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Benefits of Hiring Through a Staffing Agency

Lisa Yannett Companies Comments Off

There are many benefits of using a staffing agency. A staffing agency is inherently designed to benefit companies who hire new employees frequently or are constantly searching for specifically qualified candidates.

Staffing agencies typically have a niche or specialty that they exclusively hire for. For example, Horizon Staffing, located in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, specializes in light industrial positions. That means that if you need to hire for your distribution center, you should consider giving them a call, but if you’re a hospital looking for nurses, they probably won’t be able to connect you to the right candidates.

No matter the company, location, or position there is a staffing agency that can help connect your company with qualified candidates.

What do staffing agencies do?

Staffing agencies build a database of candidates. After meeting with a new client (hiring company) to get the specifics of what candidate the company is looking for and descriptions of the positions that need to be filled, the staffing agency then combs their database for candidates who match these specifications.

If one is not found, the recruiters then advertise the position to receive new applications. These new applicants undergo a screening process to determine their qualifications, skills, and eligibility to work.

During this entire process, the client does not have to do anything. When the staffing agency locates a qualified candidate, they then send them to the client for either a second interview or to start work immediately.

If you’re looking for more information about staffing agencies, check out the American Staffing Association for current statistics, trends, and news regarding staffing agencies.

Benefits of a Staffing Agency

1. Time:

Staffing agencies have spent years building their database of candidates. They have access to significantly more candidates than you will find with a simple job search. Where it could take you weeks to locate a qualified candidate, staffing agencies could have the right person sitting in their database.

Not to mention, all of the paperwork that comes with a new employee would be handled by the staffing agency. Not only are you saving time finding the candidate, but also after they are hired.

2. Expertise:

Another benefit of using a staffing agency is their expertise.

While you know best what candidate you need, staffing agencies know best how to find them. Because their sole job is to search through applications and locate qualified candidates, they know the market and trends. Even though staffing agencies have specific niches, they come into contact with more than one type of group of people, unlike a company’s human resource department.

Not to mention, your HR department probably has other responsibilities and can’t dedicate 8 hours a day to searching for a new employee. Staffing agencies can.

3. Cost:

This goes hand in hand with saving you time. If your HR department doesn’t have to dedicate the time to find a new employee, you don’t have to allocate the money to pay them for it. Also, costs related to marketing the open position would fall to the staffing agency instead of you.

4. Network:

It’s already been said, but let’s say it again. Staffing agencies have built an extensive database of job seekers. They have access to a larger network of candidates than the average HR department. While some positions will need to marketed, many positions are filled with existing candidates within the staffing agency’s database.

5. Retention:

There is a reason staffing agencies are commonly known as temp agencies, but it probably isn’t what you think. They aren’t called ‘temp agencies’ because their turnover rate is high. Rather, the name comes from the fact that most employees hired through staffing agencies start as a temporary employee.

After a trial period where they are able to learn the process, company, and position before they are offered a permanent position. When you hire through a staffing agency, the employee is on the staffing agency’s payroll, not yours, until they become a permanent employee. This means that if the employee quits before becoming a permanent employee, this doesn’t affect your turnover rate.

6. Providing resources and guidance:

Staffing agencies have experienced recruiters who know the ins and outs of the hiring process. They provide resources and guidance to job seekers including resume and cover letter tips and dressing for an interview.

Learn more about the benefits of using a staffing agency for job seekers here.

How to Calm Interview Nerves in 2 Easy Steps

Lisa Yannett Interview Tips,Uncategorized 1 Comment

I wish there was a superfood or magical drink I could recommend that would calm your nerves during an interview. Unfortunately, scientists haven’t invented it yet. However, there is one sure fire way to walk into an interview with confidence and walk out of it feeling even better – PREPARE.

I can GUARANTEE that if you adequately prepare more than just the day before the interview, you will exude confidence and leave those pre-interview nerves in the trash. But telling you to prepare is kind of vague, so let me break it down for you.

Research

PLEASE. I beg you. Do NOT go into an interview without researching the company and its employees. Here are some ways you can research any company.

Website – Read the company’s website. I don’t mean look at it or check out the home page. I mean READ the website. Go to every page and read the content from top to bottom. Look at their most recent blog posts and think of ways you can mention them in the interview.
Search – Do a Google or Bing search of the company and look for articles written about them recently. Identify achievements or groundbreaking work they are doing. These are great things to bring up in the interview and will show your genuine interest in the company, not just the job.
Social Media – Find the company on social media and look at what they post about. You can go one step further and engage with some of the posts. You never know, the social media manager may be present during the interview and recognize your name from the notifications.
LinkedIn – I separate this from social media because LinkedIn allows you to see who the employees are for a company and connect with them. If you really want to show interest in joining the company, send connection requests with the employees listed on LinkedIn. If they accept your connection, scroll through the content they’ve shared. These could be great icebreakers.

Practice

Doing your research isn’t enough. Just like with anything you want to excel at, you need to practice. But practice what? Here are some things to frequently practice at least a week before you interview.

Answers – All interviews are intended to gather information, so most of the questions are similar no matter the position. Practice your answers to some of the most common interview questions (Tell me about yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Why did you leave a previous position? How will you be an asset for our company? What makes you different than other applicants?) There is nothing more nerve-wracking than being asked a question and sitting there in silence for minutes while you try and pull together an answer.
Questions – You may think that an interview is a chance for the recruiter to interrogate you, but it is a chance for them to get to know you and you to get to know the company better. Prepare some questions about the company and the position you are interviewing for.
- How would you describe the office environment here?
- Why is this position available (Is this a new position or did someone leave it? Why did they leave?)
- How will you measure success in this position?
- What opportunities are there for growth within the company?
Basics – This may seem childish, but practice introducing yourself and your handshake. From the moment the recruiter calls you back to the conference room for the interview, you can show confidence. Your handshake is a sure-fire way to start the interview with confidence. Practice standing up and shaking someone’s hand. Get your friends and family to help you. Don’t wait for them to extend their hand to you. Reach your hand out first and show that you mean business.

If you want to add an extra WOW factor during your interview, put together a leave behind. Learn more about that by clicking here to read last week’s blog post!

Tag: recruiting