Finding the right niche as a recruiter
Since graduating college in 2019, Louis Smith has made a name for himself in a rather niche recruiting space. As an expert in engineering, specifically in the automotive/EV, chemicals, battery, materials, semiconductor etc space, Louis brings a unique understanding and network to these specific roles.
Louis was a recruitment consultant at a technical staffing agency called Lumicity and recently founded his own boutique agency called Benchmark Group. He's actively recruiting on Paraform, filling these niche roles when they go live (and quickly!).
Overview
Louis was first introduced to Paraform by his sister. She had posted a video on Tiktok introducing the platform in early 2023 (we're not sure how she found out about us, but we appreciate her for it!).
"When I first came across Paraform, it seemed like a good additional option to my agency. I could consistently find clients to work with"
Louis has successfully tapped into a niche with a lot of demand. His expertise falls under the hardtech umbrella, supporting roles such as mechanical engineers, technicians, etc. Because he picked a niche and double downed on it, he built a strong network and developed domain expertise on how to source the right candidates.
We had a chance to connect with Louis to learn how Paraform fits into his business.
Opportunities on Paraform
"Every week, I'll check Paraform to see there are roles that are within my speciality or if I have any similar searches going on with my agency. I know I'm able to get some wins there"
Louis had a few other technician searches that he recently completed in the Bay Area, so he was in a great position to help Swift Solar.
Some positives of Paraform according to Louis:
"There's a contract already in place so I don't have to put in a lot of work to get the gig. If I want to work on a particular role or with a specific client, I can pretty much start right away once I get approved"
"The overall process is great with the applications and there are interesting incentives such as interview rewards"
Quick interview process
With Swift Solar, Louis was able to get his candidate through three rounds of interviews in a matter of a few days.
"The hiring manager was very active on Paraform and we were able to connect and get the candidate through the entire process within four days and got them hired"
"The point of being a good recruiter is making the process as easy as possible for both the candidate and hiring manager"
Louis' candidate had competing offers and without the hiring manager's commitment and infrastructure on Paraform, it would have been hard to make this happen. See screenshots below:
Louis mentions another positive of working on Paraform; building relationships with hiring managers.
"As an independent agency, building long lasting relationships with hiring managers is really important. When I fill a role on Paraform, the track record is saved to my profile and that reputation is also helpful when working with new hiring managers."
"Since we helped Swift Solar with their technician roles, they will be working with us again in the future. I also often see now that new companies onboarding on Paraform reach out to me after looking at my profile which is great."
Finding the right niche as a recruiter, especially if you're independent or starting your own agency, allows you to build your unique advantage pretty quickly. You'd be surprised how quickly you can build up a better network than most people if you focus on a certain vertical.
Do you have your own niche? Join Paraform and become the go-to recruiter for startup clients. Find out who they are here!
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