The Shift in Hiring Dynamics: Why Brands Need to Rethink Their Approach to Recruitment Agencies

rwrhealth.com • May 20, 2025

The way companies engage with recruitment agencies is outdated—and it's costing them top talent.

For years, many businesses have viewed recruitment agencies through a narrow lens—either as a necessary cost when internal hiring efforts fail or as a transactional service provider. Some have even operated under the outdated belief that agencies are expendable, treating them as secondary participants in the hiring process. But the landscape has changed. The power dynamics in recruitment have shifted, and agencies now hold more influence than ever before. Companies that fail to recognise this shift and continue to dismiss agencies as mere vendors risk damaging their employer brand, limiting their talent pool, and ultimately losing out on top candidates.

Recruiters Are at the Centre of the Talent Ecosystem

Recruitment agencies are no longer just about filling jobs. We sit at the very centre of the hiring ecosystem, constantly engaging with talent, market trends, and employer brands. We are:

Market specialists
Career advisers
Employer brand ambassadors
Talent strategists

Our relationships with candidates start long before they actively look for a role. The best talent isn’t sitting on job boards—they are building careers, and we are the ones guiding them. Recruiters have deep, long-standing relationships that give us real influence over where talent chooses to go next.

Even when a company is hiring directly, candidates will often consult with their recruiter before making a decision. They want to know:

What is the company’s reputation?
Do they have a high turnover?
How do they treat employees?
Is it worth making the move?

Recruitment agencies hold immense influence over hiring decisions, even in situations where they are not directly involved in the process. The way businesses engage with agencies determines how they are positioned in these critical conversations.

If a company has a strong, collaborative relationship with an agency, recruiters will naturally advocate for them—recommending them as an employer of choice, reinforcing positive aspects of their brand, and encouraging top candidates to seriously consider their roles. On the flip side, if a company dismisses, ignores, or mistreats agencies? That same agency is just as likely to steer candidates away.

Agencies Have More Reach Than Internal Hiring Teams

One of the biggest misconceptions is that internal recruitment teams have the same reach as agencies. The reality is, they don’t—because they can’t.

Recruitment agencies are built for volume. Our teams are significantly larger than most internal TA functions, and we speak to thousands of candidates every single week across a variety of industries, skill levels, and geographies.

This benefits companies in two ways:
We can find talent faster. The best candidates are already in our networks, meaning we can deliver top-tier talent before a company’s job ad has even gained traction.
We amplify employer brands. With our far-reaching networks, the businesses we work with get significant visibility among active and passive job seekers. Every interaction we have is a chance to promote a brand in the talent market.

A company’s employer brand isn’t just shaped by Glassdoor reviews or career sites. It’s built through daily conversations happening between recruiters and candidates.

Companies that work with agencies get the benefit of positive reinforcement in those conversations. Companies that dismiss agencies risk the opposite—being left out of the talent conversation entirely.

It’s Not Just About Hiring—It’s About Market Intelligence

A strong relationship with recruiters doesn’t just give companies access to candidates—it gives them access to real-time market intelligence that can shape hiring strategy.

Recruiters are constantly gathering insights on:

Salary expectations and trends – are you offering competitive pay?
Competitor hiring activity – where is your talent being poached?
Candidate sentiment – how is your company perceived in the market?
Hiring challenges – why are some roles taking longer to fill than others?

This data is invaluable, yet many companies miss out on it because they only engage recruiters on a transactional basis. Even businesses that don’t have a recruitment budget should be fostering strong relationships with agencies to gain these insights for free.

Specialist Agencies = Less Competition for Your Talent

A decade ago, recruitment agencies were largely generalists, meaning they sourced candidates across multiple industries. That meant whether or not a company worked with an agency didn’t impact their risk of losing talent—recruiters were sourcing from everywhere.
That’s no longer the case. Today, most agencies specialise in specific industries, building deep talent pools within niche markets.

What does this mean for employers?
If a company builds a strong relationship with a sector specialist recruiter, they are far less likely to lose their talent to competitors via that agency.
If a company burns bridges with an agency, that same agency is far more likely to approach their top talent for competing brands.

