The Hidden Costs in Microsoft Dynamics Recruitment

1) Agency Fees Are High For Dynamics Recruitment

The Microsoft Dynamics recruitment industry is extremely competitive and this is reflected by average agency fees in the region of 18-20%.

With salaries being bloated due to a high demand for quality candidates, and corresponding lack of supply, these external agency fees can become extremely expensive for organisations looking to grow their Microsoft Dynamics project teams.

More and more we are seeing companies invest in internal recruitment teams who have an existing network. Paying a £35k salary to internal recruiters can prove a hugely effective cost saver when recruiting Microsoft Dynamics consultants on a large scale, and we are seeing more and more partners embracing this method of recruitment. A great way to increase the effectiveness of your internal recruitment team is to give them access to the Microsoft Dynamics community through, dare I say it, a portal like 365 Talent Portal which gives them direct access to 7000+ Dynamics Consultants.

Many top Dynamics partners in the US and UK are already doing this.

2) HR And Admin Time

Let’s not forget the old adage that time is money and the recruitment process is a long and arduous process.

Even if we keep the process out of the clutches of agency recruiters, there are still a number of costs associated with this time.

Firstly, there’s producing the Dynamics job description (JD) / job spec, which may seem straightforward at first, but tends to waste oodles of time bouncing between HR and other departments.
At 365 Talent Portal, we provide our customers with expert guidance and templates to help them produce accurate JDs very quickly.

Of course, even if the job description is done quickly and efficiently, inevitably some irrelevant chancers will apply and it takes considerable time to sift through these and get to the diamonds in the rough. We’ve published a handy guide on how to sift through volumes of job applications which you can download from here.

3) Job Advertising

So you’ve written your job spec, it’s posted on the company portal and still, too few relevant candidates apply.

The next step is to advertise the position. But, in practical terms, getting your advertisement in front of as many relevant candidates as possible is no easy task. Sending an advertisement out on general job boards and hoping for the best isn’t going to cut it. The best candidates are often settled in favourable positions so to lure them out you need to differentiate your organisation and get your message out to the maximum number of potential candidates in the minimum amount of time – no mean feat! How do you make your advert stand out? Have a look at our guide here.

4) Time Management

We’ve spoken briefly about the time taken by HR in the recruitment process but what about management?

Managers have to get involved in things like reviewing shortlisted applications, preparing for and conducting interviews, and, as over 50% of offers made are rejected in the Microsoft Dynamics market, having to repeat the process. This overhead is the same whether candidates are sourced by an agency, in-house or RPO, and it is only trusted talent organisations who truly understand the skills required for Microsoft Dynamics jobs who save you time in this respect – to make sure you are fed with a focused set of good quality candidates who:

• (a) haven’t been introduced to 10 different companies by those well-known volume-driven ‘shotgun approach’ agencies, and thus
• (b) actually want the job you are offering.

5) Contractor stand-ins

Often in the Microsoft Dynamics market, roles are less pressing and more urgent.

Say you need a Dynamics AX Functional Consultant for a current or soon-to-start project, you don’t have time to wait the average 3 months for a permanent resource and so you turn to an AX contractor to provide interim relief. When you consider contract rates average £550-650 per day, you’re looking at a £33,000 outlay in just 3 months, not even accounting for additional agency fees if you use a traditional recruiter rather than a service like 365 Talent Portal (we don’t charge a percentage on hires). This just serves to highlight the importance of planning your recruitment drives effectively and in advance, and ensuring regular communication between your recruitment and project teams.

So what is the solution?

There is no universal answer to the question of recruitment costs in the Microsoft Dynamics market. However there are general factors we can look at to reduce the overall cost.

Firstly, any organisation can look to minimize or eradicate agency fees by taking matters into their own hands. There are many tools to give you access to the Microsoft Dynamics network, whether it be a generalist and in our view over-priced LinkedIn, or our very own 365 Talent Portal which focuses only on Microsoft Dynamics recruitment.

Secondly, whether you chose an internal or external recruitment partner, make sure they understand your business, your project, and the skills required for the role. Once you find this partner, it’s all about effective communication. Last minute requirements will always arise but they can be minimized with an effective recruitment strategy.  Book a time to talk to one of our experts or register with us on the button below – we help top Dynamics partners and Dynamics End-Users hire great Dynamics staff all the time.

365 Talent Portal is the Microsoft Dynamics platform that “has developed the right model to meet today’s demands with openness, transparency, and a focus on adding value.”