Staffing agencies have a higher responsibility; they don’t just recruit candidates on behalf of a company. From checking references, screening resumes, shortlisting candidates, interviewing to placing qualified professionals in roles for which they’re ideally suited, recruiters work one-on-one with their client partners to attract top talent by determining the best cultural and disciplinary fit for each role.
Employers often determine that their HR departments alone may not always be able to find the best talent for open jobs in their organizations. When a short-term project demands new resources and internal resources don’t meet the criteria to fill the position, a staffing agency comes to the rescue. These agencies save employers from an excessive misuse of time, resources, and expenses.
Despite the general acceptance of staffing agencies in the marketplace, some organizations still retain skepticism. Explore the top nine reasons to work with a staffing firm:
Table of Contents
1: Pool of Resources
Staffing firms maintain a repository of talent, often through databases and long-standing professional connections. At an industry-specific agency (an IT staffing agency, for example), the talent pool includes all types of IT experts, many of whom have utilized the agency for previous contracts. This makes the talent pool vast, credible, and loyal. With the ability to draw on such a deep roster, an agency can produce a targeted list of candidates narrowed down on the basis of pertinent skillsets. The employer, upon receipt of such resumes, only has to interview those candidates to finalize their hiring decision.
2: Temp Placement
Time and again, employers need temporary employees to fill certain roles. These roles emerge when permanent staff is on leave (maternity leave, family emergency, sick leave) or when a short-term project requires leveraging additional staff.
Staffing firms give employers the flexibility to utilize candidates for short-term trial periods before committing to a hire.
3: Industry Knowledge
Staffing firms possess much more than a generalized knowledge of the industries they serve. Indeed, their teams often have a thorough understanding of various professional disciplines, new trends, and hiring best practices. When working with an industry-specific agency, an employer can feel confident in that agency’s ability to understand the detailed requirements of each open role.
A qualified agency will first meet with a potential client to better understand that company’s culture and long-term plan for growth. Only after formulating an accurate client outlook does the search for a candidate pool begin. While screening and interviewing candidates, recruiters will analyze the long-term goals and job expectations of each. This disciplined process enables them to pair the right candidate with the right organization, a veritable benefit for all involved.
4: Reduced Overheads
To say the least, hiring a new employee can be an expensive process. Apart from the salary for any given full-time role, a company also has to structure a 401k retirement plan, employer taxes, healthcare plans, and more. Staffing firms, above and beyond assisting in the search for an optimal hire, can also reduce the cost of contract-to-hire by assuming the responsibility of payrolling their candidates prior to hiring by the client. In this vein, an employer doesn’t have to worry about additional expenses associated with the role – they only pay for work done to their satisfaction.
5: Assistance with Onboarding
From job posting to sourcing, interviewing to post-placement paperwork, onboarding a new employee quickly becomes a complex task. In addition to the time and amount of money spent on training a new employee, this quickly costs more than a few thousand dollars in each case.
Staffing firms specialize in streamlining the onboarding process. They assist with paperwork, payroll setup, and employee training. Some agencies also work with employers to formulate talent acquisition strategies. These firms also give recommendations to optimize the onboarding process in the future.
6: Fill Positions Faster
Many small and medium businesses lack the time and resources to thoroughly vet candidates. In juggling this responsibility, they might also struggle to maintain daily operations. Working with a staffing firm is an easier and more expeditious approach to filling a role.
Agencies network and interview for a living – it’s their specialty. In collaborating with them, an employer is empowered to focus on core business operations, leaving the legwork of sourcing and hiring on their staffing partner.
7: Quality Employees and Higher Retention
In many cases, when a candidate is recruited through the assistance of an HR department, the retention rate is less than desirable. Conversely, hiring a candidate through a staffing firm radically reduces exposure to short-term retention, job abandonment, and inevitable termination.
Staffing firms engage in thorough communication with candidates and employers alike. They understand the need to ensure the best fit for all parties. They consider the expectations of their client and reflect on the ambitions of their candidates. This manifold approach minimizes the risk of hiring the wrong candidate for a role.
8: Improved Productivity
Spreading the word about the job opening, scanning resumes, compiling a list of candidates, screening, interviewing, and shortlisting – all of these tasks consume hours and hours of precious time. Failure to satisfy these responsibilities quickly results in error, fatigue, and frustration, a potent and corrosive mix. A lot of productive hours are lost when an organization takes the responsibility of screening candidates upon itself.
Staffing agencies boost an organization’s productivity. They specialize in identifying and cultivating top talent.
9: Unbiased Recruiting
Staffing firms are objective in their services. Throughout the process, they remain unbiased in search of a candidate who satisfies the cultural fit and other criteria critical to becoming a cultural best fit. Partnering closely with a reliable staffing partner adds immediate value to a fledgling company.
Conclusion
Partnering with a specialized agency like a manufacturing staffing agency or a general staffing firm is an invaluable decision. Staffing firms, because of their expertise, satisfy the demands of organizations by placing the most suited candidates for the role.
