Specialist vs Generalist Recruitment: Why Sector Depth Wins
Andrews Recruitment Group operates exclusively in four sectors. Here is exactly why that decision makes our clients more money.
The Generalist Problem
A generalist recruitment agency takes any role in any sector. This sounds like flexibility. In practice, it means a consultant who placed a retail manager last week is now trying to find a Clinical Psychologist or an Automation Engineer. They are searching the same public job boards you already have access to. They are not adding value — they are adding margin on top of your existing process.
The typical outcome: a flood of broadly matched CVs, slow screening, misaligned candidates, and a hire that works for 6 months before leaving. The recruiter gets paid. The client absorbs the cost.
What Specialist Recruitment Actually Looks Like
Pre-Market Candidate Access
Specialist recruiters know who is moving before it is public. Relationships built over years mean candidates tell them when they are open to a conversation — before they update LinkedIn or apply to a job board.
Instant Qualification
A specialist recruiter can assess a CV in 60 seconds because they know the sector, the employers, the routes in, and the red flags. A generalist reads job titles and guesses.
Salary Intelligence
Real-time salary data comes from doing deals in the market daily. Specialists benchmark accurately. Generalists pull salary surveys from the internet.
Candidate Trust
The best candidates trust specialist recruiters because they have sector knowledge worth the conversation. Generalists get ignored because candidates know they will be misrepresented.
Client Credibility
When a specialist recruiter meets a client, they already know the sector dynamics, the competitors, the candidate pool size, and the hiring challenges. This credibility saves weeks of briefing time.
Why ARG Only Operates in Four Sectors
Andrews Recruitment Group recruits exclusively across Mental Health, Building Materials, Industrial Engineering and M&E Engineering. Not because we couldn't expand — because expanding would dilute the depth that makes our placements stick.
Every consultant knows the candidate landscape in their sector deeply enough to know who is available, who is counteroffer-prone, who will be a culture fit, and who will interview well but underperform. That knowledge is earned over years of specialist work. It cannot be faked with a job title search.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a specialist agency more expensive than a generalist?
The headline fee may be similar, but the cost-per-successful-hire is almost always lower with a specialist. Fewer failed placements, faster time-to-hire, and better retention reduce total cost significantly.
What if my role spans multiple sectors?
ARG's four sectors are complementary. A Technical Director role in a mental health construction project, for example, might draw from multiple desks. We handle cross-sector roles with a coordinated approach.
How do I know if ARG covers my sector?
ARG operates in Mental Health, Building Materials, Industrial Engineering, and M&E Engineering. If your role falls within one of these four areas, we can almost certainly help.
Why would a candidate prefer a specialist recruiter?
Because specialist recruiters can actually represent them well. They understand the candidate's experience, know the employers worth approaching, and can negotiate from a position of genuine market knowledge.
Work with a Specialist
Across four sectors. Deep in every one. No generalists on this team.