If you’ve recently contracted with a staffing agency to meet your company’s hiring goals, you may be in new territory as the client rather than the provider of goods or services. However, as with any professional relationship, how well you and your agency recruiter work together can significantly affect your results.
As you pursue a common goal – hiring qualified staff to fill your open positions – consider some tips to help you get the most out of the experience.
Tips for Working with a Staffing Agency
Put Your Best Foot Forward
Request a kick-off meeting with your agency recruiter to ensure you’re both on the same page. At this meeting, review the services the staffing firm will provide and outline the responsibilities of everyone on the team.
Provide Clear Direction
Clarify the job requirements with your agency representative. Be as specific as possible about what you are looking for in your new employee and their proficiency levels, but don’t set unrealistic expectations, advises Avature. Choose three “must have” traits in the person who fills the role, plus a handful of skills and abilities that would be “nice to have.”
Your recruiter may find it helpful to know why recently hired candidates were chosen for similar roles.
You should also establish what you’re willing to pay your new employee. New York City, Nevada, and several other states and municipalities have wage transparency laws requiring that all job ads include a salary range.
Remain Engaged in the Process
Staffing firms agree that a collaborative approach to hiring is the most effective. In fact, according to a study by Deloitte, a strong relationship between the hiring manager and recruiter was the most critical factor determining a talent acquisition team’s success.
Establish Regular Communication
Let your agency partner know how frequently you would like to connect.
During these sessions, provide honest feedback regarding what you see as the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses. This will help your recruiter narrow the search.
Also, let your recruiter know your communication preferences. Would you like to connect by phone, email, text, or a team messaging app like Slack or Microsoft Teams? Are there certain days or times of day that are better than others?
Set Timelines
Work together to determine the time frame within which you would like to accomplish each step in the hiring process. Hiring agencies tend to move quickly because they already have a talent pool ready and waiting to tap. However, be prepared to adjust the timeline.
Positive Results
Working honestly and collaboratively with your staffing agency, providing clear direction, and regular communication is the best route to successful hiring.
If you’re having difficulty hiring, your HR department is overwhelmed, or you need to fill multiple positions fast, contact STS Staffing to find out how we can help you reach your staffing goals.