With the growth of the temporary recruitment market continuing to rise, now estimated to be around 1.7 million workers up from 1.45 million in January 2020, candidate shortage is an issue that every temporary recruitment agency is experiencing.
So how can you compete?
From using social media to choosing the correct recruitment agency software, lets explore the top 5 ways to attract candidates to your temporary recruitment agency.
1) Social media
With 84% of the UK population being active on social media, it’s no surprise that social media is the no. 1 channel to attract candidates.
LinkedIn alone has over 33.6 million users in the UK, 56.5% of which are aged between 25 to 34 years. These statistics highlight the importance of developing a strong online presence on social media to remain relevant in the modern recruitment market and attract the attention of good quality candidates.
How?
Creating high quality and relevant content, interacting with candidates, boosting posts and inviting candidates to follow your pages are a few good ways to increase your social media following. For more ways to increase social following read 9 Simple Tips to Grow Your Social Media Following | Sprout Social.
Pros of Social Media:
- Free (if you don’t pay for additional advertising)
- Access to the large pool of potential candidates
- Can increase brand image/reputation
Considerations for Social Media:
- Highly competitive
- Takes time to grow
- Needs constant monitoring and updating
2) Temporary Recruitment Agency Referrals
Why spend time looking for new candidates when you can get current candidates to do it for you? Incentivising referrals can unlock the ability to have hundreds of candidates advertising your agency on your behalf when you book them out to work.
Referrals have a higher conversion rate of bringing good quality candidates to your agency as they already have a positive opinion of your business prior to their application. Therefore, increasing the likelihood that they will become a reliable candidate for your business. Including a referral bonus is something that should be considered as part of your recruitment marketing strategy to gain candidates and stay one step ahead of other agencies.
Pros of Temporary Recruitment Agency Referrals:
- Lots of people advertising for you
- Doesn’t take up your time
- Instant effect
Considerations for Temporary Recruitment Agency Referrals:
- Can be costly
3) Google Ranking (SEO)
With Google receiving 8.5 billion searches per day, ranking highly on Google is key for getting in front of competitors and attracting the candidates you require.
There are many key factors that increase a website’s Google SEO ranking including: page loading, keywords, high quality content and backlinks. Read up on How to Rank Higher On Google here. It’s important to learn the key terms that you wish to target in order to land on page 1 for and optimise your website for that highly searched key term. Not only will this drive traffic to your website, but it also increases your recruitment agency’s brand image within the market.
Pros of SEO:
- Free
- Access to the large pool of potential candidates
- A consistent supply of candidates when achieved
Considerations for SEO:
- Takes time to take effect
- A lot of work involved
- Competitive
4) Temporary Recruitment Agency Software
Recruitment agency software can help us get candidates?
Indirectly yes. Agencies with outdated recruitment agency software can find themselves at a disadvantage over competitors with more modern solutions.
Why? Because advanced software solutions offer automation, AI-driven candidate matching, and seamless integrations with job boards, social media, and CRMs.
For instance, PrimePRO automates key processes such as compliance management by sending automated email notifications for expiring compliance items. This reduces the burden on consultants, saving them valuable time.
How does this help us attract more candidates?
By using a modern recruitment agency software, recruitment businesses can reduce the amount of time spent on administrative tasks, freeing up their consultants to source, nurture and engage with more candidates.
Pros of Recruitment Agency Software:
- Automation features which save time
- Enhanced candidate engagement and retention
- Keeps agencies relevant and ahead of competition
Considerations for Recruitment Agency Software:
- Doesn’t directly allow you to acquire new candidates
- Can be costly
- Can take a lot of work to implement new systems
5) Competitive pay
With 56% of adults reporting an increase in their cost of living in February 2025, candidates will likely be looking at the recruitment agencies offering competitive pay.
As a result, conducting lots of market research into other recruitment agencies is key to keep your pricing competitive with theirs. Whilst this increases the cost to your agency and ultimately the end client, it does mean that you’re likely to be more successful in filling bookings and maintaining a positive client and candidate relationship long-term.
Finding the correct pay/charge rates will be more important than ever with the instability of the economic markets right now. Consistent market research will play an important role in the success of recruitment businesses in the UK this year.
Pros of Competitive Pay for Your Temporary Recruitment Agency:
- Retain and attract candidates
- Maintain relationships with stakeholders
- Remain competitive in 2022
Considerations for Competitive Pay for Your Temporary Recruitment Agency:
- Competitive
- Costly
- Time-consuming to conduct research
Bonus Method!
Getting candidates actively involved in promoting your agency can offer long-term benefits, including increased referrals, social proof, and brand loyalty.
If you can empower candidates to feel as though they are a key part of your agency and feel rewarded for helping, this can provide endless benefits to your business like improving brand image, and ensuring they remain loyal to your agency. Encouraging candidates to actively play a part in growing your agency is a challenge but when this is achieved, they can assist in generating faster growth in your recruitment agency.
Summary
These are some of the 5 top ways to attract candidates to your temporary recruitment agency and supporting the success of your recruitment agency. Most of these methods take time and research to perfect. Therefore, focusing on one or two at a time will bring the highest chance for success for your agency this year.
Not sure where to start? Contact our expert team today for support with recruitment agency software to understand whether this would be relevant for your agency.
