In today’s economy, usage of outside agencies to recruit has decreased. Yet, now more than ever, using staffing professionals is the smart move. Sure, people are more concerned about how to cut their costs and reduce employees than hiring new employees. That’s the business climate today. However, even though staffing has had a downturn this past year there are still compelling reasons for companies to use staffing firms. Exploring the many reasons, read on…we’ve pulled together some pros and cons here.
1. More People looking for Jobs Means more Résumés to Screen.
The common thought is “Wow, I have thousands of resume’s coming in why would I use a recruiter?” Yes, with the economic slowdown there are a lot more people looking for work, some have been out there looking for six months or more and are desperate to take a job, any job. Does that mean you should hire them? Not necessarily. You should still go through your due diligence of screening and interviewing to find that perfect candidate. The new issue is, however, that you have to run far more candidates through the process to find the one you want. Also, good people are still in high demand. Those exceptional people still disappear quickly even in a poor economy. Using a recruiting service can take the strain out of sifting through thousands of resumes, finding the exceptional candidates and selling them on your company – all as swiftly as possible.
2. Free up Resources for Your Business.
If you are like most companies you have pared down your staff and are running your business as lean as possible. Your managers and staff are tightly focused on your business or they’re stepping in for people who are no longer there. Recruiting takes a lot of time and effort, sifting through hundreds if not thousands of résumés, calling and screening, arranging interviews, selling candidates on your business, and negotiating and closing the deal. Many savvy companies realize that their people’s time is valuable and better spent concentrating on their business than screening and looking through résumés. Staffing firms have people specially trained in recruitment and can much more efficiently process potential candidates than in house staff.
3. Let those with the technical skills make the recommendation.
Many times, HR departments and HR recruiters do not have the technical knowledge to correctly and accurately identify appropriately skilled candidates. They can’t screen those who lack necessary skills from consuming valuable time and resources. As a Technical Staffing and Consulting firm we employ the talent that has skills both in recruitment and the technology for which we are recruiting. This allows us to quickly assess an individual’s skill set and aptitude. The best technical recruiters stay abreast of the latest technological trends, tools, software. As a result, they know just what to look for when they see a position or project description.
4. Free up hiring managers' time.
In most organizations, HR merely receives or collects candidate résumés and fails to do targeted searches and recruiting. They look for keywords on the position description. Very seldom do HR department recruiters possess technical experience themselves (through no fault of their own - that is simply the nature of the industry). As a result, unqualified candidates who appear to have appropriate skills and experience move forward through the hiring process, receive a phone screen (or maybe even an onsite interview with a hiring manager and/or an entire review team) only to discover this person was unqualified. With technically experienced recruiters seriously discerning and sifting through countless résumés, you can insure only qualified candidates are in front of the hiring managers and/or review teams. This is especially true with the large number of candidates looking for work.
5. Go directly to the source.
In most cases, HR will post a need on the corporate website. They may also post on a nationwide job board (i.e. Monster.com). They probably will not have the time, the resources or the network to do what is called a "targeted" recruiting. Many recruiters will personally know who is qualified, who is happy where they are, who is looking for the next opportunity and who has the skills and talent needed to do more than their current position requires."Targeted" recruiting requires the professional knowledge of candidates and is dependent upon the technical and personal knowledge of those in the industry. "Passive" recruiting - recruiting relying upon jobs postings of the aforementioned company sites and job boards - is dependent upon those candidates who might be looking on those Web sites.
6. Selection accuracy.
Many HR departments are charged with only a few technical hires per year. Staffing agencies and recruiting firms work on countless positions every day. They know what to look for and can spot "red flags" in resumes or interviews.
7. Access to resources.
While large job boards or resume posting sites exist, they are expensive - especially if they are used for just a few technical positions per year. Staffing agencies and recruiting firms have the subscriptions, resources, contacts, associations and connections essential in quickly identifying the right person for the right need.
8. Economically beneficial.
While there may be a recruiting fee to quickly identify the right candidate for the position/project requirements, it costs comparatively less than doing it directly. When weighed against the costs involved in the search for an individual (one that may not work out) and getting that person up to speed, engaging a staffing agency or recruiting firm may be just the solution you need to get that position filled or project completed.
The points are clear. The bottom line: as the economic shift has changed the way businesses recruit, it hasn’t changed the gains that continue through use of technical staffing firms. It still gets the job done more quickly and efficiently than managing it on your own. You can read more about our staffing services on our company site.