Recruiting fresh talent to fill vacancies or newly created roles can be an expensive, time-consuming undertaking. Most employers accept that there is no easy way to recruit quickly and successfully. The obvious answer is to use several recruitment consultancies simultaneously. This enables you to maximise the people and resources working on your project, broaden your hiring options and accelerate the outcome.

That's the solution isn't it? Not quite. Our experience tells us something very different. It may seem counter-intuitive but we can think of at least seven very good reasons to opt for an exclusive arrangement with a single recruitment partner.

1. Commitment

However professional and well-intentioned, a contingent recruiter is unlikely to sustain their initial level of commitment if the recruitment process becomes protracted. Because they're working with you non-exclusively, unless they get results quickly, they will tend to calculate that they have a better chance of making money by focusing on other clients. In contrast, a sole recruiter will pursue your project with all their resources until your objectives are met.

2. Thoroughness

This same commitment ensures that your recruitment partner will do a thorough job of screening candidates. They'll filter out those who don't quite fit and because they understand your requirements fully, they'll be prepared to invest time and resources into presenting you with only the best and most compatible talent.

3. Sharper Focus

Since you're not dealing with half a dozen competing contingent recruiters, you or your hiring manager can expect a far more focused stream of candidates. For one thing, there won't be any duplicates. For another, your single recruiter will have no reason to deliver CVs that are anything less than top quality. Multiple recruiters might feel obliged to submit a certain quantity, even if they aren't all perfect fits. This makes your life a great deal simpler and your desk less cluttered.

4. Confidentiality

It's often important to keep your hiring plans to yourself for various commercial reasons. You might not want to alert competitors to your expansion plans or let them know you have gaps in your team. When you use several recruiters, it can be extremely hard to maintain confidentiality, not least because the same candidates may appear on the books of different agencies.

5. Candidate Perception

Exclusivity is a highly valued attribute in all areas of life. From the point of view of the candidate, if one recruiter is offering sole access to an attractive job, this reflects very positively on the employer. If the same vacancy is presented to them by several agencies, the effect is inevitably to devalue the status of the job. It suggests that the employer lacks confidence in their proposition, whereas using just one recruiter demonstrates conviction and suggests a intrinsic level of professionalism. It also avoids awkward instances of duplicate applications.

6. Recruiting from the Competition

In today's candidate-led jobs market, every company in construction, tech, finance or virtually any other sector finds it extremely challenging to recruit the best talent. Like it or not, sometimes your eye will fall on individuals already working for the competition. If you've identified people you believe would bring significant benefits to your business but who are already engaged elsewhere, it's worth treading softly in your approach to them. An exclusive recruiter is far better placed to do the work for you. They are fully committed to your business, they have no conflict of interest with any of your competitors and they have the expertise to make discreet, confidential overtures. You don't want to gain a reputation as a talent poacher and neither do you want to alert another company that you're targeting their employees.

7. Favourable Terms

The fees you negotiate with a recruiter for exclusivity may be a little higher than you're accustomed to paying for multiple agencies and it's likely you'll need to make an upfront payment to secure their services. However, for all the other reasons we've discussed, the resultant experience will be superior in many important ways and may, in fact, work out to be no more expensive than engaging several agencies at once. It also forms the basis of a very healthy professional relationship based upon trust and results. Find the right recruiter and you can be confident of making great hires for years to come.