Internal recruitment: How to hire for your hiring team

To take it in-house or not to take it in-house? This becomes the question on many an organisation’s lips at the point along their growth curve when recruitment becomes the primary focus. Is this the point at which you commit to a full-time hire or is the agency still your best bet?

Taking recruitment in-house is a big commitment – the cost of the internal resources managing the recruitment process, but to implementing a clear and sustainable company culture.

Of course, at Australasian, we employ many of the same methodologies and approaches of an internal recruitment department in both our company culture and how we hire our recruitment consultants as well as the subsequence service we give our clients. And we’re proud that many have provided feedback that our partnership is one where it feels like we are part of their internal team.

But if you are considering bringing your recruitment team in-house you need to ask yourself: Is your organisation ready? Here we explore the factors you need to consider when deciding if it’s time to go in-house.

What is in-house recruitment?

In-house recruitment is having a person – or team of people – whose primary focus is to hire talent on behalf of the business. Not only do they handle the everyday technical elements involved with filling vacancies, but they work in partnership with the management team to develop a hiring strategy that supports the business’s long-term goals.

What are the advantages of internal recruitment?

An in-house recruitment team guarantees that your company’s long-term hiring plan is considered at every step. If you’re rapidly growing and hiring at speed, an internal recruiter overseeing this process will make sure every hire aligns with your vision and the shaping of your organisational culture.

Having a dedicated team to manage your people development also helps you to identify star employees who can be promoted from within. It boosts morale for employees to witness positions being filled internally, sending the message that you care about their personal roadmap.

Talent acquisition vs recruitment

What’s the difference between talent acquisition from an internal recruiter, and recruitment from an agency? An agency recruiter has the industry knowledge, experience, connections, and a pool of potentially suitable candidates that have been qualified, pre-interviewed, reference checked that they can offer to the business. This can save a lot of time, effort, and expenses for finding the right candidate. The recruiter is also able to provide candidates with a detailed briefing and suggest various interview techniques to maximise their chance of securing the role they’ve applied to.

The internal recruiter is covering the hiring needs of a single company they are hiring and looking for candidates for that industry fit only. They’re hiring with the company objectives in mind and have a focus on minimising staff turnover. An internal recruiter may well repost a job description if they don’t feel they’ve attracted the right pool of talent the first time around.

When is it better to use an agency?

In-house and agency recruiters have different approaches. An agency will likely help you to fill a position much quicker, because an agency works with a variety of clients and has a long list of potential candidates available to start immediately or on the market looking for a suitable role. Additionally when hiring for a technical or difficult-to-fill role, calling on an agency recruiter with specialist knowledge will help you attract the right candidates.

However, it’s not just about speed. A clearly defined culture and set of people objectives are necessary to steer the efforts of the internal recruitment team. However, if this is not yet fully defined you may not be making the best use of their time. Lastly, if you don’t have a budget for an additional salary or a steady stream of vacancies to fill it may be more beneficial to keep a good agency on board to help as and when required.

How to write an internal recruiter job description

The responsibilities of an internal recruiter can be broad and involve contact with lots of people within the business. Largely, the key responsibilities for a job spec should include:

• Interviewing candidates during the various hiring stages
• Screening CVs and applications and updating candidates
• Sourcing candidates through online channels
• Designing and implementing employee referral programs
• Reporting to hiring managers on the status of open positions
• Analysing turnover and retention rates to forecast hiring needs
• Providing interview feedback
• Evaluating candidates based on interview and assignment performance
• Helping new hires onboard

An HR-related qualification is a useful tool for candidates to possess, along with work experience in sourcing, interviewing and evaluating candidates. In many cases, businesses turn to former agency recruiters for their vast knowledge, contacts and speed in managing the recruitment process and in turn, many agency recruiters value the change in environment and pace when working for a single employer.

6 talent acquisition interview questions when hiring an internal recruiter

Here are six questions you should be asking at interview for an internal recruiter:

1. “How do you treat candidates not selected for the job?” You want to know that the candidate will treat future candidates with respect, exercise coaching skills and ensure external communications positively reflect the company.
2. “How you have used data to help you recruit?” Data allows recruiters to become strategic partners to their hiring managers. Good candidates will be able to describe examples such as leveraging a Talent Pool Report from LinkedIn Talent Insights.
3. “How are you building your personal brand and why is this important?” Recruiters need to build relationships with prospects digitally, making it easier to source positions later. You want to see that they’re using social platforms to their full advantage, showing that they understand the importance of a compelling personal brand.
4. “What is your stick rate for new hires?” You want to look for a recruiter who demonstrates a meticulous approach to finding people who will stick around for the long haul.
5. “Describe your relationship with your last hiring manager” It’s important that the internal recruiter builds strong relationships with hiring managers. And that means acting as a partner in the hiring process. Look out for candidates who have a strong philosophy on how to handle that relationship.
6. “How you would position our company to candidates?” You want a recruiter who can effectively differentiate your company to grab the attention of potential new hires. You may also want to turn this question into an assessment, looking out for candidates who can pinpoint what makes you unique and turn it into a compelling story.

Internal recruitment salary and compensation: what to expect

In London’s current market an internal recruiter can typically earn an average salary upwards of £50,000 per year plus benefits depending on experience. An agency will likely be a smaller overhead: most charge a percentage of the new employee’s salary. The key is weighing up the cost against the number and frequency of vacancies you have to fill over time.

How Australasian can help you

We approach each recruitment mandate like we are a partner and a true extension of your existing team. We support our clients through all stages of their organisational development and have deep networks within the internal recruitment candidate market. Speak to us on 020 7625 3300 or hello@australasian.co.uk if you would like support in deciding if it’s the right time for you to take it in-house.