A staffing agency, also known as a temp agency, is an organization that matches qualified candidates with companies that need short-term or permanent employees.
As a business owner, a staffing agency is your knight in shining armor when you need quality employees but need to figure out how to recruit them. Not only will the agency help you find your desired employees, but it will also take care of everything, from talent assessment to salary negotiations.
This post discusses how staffing agencies help companies recruit new talent and take the pressure of staffing off employers.
Here’s How The Process Works
1: Potential Talent Assessment
According to the United States Department of Labor, the wrong employee can cost up to 30 percent of an employee’s first-year earnings and sink a company in as little as one year.
One of the greatest perks of working with a staffing agency is the assessment services they offer, including:
- Assessing candidates for their soft and hard skills;
- Screening candidates to ensure they fit the company culture; and
- Performing psychometric tests, which measure personality, cognitive ability, and work behavior, indicates a candidate’s potential to exceed in a specific position.
By assessing potential employees, a staffing agency ensures that they match you with candidates that will perform the best and help your company reach new heights.
2: Interview Assistance
Interviews typically last between 45 and 90 minutes, during which you talk to the candidate about their history, skills, and education while assessing whether they are a good fit for your company.
If you do not have the time to conduct interviews and focus on your core business, you can count on a staffing agency to conduct interviews on your behalf. First, the agency will conduct a phone interview to ensure the candidates match the job description.
Then, after eliminating unqualified candidates, they will do a background check on selected candidates and invite them for an in-person interview. The agency knows the best interview to ask, so you can rest easy knowing that they will make a smart hiring decision.
3: Salary Negotiations
Have you ever found the perfect candidate and made a job offer only to discover that they expect more than what you offer? Working with a staffing agency can prevent such a scenario from happening.
Apart from a candidate’s skills, cognitive ability, and work behavior, a staffing agency has insight into a candidate’s salary expectations. The agency can help you arrive at a mutually acceptable salary, helping you seal the deal faster.
4: Faster and more Efficient Hiring
According to LinkedIn, only 30 percent of companies fill vacant roles within 30 days, while 70 percent take between 1 and 4 months to process new hires.
When you work with a staffing agency, your chances of filling an open job position in a shorter time are higher. Instead of rushing to find someone to fill a vacant position, a staffing agency will do the heavy lifting, including:
- Screening resumes;
- Communicating with shortlisted candidates;
- Conducting interviews; and
- Negotiating salaries.
A staffing agency Houston has a vast network of qualified candidates it can contact with an offer. It has insight into these candidates’ skills, abilities, and salary expectations, making it easier and faster for you to hire top talent.
5: Easier Temporary Hiring
Many companies are reluctant to hire full-time employees because they want flexibility, or the position might be short-term. In the United States alone, 2.1 percent of the workforce works temporarily.
If you need short-term staff, you can trust a staffing agency to find candidates that are willing to fill short-term positions. Chances are, your current employee may be on vacation or leave, and so if you do not want your production level to suffer, you should turn to a staffing agency to find you new talent that can work temporarily.
6: No Overhead Costs
If you have permanent employees in your company, you know that they cost more than the salary they get paid. 401k retirement plans, employer taxes, health care, vacation pay, and sick days are some of the costs included with permanent staff.
If you offer short-term work, a staffing agency can help you find temporary employees so you do not have to incur any overhead costs. Instead, you only have to pay the staff for their work with no additional overhead costs.
7: Handle Onboarding and Payroll
When you work with a staffing agency, you do not have to worry about onboarding and payroll. It is because staffing agencies take care of employee onboarding and paperwork, unemployment benefits, workers’ compensation, and payroll taxes.
8: Lower Hiring Risk
Working with a staffing agency takes away the risk of hiring employees. A staffing agency will do a background check on shortlisted candidates, ensure that all the legal obligations get met, and handle the financial risks.
Whether it is employee taxes or insurance coverage, the agency will handle it all for you. Sometimes, counting on internal recruitment practices can cost you money and give you problems.
Moreover, if an employee does not meet your expectations, you can contact the staffing agency, tell them about this, and they can send another employee over.
9: Expertise in Staffing
Apart from helping you find top talent, staffing agencies keep their fingers on the pulse of developments in the industry. They work round-the-clock with companies in different industries and are informed about everything in these industries, from skill requirements and salary benchmarks to candidate expectations and candidate surplus.
You can incorporate a staffing agency’s expertise and industry knowledge into your recruitment strategy. They are competent enough to guide you through the hiring process and find you the right person for the position.
Opt for a Staffing Agency in Houston
Hiring new talent can be challenging, but you do have to go through it alone. Working with a staffing agency allows you to find the perfect candidate and fill vacant positions faster.
You can focus on other matters that need your full attention while the agency handles assessments, interviews, negotiations, onboarding, and payroll. The agency will also save you money, which you can pump into other areas of your business. Opt for a staffing agency. Your company will thank you!
