Many companies ask their HR departments to handle the recruiting function.
Most HR professionals are typically too busy dealing with day-to-day HR responsibilities to be able to devote extensive time to sourcing and screening candidates.
Not all HR professionals have the technical or functional knowledge to recruit for specific positions, making resume evaluation a challenge.
Hiring a Recruiter equals:
Faster Time to Hire - A recruiter will be focused on sourcing and screening candidates, within specific skillsets, and should have an existing network to help expedite a search, yielding a faster time to hire.
Current Employment Market Knowledge - Recruiters are continuously speaking with prospective candidates so they have a good pulse on market conditions (salary expectations and skillset availability in particular).
Peace of Mind - Offloading the sourcing and initial screening process to a professional recruiter leaves the hiring manager and team free to focus on other critical tasks and projects, with the knowledge that their best interests are being looked after.
Prospective Candidates
Increase your chances of getting a new position
Job Boards and Company websites can be a black hole - Applying to a job board or company website puts you in competition with potentially hundreds of applicants, if the resume is reviewed at all.
Your resume will actually be reviewed for the position - Recruiters that work directly with client hiring managers will asure that your resume will actually be reviewed for consideration by the client.
Recruiters are vested in your success - A recruiter that is not on retainer has a vested interest in filling the position. They want to make sure that you have the information you need to determine how well the position fits your interests and experience and will be able to offer advice regarding your resume and interviewing.