One of my favorite quotes is, “How hard can it be?” Many weekend projects have started with that phrase and ended up taking far longer than a weekend to complete.
Hiring is like that weekend project: it’s more difficult than it seems like it should be. And that’s why companies work with staffing firms: to help them with this critical and yet complicated task.
Although we always do our best to help the best we can, we also understand that using a staffing agency might not be your best move at the time. To help you figure out if we can help or if it might not be a great fit at the exact moment, here are some of the pros and cons of working with a staffing agency.
Pros of working with a staffing agency
Supply the resources you might not have
Smaller companies might not have the internal resources to find and interview people. Many clients of Staffing Support Specialists fall in this category: we have the systems in place to attract job seekers and match them to the right openings.
Think of us as more of a partner than just another staffing agency. We can help cover the gaps that you might have in terms of resources but you still get to make decisions that best suit your needs.
Cover the areas where you might struggle
Some organizations might find onboarding a challenge. A staffing firm can be a critical resource to ensure that background checks, drug testing, and required forms are properly completed. Larger companies might need outside assistance with sudden growth or hiring for a specialized position. And a temp-to-perm model, where the staffing firm is the employer for the first 90 days, helps both the employee and employer know they have made a good choice.
Whatever the hole that needs filling, we can help adjust our strategy to you which is one of the main benefits of working with a staffing agency, we can be adaptable to your specific situation.
Potential cons of working with a staffing agency
Unique pay structure
People are often confused by staffing companies because many different types of staffing companies exist. At the same time, they may not all have the same compensation plan so it’s important to look at it carefully.
Staffing services should be free for you as an employee. A staffing company should be paid by the employer, not the employee.
I thought this was 100% true, at least for our region. However, just last week I heard about a local agency that charges their employees a fee, in addition to employers. If you are going to work with a new agency, definitely ask about this.
Pushing to get a deal done
The more an employee is paid, the more money the staffing company makes. This seems like a good thing because we all like earning more money.
However, I personally experienced the downside of this many years ago, when a recruiter tried talking me into a job I didn’t want. Later, I discovered that he would make a large fee if I took that position.
Great staffing companies will care about finding the right match for both the employee and the employer, regardless of compensation.
Staffing Support Specialists does not compensate its Placement Coordinators based on placement fees, specifically to remove this as a potential conflict of interest.
The company you like might not work with a staffing agency
One staffing company works with multiple – but not all – employers. There are always employers in your region who do not work with staffing companies. As much of a bummer that can be at times, especially if you really want to work at a specific company, staffing companies are a great one-stop-shop for exposure to many jobs at the same time.
When you work with Staffing Support Specialists, we try to help in all the best ways we can and know that at some points it might not be the best fit, but we believe that we can help many people either with their hiring process or help individuals find the role that best suits them!