Companies need to understand that how they engage with agencies directly impacts their ability to retain staff. No business can afford to become a top-of-mind sourcing ground simply because of poor treatment of agencies leading to a damaged relationship.

Agencies Are Also Your Customers

Another overlooked reality: Recruiters are not just vendors—we are also your customers.

Recruitment agencies are run by business professionals who make decisions just like any other healthcare consumer. Outside of the public health system, patients have the freedom to choose the private clinic, hospital, or aged care facility that best meets their needs. The same applies to recruitment professionals—we engage with healthcare providers, recommend services to our networks, and influence choices within the sector.

The way a healthcare organization treats recruiters doesn’t just impact hiring—it shapes its reputation and the trust it builds with potential patients, families, and industry professionals. Engaging agencies with respect and collaboration doesn’t just strengthen your workforce—it creates advocates who can positively influence consumer choices across the healthcare ecosystem. On the other hand, neglecting these relationships can risk damaging trust and credibility within professional and patient networks alike.

The Power Dynamic Has Shifted—Are You Keeping Up?

The days of companies holding all the power over recruitment agencies are gone. Agencies now have more reach, more influence, and more industry intelligence than ever before.

The smartest brands recognise this and engage with recruiters as true partners—whether they use them for placements or not. They build relationships, share insights, and collaborate in ways that strengthen their employer brand and hiring success. The ones that don’t? They put themselves at risk. Because in today’s market, no employer can afford to alienate the very people who control the narrative around where talent should go next.

Do you agree that agencies hold more power in today’s hiring landscape?

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This Mistake Cripples Businesses. Here's How to Stop It.

By RWR Group Marketing • August 27, 2025

By John Caldwell Throughout my career at RWR Group, I’ve seen the same costly mistake repeated time and time again. A business takes its top individual performer, a brilliant operator or a star salesperson, and promotes them into a leadership role. Everyone celebrates the promotion as a success. Six months later, that new leader is struggling, their team’s performance has dipped, and the culture is starting to sour. This isn’t a rare occurrence; it’s an epidemic of what I call ‘accidental managers’. And the data backs up what I've seen on the ground for decades. A recent Chartered Management Institute (CMI) study found that a staggering 82% of managers have received no formal leadership training. Think about that. We’re handing over our most valuable assets, our people and our culture, to leaders who have never been taught how to lead. It's no wonder Gartner found that 60% of new managers fail within their first two years. We are setting them up to fail. It’s a Selection Problem, Not Just a Skills Gap We can’t just blame a lack of training. The real issue starts earlier; it's a fundamental failure in how we select leaders. Too many organisations confuse operational excellence with leadership potential. Managing a P&L or driving sales is a completely different skill set from inspiring a team, driving strategic transformation, or building a high-performance culture. It is blunt: only one in ten people possesses the natural combination of talents to be a great manager. When we promote without a rigorous process for identifying that talent, the ripple effects are enormous: Top talent walks. People leave managers, not companies. I’ve seen entire high-performing teams dismantled by one poor leadership placement. Performance craters. An unsupported manager can’t set clear goals or motivate a team, directly impacting productivity and profitability. Brand value erodes. Your leaders define your company’s culture and reputation, both internally and in the market. Ineffective leadership damages your brand from the inside out. Building a Future-Proof Leadership Pipeline The good news is that this is entirely fixable. It requires a strategic shift in how we approach leadership development, both for external hires and internal promotions. First, hire for potential, not just past performance. When we partner with businesses, we look beyond the resume. We assess for emotional intelligence (EQ), learning agility, and genuine values alignment. Does this person have the humility to learn and the resilience to lead through change? Can they build a culture, not just manage a spreadsheet? Second, onboarding is everything. A leader's success shouldn't be left to chance. The placement is just day one. True success requires a structured development plan from the very beginning, including executive coaching, mentorship, and crystal-clear expectations for the first 90 days and beyond. At RWR Group, this is at the heart of what we do. We don’t just fill a vacancy; we act as strategic partners to help you identify and nurture leaders who are equipped to drive real transformation. Building a robust leadership pipeline isn’t just good practice—it’s the ultimate competitive advantage.

