Ensuring quality: What should you look for in an insurance recruiter

Finding the right candidate for a role can be a time consuming and costly challenge. A challenge that is made more complex when you are working within a niche industry or highly specialised sector such as insurance.

Competition for the best talent is fierce and many companies are turning to specialist recruitment agencies to minimise their costs, access their industry knowledge and existing talent sourcing networks. Finding an effective insurance recruiter can make an enormous difference when it comes to reducing time to hire and recruitment costs.

What to look for in an insurance recruiter

When considering which recruiter is right for you it’s important to think about what you are looking for. When researching a specialist recruitment agency try to establish that they:

• Have experience sourcing similar roles in similar locations and industries.
• Have a proven record of success
  Are you able to access testimonials from previous clients and candidates that back up their stated experience?
• Have a team of consultants with industry-specific knowledge and expertise
  Look into the background of their team and ask if they outsource any areas of the recruitment process.
• Have a reputation for trust, integrity, and transparency
  Are their terms and conditions clear and do they have contingencies in place should shortlisted candidates be unsuitable or if a chosen hire drops out at the last minute?
• Share your values and company culture
• Can tailor their recruitment services to your needs and adapt to feedback.

During the recruitment process a recruiter should act as an extension of your company. You should be sure that they understand your company’s values and ethics and can convey your employer brand to potential candidates.

Other questions to ask include: Do they offer detailed reporting? Are their timescales realistic? How do they set their Key Performance Indicators?

Specialist recruitment agencies vs general recruitment agencies

Generalist recruitment agencies can appear to have some advantages over specialist recruitment agencies. Because they focus on a broad range of industries, locations, and roles they have access to much larger talent pools.

On the surface, having a larger pool of potential candidates is an advantage. However, this can leave you wading through hundreds of unsuitable applicants with little industry experience or relevant skills, which can take up valuable time.

Click here for 6 reasons for rejecting a candidate.

Benefits of using an insurance recruitment specialist

A specialist insurance recruiter has a number of benefits that sets them apart from a more generalised recruiter.

• Access to established networks: Specialist insurance recruiters have spent years cultivating relationships within the industry. As a result, they have access to well-developed networks that means they can get your role in front of the right people. These established networks can be more proactive in accessing talented candidates. Insurance recruitment specialists can reach suitable passive candidates who may not be actively job hunting.
• Experienced consultants: Specialist recruitment agencies use consultants with years of industry experience. They understand the quirks and nuances of the industry and have their finger on the pulse of industry trends. They know the right questions to ask and can provide expert advice.
• Relevant candidate shortlists: Recruitment agencies who specialise in the insurance industry produce a more relevant shortlist of candidates who have the skills and experience needed for niche roles. This means a quicker time to hire and lower recruitment costs.
• Strong reputation within the industry: reputation is everything for a specialised insurance recruiter. Employers and candidates prefer to work with specialist recruiters they can trust to provide high quality, personal service with ongoing support.

Our insurance recruitment practice at Davies

Davies is a leading recruiter in the insurance industry with an unrivalled access to the very best insurance talent and recruitment consultants who are genuine industry specialist. Over 750 insurance clients have chosen to work with us to source the specialist skills they require for their teams.

To accelerate your candidate search and find talented insurance professionals who fit your business needs contact Davies’ Resourcing experts.