So you want to work with a recruiter to help hire top talent for your MSP.
Excellent choice.
The right recruiter will have both deep knowledge of the MSP (managed service provider) industry as well as practical, hands-on experience and advice for HR best practices.
When you work with a recruiter like us here at Stride Talent, you’re not just getting someone to find candidates for you—you’re partnering with a team that can guide you through the whole process, from organizational strategy to employee onboarding.
But what can you expect when working with a recruiter? Here’s what to expect when working with a recruiter plus 5 things you need to know.
What to Expect When Working with a Recruiter
Each recruitment firm will look a bit different in its process, style, structure, and goals. That’s why we always recommend talking to them and getting a sense of who they are and what to expect when working with a recruiter.
At Stride Talent, we follow a simple three-step process with our MSP clients:
- Design: The first step to expect when working with a recruiter at Stride Talent is to have a conversation about what you are looking for so we can develop an outreach strategy to find the right candidates.
- Action: We match your story about why the specific role matters with prospective candidates.
- Outcomes: It doesn’t end with a job offer! We commit to an ongoing process to support the candidate’s onboarding to your organization.
Working with a recruiter can give your MSP business a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace. The MSP industry is anticipated to grow by 11.94% over the next five years, meaning MSP owners need to work harder to attract and keep the right talent—something a recruiter is perfectly positioned to help with.
5 Tips for MSP Owners: What to Expect When Working With a Recruiter
1. Know Your “Why”
Before you call up a recruitment firm, understand why you’re doing it.
It might seem simple (i.e., you’re having a hard time finding staff), but it’s important to know your major pain points and challenges, as this will help your recruiter better understand your unique situation.
Spend a bit of time identifying your HR challenges. Some examples might be:
- Either too few or too many applicants to your job postings.
- Lack of time or resources to conduct effective interviews.
- Unclear onboarding process.
- High turnover.
- Low staff productivity or underperformance.
You could be facing other problems, too. Once the problem is identified, it’s easier to work on an effective strategy to turn things around.
2. Be Open and Transparent About Your MSP Company
To find the right people for your company, we need to know who you are and what you’re all about. The more open and transparent you can be with us, the easier it is to find the right match.
Your recruiter needs to know some of the obvious things about your MSP company, such as your story, how long you’ve been operating, key people or roles, and your vision and mission.
Beyond that, your recruiter wants to know the heart and soul of your MSP company. To find the right fit, it’s important to get an idea of the culture in your organization. Some helpful information might be:
- Photos and videos of your company, staff, processes, etc.
- Insight into social events and activities like staff parties.
- Charitable or community initiatives you’re part of.
The more you can share with your recruiter, the better equipped they are to bring the right candidates into the role.
This should be above and beyond the essentials of the role and job. Of course, recruiters also need to know specifics about the role, hours, salary, location, and everything else pertinent to the job you’re hiring for.
3. Determine an Ideal Timeline
There are a number of factors that determine how long it takes to find a candidate for your role. Recruiter methods, position, job market, and the time of year all come into play.
What’s important here is that you understand your ideal timeline and communicate it with your recruiter so they can do what they can to meet it. You also need to be aware of the other factors that can impact your timeline and be flexible about it.
Our experience at Stride Talent is that it takes about 4-6 weeks to hire the right candidate. A talent acquisition benchmarking report from SHRM indicates the median time-to-fill was 30 days.
4. Understand What the Recruiter Offers
Each recruiter has their own style, process, goals, and pricing structure. Further, some employment recruiters work across industries instead of focusing on just one.
For these reasons, finding the right recruiter for your company might seem challenging. You want to work with someone who understands your industry and company and provides the services you need.
Here are some things to understand about what to expect when working with a recruiter:
- Cost: The cost to work with a recruiter may be time-based or based on a percentage of the salary. At Stride Talent, we are a time-based recruiter and charge by the hour for services.
- Process: Some recruiters will simply find candidates and leave you to do the rest, while others take them through a hiring and onboarding process as well.
- Tools and software: Recruiters will use different platforms and tools to find the right candidate; these may impact the cost of services, too.
- Industry knowledge: You want your recruiter to have a deep understanding of your industry to help find the right candidate. Stride Talent is 100% focused on digital agencies and MSPs, so we have the knowledge and experience to help find the right candidates.
5. Prioritize Communication
The last thing you need to know about what to expect when working with a recruiter for your MSP business is that communication is everything.
Recruiters are temporary partners in your business—there to help you bring in the right team to achieve your company goals. Prioritize communication throughout the process and you will have the best success!
And if you want to get communication started with us at Stride Talent, we invite you to contact us today. We’re excited to partner with your MSP business to find the next best team member.
