5 Things to Consider Before Hiring a Staffing Agency
You’ve made the decision to HIRE a staffing agency…. Now what?
You need a team of dedicated employees working for you to ensure your workforce remains on track. Hiring a staffing agency is a positive move to which you will notice a high ROI almost immediately.
A staffing agency is going to do all the leg work in filling temporary positions for you so your businesses productivity goals, strategic plans and company budget can be focused on without interruption. Having such a vast variety of staffing agencies out there, offering low costs, or high job placement rates; how do you choose the right agency for your company? Consider these 5 tips and you will be well on your way!
1. Your needs and goals
Ask yourself, “What type of temporary employees do I need? For what type(s) of roles? How many employees do I need and by when, for how long?”. The answers to these questions will start your search. By identifying your company’s needs and goals for hiring you know where to begin in finding the best agency for your business. This agency will need to have experience working in your industry as well as a pool of great talent that you are hiring for. Knowing that your needs and goals align with the prospective agency’s will not only give you peace of mind, it will make for a strong partnership and mutual success.
2. Recruitment strategies
Learn the prospective agencies recruitment strategies. How do they recruit? Are they recruiting differently from you? Research the agency’s website, job postings, advertisements, social media feeds, are they present at job-fairs in your community? Ask for details. Observe their employee registration process and job offering techniques when placing a new employee out to work. Be sure to look for the agency’s understanding of your industry and knowledge of the roles you need.
3. Full-service options
Not all Staffing agency’s offer the same services. Are you looking for an agency to solely handle your recruitment and hiring needs or do you want them supporting your business specific new employee onboarding orientations, skills training, testing, or additional services? Knowing your service needs will narrow down your search to ensure you are getting what you need to meet your goals.
4. Transparency
Whether your initial interactions be in person, over the phone or through email messages, good staffing agency’s will be clear in their delivery at any point. Ensure what was promised was delivered in the contract. The contract should be received timely, be straight forward and include all your company’s needs and goals. Look for their commitments and guarantees, do they align with your needs? Be sure the mark up rate(s) match your set budgets and outlines what services you receive. Ask questions if clarification is needed, ensure you get the answers you need and feel good about.
5. Knowledge
Trust in any partnership is key. Trust in your staffing partner is critical. Staffing Agencies not only send workers out to work for you, they provide industry knowledge to ensure success in all areas. Be sure to learn about their market knowledge and how they plan to overcome current or future challenges. Share your company culture and know theirs. Both companies’ cultures should align to make sure you are both working towards the same type of big picture goals and share similar values in the workplace. It is important the agency is hiring people that fit within your Mission, Vision and Core Values. When culture is shared it takes the agency’s knowledge of your company to a whole new level that will only end in success for both parties.
Pairing up with the right staffing agency for your business is imperative to ensure the highest ROI for your company. This is a big undertaking so take your time and chose wisely by following these 5 considerations. Happy Hiring and Good Luck!
