The candidate database is arguably the most important part of a temporary recruitment agency. It’s where you store the CVs of your applicants so you can assign them to your clients as quickly as possible. Without a database packed with talent, your clients wouldn’t have much reason to stick around!

For recruitment agencies that are new to the industry and are still finding their footing after their first year, it can be tricky to build up a database quickly. Today we’re going to give you a few tips that can help you strengthen your candidate database so you can continue to grow your business.

 

What is a Candidate Database?

A candidate database is a collection of CVs and profiles for the temporary workers you supply. These days this is part of your CRM, or you may use a separate system for it. It also contains job listings, so candidates can be assigned to vacancies as soon as they appear, saving both you and your clients’ time.

You can also communicate with candidates via your recruitment database, giving you more ways to stay in touch, and it’s easier for applicants to make their voice heard if they have any specific questions or concerns.

It’s important to utilise your database as much as possible to see the full value of your investment.

 

The Importance of Building a Candidate Database

The more candidates you have in your database, the more options for your clients will have. Naturally they’ll want to bring in temporary workers who are best for their role and will want plenty of options. The more applicants you can provide, the more likely it will be that they find the one of them, or multiple if that’s what they need.

You want a variety of applicants too. Temporary recruitment agencies fall into one of two categories: either they’re general recruitment agencies, that work with a range of clients in multiple different industries, or they’re more industry focused. For example, you may only work in healthcare and are only looking for temp healthcare workers as a result.

Finding a niche can be useful, but you don’t want to limit the temporary workers you can add to your database. It may be ideal to work with a wider range of clients at first and then let niches form naturally as you grow. This allows you to build up your database quickly with a diverse pool of workers. Age, location, previous experience, and relevant training are all factors your clients will be looking for, so you want to attract a mix of applicants.

But quality is just as important as quantity. A shortlist of 10 less-than-perfect candidates isn’t as useful as 5 who have the perfect experience and acumen.

There are a lot of temporary recruitment agencies out there, many who are far more established than your new startup. So what can you do to make sure they choose you instead of one of the big names?

 

Attracting the Best Temporary Workers

If your company has a good reputation, temporary workers will flock to your database. But building this reputation doesn’t happen overnight. You need to have sparkling reviews from other candidates and clients, so that they feel reassured that signing up with you is the best decision.

You can also take a much more proactive approach and find your workers yourself. By making direct contact with them they will be more likely to work with you. This can be a big job, but with a quality CRM system, especially one with AI outreach features, it can be done, and done well.

 

Keeping your Candidates Happy

Unlike a job board, you want your temporary workers to stick with you for as long as possible. You’ll set them up with a client until their contract is complete, but you want them to still use you to find their next vacancy. This applies to clients too, if they choose you for their temporary workers every time, you’ll build a strong relationship, and they’ll refer you to their peers too.

Regular clients might even request that you supply the same worker that they had in the past. If that temporary worker has switched to a different agency, that reflects badly on you.

To keep candidates happy, communication is key. If they feel like they’re just cogs in a machine, and aren’t valued as people, they’ll look for a recruitment agency that treats them better. By keeping in touch and asking for feedback, they’ll feel like your company cares, and you can use their input to build up their profile and find better placements for them.

Another far simpler way to improve the candidate experience is by setting them up with good clients. It can be tough to be a temporary worker who needs to join a brand-new company and get up to speed quickly. If they feel welcome from day one, they’ll appreciate you for it.

But no matter how well you treat them, candidates won’t be happy if they aren’t paid on time. Don’t worry, that’s where we come in.

 

Ensuring your Temporary Workers are Paid on Time

When you’re a small recruitment agency, keeping workers paid on time isn’t always easy. A single delayed invoice can mean you don’t have the funds readily available, and you’re forced to dip into your savings to ensure payments are made.

With 100% recruitment funding from Back Office Support Services, this is something you’ll no longer need to worry about. You’ll always have access to the funds you need if invoices are delayed, so you can keep your candidates happy and your reputation intact.

That’s not the only part of our service either. With payroll support we’ll ensure that your workers are always paid when they should be, which again helps with candidate satisfaction.

We also handle invoices on your behalf, checking them multiple times to ensure accuracy, leading to fewer delays.

Last but not least is credit control. Your dedicated credit controller will keep a close eye on the credit limits of your clients, so any bad debt they have never affects you.

 

Helping you to Thrive

We know recruitment almost as well as our clients, as many of our team worked in recruitment before they joined us. If you’re a fairly new agency, it can be tough to invest your money wisely. This may cause you to try and do it all yourself, restricting your growth in the process.

We care about your success. With our service you’ll have the tools you need to grow your candidate database and keep your existing workers happy.

If you want to read more of our insights into the world of temporary recruitment, check out our blog. And if you have any questions about us or our service, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.