Now that the job market looks to be recovering at speed, ambitious careerists have more opportunity to climb the ladder. That there's more scope to move up as vacancies become more common is a worry for larger organisations keen to keep hold of their talent. Initiatives they'll look to employ, to combat key executives and managers leaving in droves, will include succession planning and talent management – both buzzwords of the moment.

Succession planning is a forward-thinking strategy that anticipates talented executives' race to the top, influencing their path so that both the individual and the company benefit, and so that unique skills are appropriately deployed along the way in line with the company's vision. Talent management has a similar goal but includes the recruitment and discovery of highly-skilled people from outside the company, as well as implementing attractive retention plans so that in-house talent won't feel tempted to abandon ship.

Some HR departments have made retention planning an important focus of their work, which leaves little time to seek out new talent. Therefore, far from taking work away from recruitment agencies, in this situation, it would be prudent for HR departments to partner with them instead.

Agencies can shoulder a lot of the hard work for their clients: few applicants are precisely 'groomed' for challenging roles - the recruiter can help HR qualify the specifics of what's needed within the job, and also provide tactical benchmarking against the organisation's competitors. It's a hard-won battle between selling the vacancy and buying the talent - an impartial 'middle man' can prove a valuable ally.

If talent continues to become thin on the ground, understanding the personal motivations of applicants is difficult for the employer (it's rarely salary); few reveal their true self when sat in an interview. Again, the recruiting agent is better placed to extract such information, which could be used as a 'bargaining chip'. Even a successful retention strategy doesn't mean recruiters will become obsolete, as growth will always stimulate the need for new talent to join the existing pool.

For the recruitment agency, allowing your clients to see your value as a partner is crucial for a long-term relationship, something that your recruitment web design could influence.
Fast Recruitment Websites can help your agency stand out as an ambassador for companies and a valued partner – speak to our talent on 01302 288 591.