Being Busy Is BS and Just Another Form of Hiding

By RWR Group Marketing • July 31, 2025

Let’s call it. Most people aren’t productive, they’re just panicking in a suit . They’re chasing their tails in a tornado of meetings, emails, Slack pings, task boards, and "quick calls" that go nowhere. And when you ask them how they’re going? “Oh mate, flat out.” Yeah. Flat out… doing what? Because here’s the thing: being busy is easy . Being effective is rare. Busy people do a lot. Effective people get results. There’s a big difference, and most professionals have lost sight of it. Somewhere along the way, output got replaced with activity. Effort replaced outcomes. Time spent became more important than value delivered. And let’s be honest: a lot of people are buying their own bullshit . They're mistaking motion for progress. Praise themselves for being 'slammed’ when all they're really doing is sweating through chaos they created by saying yes to everything and finishing nothing. This isn’t just a recruitment problem. This is an everywhere problem. Recruiters sending 100 cold reach-outs a day but filling nothing. Managers drowning in back-to-back calls with no strategy behind them. Leaders caught in decks, dashboards and “quick check-ins” that don't move a single KPI. Whole teams doing cartwheels just to look productive. The worst part? Everyone knows it. But no one wants to say it. So let me: If your calendar is full and your scoreboard is empty, you’re not busy. You’re stuck. Busy is a drug. And it’s addictive. It makes you feel needed. Important. In demand. It fills the awkward silence where results should be. But it’s also the perfect cover for lack of clarity, fear of failure, and decision avoidance . You can’t be held accountable if you’re “so busy.” You can’t be questioned if you’re burning the candle at both ends. And we reward it. We praise the hustle. We applaud the exhaustion. We promote the performers who work late… even if they never win. Meanwhile the people who quietly deliver results, they get overlooked, because they’re not seen to be grinding. Insanity. High-performers don’t look busy. They look calm. They say “no” more than they say “yes”. They don’t join every meeting. They don’t reply to emails instantly. They’re not in Slack all day. Because they’re busy thinking , doing , and delivering . They know the only KPI that matters is impact . Not noise. Not motion. Not airtime. If you don’t know what that looks like, chances are you’re surrounded by performers, not producers. So what now? Ask yourself: What did I do today that actually mattered? If I stopped half my tasks, would anyone notice? Am I producing outcomes, or just managing perception? It’s not comfortable. But that’s the point. You don’t fix a culture of noise by adding more updates. You fix it by measuring results, not reputations. You fix it by rewarding effectiveness, not effort. You fix it by cutting the crap and getting clear on what success actually looks like. So, are you actually making a dent? Or just looking busy? I’d love to hear your take. Drop a comment, disagree, tag someone who needs this. Let’s talk about it.

