards.

90% of contractors just want recruiters to make their working lives easier

Recruiters need to ask themselves if they’re delivering a simple, clear and rewarding experience at every stage. The 2018 People Contractor Satisfaction Barometer revealed that over 90% of contractors just want recruiters to make their working lives easier. For example, in our survey over 80% of contractors said they’d prefer a fee-free, PAYE payroll option over Umbrella. But are rarely offered it. There is another big reason to invest in candidate experience. Clients. The candidate experience you deliver is an extension of your client’s employer brand.

The candidate experience you deliver is an extension of your client’s employer brand.

Employers invest heavily in their employer brands and talent pools. The role of the recruitment agency has become more complex, with candidate management as important as attraction. But when something goes wrong, like an Umbrella Company isn’t as compliant as it should be, it’s the employer’s name that gets dragged through the mud and they suffer serious reputational damage (view the article here).  Increasingly, employers are looking for a recruitment partner that delivers in line with their values. That provides contractors with a simple, safe and rewarding experience. If recruiters want to attract top end-hirer clients, they need to be able to demonstrate that they’ll be a reliable extension of that employer’s brand.

If recruiters want to attract top end-hirer clients, they need to be able to demonstrate that they’ll be a reliable extension of that employer’s brand.

We hear a lot about the war for talent and the importance of attracting and retaining contingent workers. And all the indicators are that this will intensify. At People Group, we believe that investing in the best contingent worker experience will deliver where it counts, on the bottom line.