Tips On Choosing An Agency To Help With Staffing

In any business, the key to success is having the right people in the right jobs. Staffing agencies can help you find the best workforce solution, giving you a pool of talented candidates when you need them.

There are many types of staffing agencies and each are designed to assist different types of companies – from boutique shops to Fortune 100 companies. Smaller agencies can give specialized attention and speed, where larger agencies can handle higher volume.

Tips:

• Ask for references: You ask candidates for references, why treat an agency any different?  Checking Glassdoor or Indeed is a great place to start.

• Ask about fees: Every staffing firm charges a percentage of the annual salary a candidate will earn as payment for service. The industry standard is 20-25%

• Ask about success: What percentage of open jobs do they fill? A high percentage shows they take job orders seriously instead of simply soliciting for business they don’t intend to fulfill.

• Ask about depth: How do they go about finding candidates? Does the majority of their candidates come from online searches?

• Ask about what they specialize in: Be wary of shops that staff everything from back office to highly technical positions. Without experience in the specific field, it is hard to vet whether or not a candidate is truly qualified.

• Ask about deliverability: How long does the agency normally take to find a handful of candidates? Is it hours, days, or weeks?

The overarching goal is to find a staffing partner that cares about their candidates. The more concern they show for candidates the more confidence you can have in their ability to deliver quality.

People are the most important asset to a company – relationship building can help determine more about an individual than an interview ever could.

Staffing agencies that have long-term relationships with candidates provide an invaluable service that cannot be matched.

Check out our related article: Why should I hire an agency to help with staffing?