Choosing a Recruitment Partner

Recently a situation was bought to my attention which reminded me of the importance of choosing the right recruitment partner for your business and project. We were in the process of assisting a candidate secure a new role. We had discussed with her various client companies who operated within her desired target market, and discussed in details her ideal next role and longer term career aspirations. After our discussions we had come up with a shortlist of three local organisations who were of most interest to her as a prospective employee, and both agreed that one of these organisations was a stand out in terms of its suitability and prospects.

So, we progressed, putting her application forward to our client and coordinated an interview for her.In the interim period (about a week) the candidate received calls for two other interviews, one was with another local firm and the other with another recruiter.The other firm was one we discussed at interview, and was just off our shortlist. The candidate had applied directly with them several weeks prior and I encouraged them to attend that interview as I believed the organisation had some good opportunities for them, and would give them a good comparison to our client.
The recruiter was based outside of our region, but actively advertising many local roles. She attended that interview and that recruiter 'insisted' on putting her forward to their client, despite her expressing her concerns regarding that firms suitability for her career. Well when I spoke to the candidate to follow up on the interviews she had been very impressed with our client and they were definitely her preferred employer, she had been somewhat impressed by the firm who contacted her directly, and would consider them in her decision. She was not at all impressed with the third firm whom the other recruiter sent her to. She had concerns regarding the suitability of the firm and the role for her career objectives, and had also received negative feedback about the firm from a friend, she said the interview only confirmed that the role did not at all fit in with her career goals and aspirations. Her exact comment "well that makes sense, the dodgy recruiter sent me to the dodgy company" I went on to question further what she meant by this. She explained that the recruiter had been pushy, unprofessional, rude and very insistent on her attending the interview. She felt this recruiter was a reflection of the organisation they represented.

Here's the thing; I know the organisation and have represented them previous. Whilst the role is definitely not aligned with her direction, they are reputable, not dodgy, and in fact very professional. So the experience with the recruiter, combined with some word of mouth hearsay, has greatly affected the candidates perception and opinion of this company.

I wonder, how does the recruitment partner you chose impact a potential employee's perception of you and your business? If they are not positive, professional, knowledgeable and interested in long term solutions for all involved, are they your ideal partner?