What to Look for in the Best Staffing Agency

Choosing the best staffing agency goes well beyond simply finding someone that can fill your open positions. The sheer number of hiring firms available can leave you with more questions than answers, but there are tips for helping you find the right one for your needs. With the right agency, your business can create an effective recruitment program that helps your company find the right talent for any position. With the many choices available, knowing what to look for in your perfect recruitment agency limits the potential partnerships and gives you the guidance you need to make informed decisions.

Determine What You Want to Outsource

The first step in choosing a staffing agency is determining your hiring requirements and functions, and which of those you want the firm to handle. If you want to improve potential candidates for each position, look for companies that forward all relevant applicants to you for review. Other firms provide the top candidates for review after their own interview processes, reducing the time spent going through resumes. If you want to completely streamline the hiring process, look for organizations that handle pre-screening, skills tests and background checks for you. It’s also important to consider your actual staffing needs. Some agencies focus on temporary hires for peak and other short-term projects, while others assist with filling critical roles on your team. Once you’ve figured out your needs, the following tips on choosing a staffing firm will help you narrow down your choices and choose the right option for your company.

Choose a Staffing Agency That Matches Your Talent Requirements

The right staffing agency for your company provides workers that meet your needs. There are agencies that focus on specialized, niche-based areas. These locations find talent in a smaller network, which could limit the potential candidates you receive. Others have much larger networks and less focus on specific skill sets. Firms with larger networks tend to provide more possible hires across a range of backgrounds. If you have varying positions to fill, larger networks tend to work better as you can consider workers that have a variety of backgrounds. Choosing a staffing agency with a larger pipeline of potential candidates increases your chances of finding talent that matches your requirements. Additionally, these companies work with multiple industries and disciplines, which broadens the types of positions they can fill for long-term relationships.

Find Agencies That Provide the Depth of Their Recruiting Process

If you are considering a staffing agency, it makes sense that you want to work with one that does more than just online searches for candidates. When speaking with different companies, ask how they go about finding recruits. The best staffing agency is one that explains their sourcing process, including the various channels used for finding talent, how they use contacts and whether they accept referrals. Most companies that use multiple channels will take the time to explain their process depth and how that helps you find candidates.

Fee Transparency

If you are paying a fee for someone else to handle your hiring, you need to know how that money works for you. Anyone can perform a Google search and come up with resumes and recruits. These types of agencies send workers with which they have had very little contact, and typically no relationships. While this may work for some businesses, if you have specific roles to fill, it might not be the best choice for your business. The perfect recruitment agency should list the steps they use to find candidates, including whether they go through an interview or only a screening process before they are sent on to you. The agency should also take the time to go over any contracts and fees to explain what you get for the return on your investment. This should also include their methods for reporting metrics to you that show a valid ROI throughout your partnership.

Consider Fill Times

The best staffing agency for your business will align with your hiring needs. If you need quick turnaround times when filling positions, an agency that promises candidates within a week might not be the best fit. Niche agencies often have longer fill times after receiving your order since their hiring pool is smaller. Businesses with high turnover rates or that have a variety of positions that need filled throughout the year will find that larger firms better meet their needs. In many cases, these agencies can find potential candidates within one or two days, which helps with filling emergency and quick-project positions. Choosing a staffing agency that works closely with your company and is aware of all the potential positions helps ensure that qualified candidates are available when you need them.

Look for a Dedicated Team

One of the most important tips on choosing a staffing firm is making sure that the company you work with understands your business. Some agencies rely on a group of employees to meet your needs. Others take a hands-on approach that includes a single contact point with your business. These firms work closely with you to understand your brand and staffing needs. The best staffing agency takes the time for on-site visits so they can see first-hand what you need in an employee. These visits should include walk-throughs that show the firm how your daily processes work. Consider agencies that include a backup team so that someone can handle your requests even if the main contact is unavailable.

Key Performance Indicators

Once you narrow down your choices for staffing agencies, you can further narrow the field by requesting key performance indicator (KPI) information. This should include how many recruiters work with each account representative, a breakdown of cost for each hire and the company’s time-to-hire. These KPIs will help you find the perfect recruitment agency to work with for long-term contracts. Other agencies provide additional information like the quality of their hires, how many submittals they provide per placement and the size of their talent pools. Finding the best staffing agency for your business can seem like a daunting task with all the options available. Carefully considering your needs and what you expect from a firm helps you narrow the field so that you only look into the options that meet your needs. Following these tips on choosing a staffing firm provides you with a plan so you know exactly what to look for before making a decision. Once you choose an agency, the right one will save you time and still provide highly qualified candidates for each position in your organization.