You’ve heard the idea of “buy local,” perhaps during the holiday season. Most people are familiar with the term. But the idea of looking for a local resource is a good one. Buying locally produced food means your food is probably fresher and perhaps lower cost. Supporting local small businesses is a great idea because the money you spend supports your community.
While we understand the relevance of staying local, you may not realize that the knowledge and expertise of recruiting talent from your market also takes an understanding of the community you’re sourcing from. There are thousands of recruiting firms but choosing the best one should always take into account their understanding of your community. Here’s why local market knowledge matters when picking a recruiting firm.
Why Local Market Knowledge Matters for Recruiting
Having local expertise means that the recruiting firm you hire understands the market where your business resides. This means the recruiting firm should understand the cost of living variances that heavily affect the candidate negotiation process. Having a recruiting firm that exists in your local market means they are probably better networked than a company of outsiders. They can “sell” the market to candidates moving to the area in a way that a competitor that doesn’t exist within that space cannot.
An article in Inc. put it this way, “Knowing your own market like the back of your hand means you’ll have a better idea of where local talent is and how to speak the language that will get their attention.” Consider this a kind of “home town advantage.” While the recruiting firm doesn’t necessarily have to live in your market to understand it, if they do, it gives you a leg up that is simply unbeatable by outside firms.
Local communities band together to share a network of local resources that is almost impossible to recreate on a larger scale. The benefit is that word of mouth advertising about your job can spread across these rich networks to help cut your time to hire. A recruiting firm that understands your local market will be better at assessing the trends that will impact the region, including insider information that a non-local agency simply will not have.
The reality is that is it is more expensive and difficult to attract candidates from out of state. If you’re working with a local recruiting firm, you can reap the benefits of networking relationships within your own communities that will help you find top talent for a lower cost. At the same time, you do not want a local Mom and Pop recruiting firm; small recruiting firms pop up like weeds in a summer garden. Look for a recruiting firm that is large enough to have the best tools but with a local reputation and experience to match.
A.C.Coy has been helping companies like yours find top talent. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we are a local firm with a national reach. We specialize in some of the hardest roles to fill—IT, engineering, sales, finance, and accounting. Whether it’s contract or contract-to-hire or permanent placement, A.C.Coy is the top recruiting firm in the region. Talk with our team about how our local experts can provide you with a win/win.
