Wait, what? A staffing company might not want to place someone?
This could seem like an odd thought to some people. I mean, the very purpose of staffing companies is to place people into jobs, right?
This is correct: staffing companies only get paid when they help someone gain employment, so it would be ideal to employ every person they encounter.
At the same time, a great staffing company builds its business on strong relationships and trust.
What does this have to do with placements?
1) Skills mismatch. If a staffing company tried to place a mechanic with an employer that hires nurses, the employers would stop trusting the staffing company’s ability to assess the skills of any candidate.
2) Attendance. When a staffing company places someone who is then fired for attendance issues, how can that staffing company trust that the person will reliably show up to the next job?
3) Short work stints. If you haven’t been able to keep past jobs for more than a year, how can I trust you to stay at this next job? If you have valid reasons for leaving jobs after a short time period, be clear about this upfront.
4) Rudeness. Being demanding, unreasonable, or a jerk does not build relationships nor does it make a staffing company want to work with you, even if you have great skills.
People like to think “it’s just business,” but the reality is that relationships and trust matter. We need to be able to rely on each other.
