According to industry statistics, the UK recruitment market grew at the fastest rate in history last year with just shy of 8,500 companies registered. Inevitably, among them will be new joiners in the corporate communications and marketing space. You could once count on one hand when looking through suppliers in this area, but in an ever-competitive market, what factors should be considered when deciding which digital marketing recruitment business to work with? We'll be exploring this in a little more detail, with the objective of making that choice easier for you.

1. History and market knowledge

Time = knowledge. As with the best candidates in the market, the more experience they have, the more knowledge they (should) have in their area of expertise. It’s the same with recruitment agencies. With time, comes market knowledge; anything from knowing the best candidates in the market and market trends, to knowing the best search methods.

Industry data shows that 84% of all recruitment agency registrations took place in the last decade. With over 40 years of corporate communications recruitment experience to our name, we feel confident our clients are in safe hands when briefing us on the all-important vacancies in their team.

2. Strong market reputation

As with any business, reputation is hugely important. With some candidates working exclusively with the best recruitment consultancies, it’s important to know which agencies will be able to attract the top talent. It’s those who have a strong reputation and trust in the market based on years of positive outcomes and strong customer service that are more likely to attract the best candidates to their vacancies. The more negative experiences candidates have with unproven recruitment agencies, the less likely they are to want to be represented by them again.  

We’d always suggest asking for recommendations from people in the industry; ask who they may have worked with when they were searching for a role or who has given them a fantastic recruitment service in the past. It’s these recommendations that build a strong reputation and one which clients can trust time and time again.

3. Proven success

When considering which corporate communications recruitment agency to work with, don’t be afraid to ask them which competitors in your market they’ve worked with; who they’ve recently placed with; which similar roles they’ve placed in the last few months and what their fill rate is. These are all straight forward questions which recruitment agencies should be able to answer with ease to prove their worth when pitching.

4. Business rates and terms 

With increased competition come