Leadership Starts With You: Why Your Health Is Your Responsibility

By RWR Group Marketing • July 14, 2025

Let’s be honest. When you're running a team, driving results, showing up for clients, and solving problems before most people finish their first coffee, it’s easy to forget the one person you need to lead first: yourself. But the truth is, if you’re running on empty, everyone around you feels it. This is your friendly reminder that taking care of your mental and physical health is responsible leadership. You Can’t Lead Well If You’re Running on Empty There’s a strange badge of honour in pushing through exhaustion, skipping lunch, or catching up on work at midnight. But burnout doesn’t make you a better leader. It makes you reactive, distracted, and less present for your team. You don’t need to hit rock bottom to permit yourself to reset. Taking care of yourself is part of the job. Your Team Feels Your Energy You might not notice it, but your team does. The mood you bring into the office, the way you handle pressure, and how present you are in meetings all reflect how you’re feeling inside. Leaders who are well-rested, mentally clear, and physically energised create environments that are calmer, more productive, and more human. Wellness as a Leadership Strategy Think of your well-being as a core part of your leadership toolkit. Your ability to make good decisions, regulate stress, show up with empathy, and motivate others all hinge on your personal health. Some of the best leaders are the ones with clarity, energy, and emotional stability. That comes from proper rest, good fuel, movement, support, and boundaries. You don’t have to become a wellness influencer overnight, but small shifts compound over time. Nobody Else Can Do This For You You delegate. You lead. You lift others. But here’s the kicker: no one can take care of your well-being for you. Yes, workplaces can and should support wellness. But ultimately, the responsibility sits with you, and that’s empowering because you get to choose what your baseline looks like. Wellbeing Is Part of the Job Description If you’ve been waiting for permission to put your health first, here it is. Because when leaders take proactive care of themselves, everyone benefits. You don’t have to overhaul your life. Just start. Take a breath. Drink some water. Move your body. Call a friend. Go to bed earlier. Then do it again tomorrow.

The Real Cost of Healthcare Staff Shortages and Why Recruitment Matters More Than Ever

By RWR Group Marketing • June 11, 2025

If you’re working in the health sector, you don’t need statistics to tell you how stretched the system is, you feel it every day. From hospital corridors to aged care homes, and midwives to radiographers, workforce shortages are straining every corner of care. And it’s not slowing down. The Numbers Speak Volumes Nursing : By 2025, Australia is expected to face a shortage of over 85,000 nurses. That’s not just numbers, that’s real pressure in EDs, wards, and community health services. Midwifery : Almost 10,000 midwives are short. Maternity services are under stress. Allied Health : Physiotherapists, OTs, speech pathologists, and radiographers are in critical demand in both public and private sectors. Theatre & Anaesthetics : Surgical delays are increasing because there simply aren’t enough technicians to support the load. Aged Care : With turnover rates hitting 50% in some facilities, continuity of care is becoming harder to guarantee. What’s driving this? An aging workforce, high levels of burnout, and increasingly complex care needs. Over 40% of healthcare workers report stress-related symptoms. That’s not sustainable for anyone. At RWR Health , we don’t just place candidates. We partner with people. We believe recruitment plays a frontline role in supporting the sector, finding the right talent, helping organisations retain them, and offering strategies that care for the carers. Because the truth is, we’re not just solving staffing problems, we’re helping build a stronger, more resilient healthcare system. If you're in the sector, we want to hear from you. Let’s talk challenges, but more importantly, let’s talk solutions. Call us today!

RWR Health Launches in Australia

By RWR Group Marketing • June 5, 2025

RWR Health has officially launched in Australia, expanding its trusted recruitment expertise to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. Backed by the award-winning RWR Group, the agency brings over 30 years of healthcare experience and specialist recruitment knowledge to the market. With a fresh approach to candidate engagement, talent mapping, career planning, and employer branding, RWR Health addresses a growing market need for smarter, values-led recruitment. The agency blends AI-powered sourcing with deep market intelligence and a unique human approach, ensuring that employers connect with professionals who truly align with their values and culture. “Our launch in Australia represents a pivotal moment,” says John Caldwell, Global CEO of RWR Group. “We’ve built a reputation for specialist recruitment that doesn’t compromise on quality or care. Now, we’re bringing that proven model to healthcare organisations across Australia, where the need for high-impact, values-aligned talent has never been greater.” RWR Health stands apart by combining predictive technology and deep local knowledge with personal connection, delivering not just speed and efficiency, but long-term fit. With 30+ years of healthcare experience and a network of over 600,000 candidates, the team is equipped to fill roles across clinical, non-clinical, and executive functions, often in under 25 days. RWR Group, founded in 2001, is the force behind industry-leading recruitment brands across Australasia, including Retailworld, Hospoworld, RWR Construction, and Executive Search. With 22 offices across the region and an award-winning leadership team, the group continues to set a new standard in industry-specialist recruitment. For employers ready to grow or candidates seeking purpose-driven roles, visit www.rwrhealth.com or connect with the team on LinkedIn.