Hiring right now is hard. The talent pool is historically tight and fast-moving. Even those companies that are making hires are experiencing higher-than-normal turnover, as new hires find opportunities better aligned with pay, benefits, and scheduling needs. We’re hopeful that the talent pool will grow come fall as more folks return to work. However, the truth is that nobody is sure how the situation will play out for the foreseeable future.
If you’re planning to hire this year, chances are you’re going to have to work harder to be successful today than in the past. The good news is that help is available. You should consider partnering with a staffing agency if:
Your organization does not have a dedicated recruitment team
Even in the best of circumstances making a good, lasting hire takes a lot of time, effort and money. Staffing agencies have the resources, experience and personnel to ease the hiring burden. While it’s true that we’re all seeing challenges (our time-to-hire has gone up, too), at the end of the day sourcing, recruiting, and staffing good people is what we are focused on one hundred percent of the time – and we’re good at it! An effective staffing partner will lower your hiring costs and reduce time-to-fill, while bringing in high-quality employees.
Your HR team is filling multiple open roles on an ongoing basis
If your HR team is stretched thin, a staffing agency can lessen the workload and improve the hiring process by acting as an extension of the team. Whether your team needs support sourcing quality candidates, screening and testing applicants, or managing payroll for a contract workforce, a staffing partner can help. Allowing HR teams to then focus on the onboarding experience can help reduce turnover, as new employees feel more fully supported. And, partnering with a staffing agency provides your company with a competitive advantage via an extensive network of otherwise untapped talent.
You’re hiring for a position requiring a niche skillset
Landing candidates who fulfill niche skillset requirements in today’s talent market is – you guessed it – difficult. Not only is there strong competition to attract these individuals, but the competition is actively getting stronger. Hiring employers are increasingly raising pay rates and implementing new benefits and incentives in order to attract top talent. An effective staffing partner will save you time, money and resources by both acting as a labor market consultant and providing faster access to high-quality candidates (who often aren’t on the job market for long). A tenured recruiter will have relationships with passive candidates (employed or unemployed, but not actively looking for new work) covering a wide variety of niche skillsets.
Your business operations are scaling up and you need to fill support positions quickly
The ability to employ temporary or temporary-to-hire employees via a staffing partner allows companies to scale faster and with lower overhead costs. This is particularly relevant when hiring for entry- to mid-level support roles like administrators, data entry clerks, and sales and customer service reps. As assignments end the staffing agency takes care of everything – including employee management and unemployment paperwork if an employee needs to be let go. And, with a temporary-to-hire agreement, you can choose to keep on only top performers post-project.
You have seasonal high-volume staffing needs
If you have seasonal staffing needs start planning early this year! The competition for seasonal talent is likely to be extremely strong, and you’ll want to be prepared. How will your company attract the talent you need? Not sure? We’d love to chat and share local labor market trends and current best practices. Partnering with a staffing agency provides you with easier access to talent, allows for a faster onboarding process, and reduces your payroll management burden. And, again, with a temporary-to-hire agreement, you can choose to keep on only top performers post-season.
You’re hiring for light industrial or production or warehouse -type positions
Hiring in most industries is tough right now. Hiring for warehouse roles continues to be exceptionally difficult. Companies across the board are experiencing low applicant rates, candidate ghosting and job abandonment at unprecedented levels. Staffing agencies have networks of pre-screened individuals who are ready to work – as well as the resources to source new, qualified talent outside of job board websites (our biggest single source of new candidates is referrals!).
Hiring for professional roles? We have one more consideration: As we progress into the fall keep in mind that individuals interested in moving into a new role will be less willing to transition by October, so as not to miss out on a holiday bonus or holiday pay with their current employer.
Increase your chance of making successful hires by getting the staffing conversation started as soon as possible!