In most cases, as a licence holder, you will carry out all stages of a selection process. However, you can ask a private sector recruitment agency to assist with some of the tasks. We publish our ‘listed recruitment agencies’ annually. These are agencies we believe can help licence holders with fair, merit-based recruitment under the Code of Practice.
They have applied to us to be included on the list – outlining their knowledge and resources as well as their capacity for merit-based public-service recruitment.
The agencies are listed on the register of licensed employment agencies and they have provided compliance statements, which confirm their commitment to the standards and principles in the Code of Practice.
There is no obligation to use a listed agency, but they can give considerable assistance and extra resources if needed. In most cases, a listed agency will have specialist knowledge and expertise or it may have selection tools that you may not have.
When deciding whether or not to use an agency, you should look at your own resources and expertise, the volume and nature of the vacant roles and your capacity to recruit in line with best practice. If there are any gaps in knowledge or resources, a listed agency should be used.
If you are a licensed recruitment agency and would like to apply to become a listed recruitment agency, you can apply here. You will need to provide: