Why Use A Staffing Agency?

Well...the short answer is, "Why not?"

Hahaha...wouldn't that make my life so much easier?

In all seriousness, I'd like to discuss today some benefits that companies will find with using a staffing agency to fill their positions as opposed to recruiting and screening on their own.

I'll start with small-to-mid-sized companies. These are companies where, generally, there is little to no HR presence. The owner or office manager handles hiring and firing and keeping up with compensation and payroll. In companies like this, there are rarely individuals in the company that exist solely to recruit and screen top talent. Companies like this generally are very self-sufficient and don't need anyone to tell them what to do, when to do it, or how to do it. But here is the pitfall of companies like this. There is always a time when the hiring owner or office manager is busy with a big project or an important customer and doesn't have a lot of time to devote to hiring. What happens if a crucial hiring MUST take place during this hectic time? Your star receptionist quits just as a new client is coming in to town to tour the facility and decide whether or not you get a big contract. Maybe your biggest client throws a massive order in your lap that is going to require more work from EVERYONE - either including or especially those hiring managers.

How will those one or two people in charge find the time to: post the job, review 50 resumes, interview 10 candidates, screen 10 candidates, make an offer, and greet the new person? Sound impossible? It probably is. Chances are if the company is able to make it happen on their own they will rush the decision and make a bad choice. Or skip an important step. Any number of issues could come up!

THIS is when this company needs to call on an agency. A good relationship with a staffing agency could drop the workload down to: make a call, greet the new employee. Of course, many companies choose to be a BIT more involved in the hiring process, but even if the process goes to: make a call, review 3 resumes, interview 1 candidate, greet the new person - think of the time and trouble that has been saved!

Of course agencies are not just for the small companies.

Large companies with huge money in a recruiting department should have this type of thing handled, right? Well, sure, but there are certainly always possibilities for a staffing agency with a large company as well. Of course the easiest scenario is the vacation and sick fill-in option. You do not want to hire a whole new employee just because one administrative assistant needs to take a week off around Christmas. A staffing agency can easily fill that position for you and simply send an invoice at the end of the week. No payroll expenses, check-cutting, or workers' compensation insurance to hassle with.

As far as long-term assignments - if you are paying in-house recruiters $50-75,000 per year because you need their expertise in hiring high level engineers and technical sales professionals, do you really want to refocus that expense on mail clerks and janitors? Large companies with specialty products or services often run high-dollar recruiting desks in order to find the needle-in-the-haystack professionals that are the top in their field. Let that investment work for what it was designed to do instead of weighing it down with monotonous and routine hiring decisions.

Finally, let's look from a candidate's perspective. Why should an individual come to an agency when looking for employment? The answer is obvious if you are looking for temporary or here-and-there employment. A resume filled with 1 week tenure is not going to benefit you in the future. A staffing agency can remain on your resume for as long as you are registered and available for work. Sure you may have worked at 8 different client locations, but ONE agency on your resume shows the kind of commitment and tenure that employers are looking for. What about those individuals looking for long-term employment? Why is a staffing agency much easier to deal with? The answer is, simply, that there is only ONE of us. When you are in the market for a job you can put your resume out to literally hundreds of companies. You can expect a call back from less than half of these. Then you get to question those callers about their benefits and salaries. Decide from there if you would like to interview with that company. And after all of that, maybe you will get an offer worthy of an acceptance.

When working with an agency a candidate will tell one company (and generally one individual) what their requirements for a job are. How quickly they need to work, how much money they need, and the benefits that they prefer are all kept in mind and the agency goes out and sorts through opportunities. Only those pre-screened opportunities will generally ever make it back to you.

For more information about how a staffing agency could help you find employment or find employees, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'll be happy to speak with you!