Selecting a recruitment agency is a decision that deserves more due diligence than many businesses apply to it. The recruitment process is often initiated when there's already pressure — a role is vacant, a project is starting, a key person has resigned — and that pressure creates a tendency to move too quickly.

Taking time to ask the right questions before committing can save significantly more time and money than it costs.

Which Industries Do You Specialise In?

Generalist agencies can fill a wide range of roles, but they often lack the depth of knowledge that makes a specialist agency effective in a specific sector. For businesses in construction, agriculture, logistics, or manufacturing, working with an agency whose consultants genuinely understand those industries — the roles, the skill requirements, the conditions, the candidate pool — produces better outcomes.

Ask specifically which sectors generate most of their placements. If your industry isn't well represented in their answer, that's useful information.

What Does Your Screening Process Look Like?

Ask for specifics, not generalities. Do you conduct face-to-face interviews? How do you verify references — do you speak directly with referees, or rely on written responses? Do you physically check licences and certifications, or take candidates at their word? What's your process for checking work rights for overseas candidates?

An agency that can answer these questions in detail has a real process. Vague answers about 'comprehensive assessment' suggest otherwise.

How Do You Handle Placements That Don't Work Out?

This will happen at some point. What matters is whether the agency treats it as a shared problem to solve or as a client issue to manage. Ask about their replacement policy: timeline, cost, and process. Ask whether they conduct exit interviews or follow up with host employers after a placement ends to understand what went wrong.

What Are Your Charge Rates and What Do They Cover?

Understand the full rate structure before you commit. For labour hire, the charge rate should cover wages, employer obligations, and the agency's margin. For permanent placements, understand the fee basis and what's included if the hire doesn't work out within a trial period.

Can You Provide Client References?

A confident christchurch recruitment agency will connect you with existing clients in your sector. Speaking directly with businesses that have used the agency for similar roles gives you a more accurate picture than any sales presentation. If an agency is reluctant to provide references, take that seriously.

The goal of these questions isn't to be adversarial — it's to establish from the start whether you're dealing with a professional operation that will deliver what they're promising. Good agencies welcome the scrutiny.