How a Temp Staffing Agency Can Find Qualified Candidates Faster Than Doing It Yourself
17 May 2013 | No Comments | posted by Chantal Van Maren | in Staffing
Let’s take a look at the do-it-yourself process of finding temp workers for your business. First, you have to write a job post and post it to various web sites and job boards. Then you have to wait until people respond to your post. The problem is, however, that most people looking for jobs on job boards are looking for permanent jobs, not temp jobs. So your pickings may be very slim if you have pickings at all.
Next, you have to interview your candidates, and this takes time out of your busy workday. You might find someone appropriate for the temp job, but then you have to train that person. And by the time you get your worker hired into the job, it’s been several days, if not weeks, and you’ve spent a great deal of time (and money, since you couldn’t work on your own projects).
But let’s say you couldn’t find a good candidate through your job postings. This often happens with temporary jobs posted by the employer. Then you have to ask around and find out if anyone knows someone who can work for just a short period of time. Often, the only people who come to mind are students home from college or people who are currently out of work. Again, these candidates might work out well for you, but then again, they might not.
A temp staffing agency can handle this cumbersome task quickly and easily. A temp staffing agency has systems in place to find candidates the moment a client calls needing help. These people are already screened and tested and their work papers are filled out and ready to go. The temp staffing agency can even help to train them before they show up at your place of business for their work shifts.
A temp staffing agency doesn’t have to post job listings or wait for applications to roll in. They’ve already done this work ahead of time. That’s why you can call your temp staffing agency today and have a worker show up tomorrow, ready to increase productivity at your business.
So, once again, here are the ways a temp staffing agency can find qualified candidates faster than you can find them yourself:
- A temp staffing agency has already performed background checks and interviewed candidates
- A temp staffing agency has tested workers and knows which people have the appropriate skills for your job
- A temp staffing agency has a deep network of qualified workers in your area
- A temp staffing agency specializes in filling temporary positions quickly
5 Ways a Temp Staffing Agency Can Help Increase Productivity for Special Projects
13 May 2013 | No Comments | posted by Heather Dowell | in Staffing
One of the best-kept business secrets is using a temp staffing agency to help with special projects. Special projects can do wonders for businesses. Sponsoring booths at trade shows, hosting charity events, expanding your business into new avenues, and reorganizing your office are all projects that can give your business a boost but are difficult to pull off without extra help. A temp staffing agency can supply that extra help, giving you the opportunity to pursue special projects without taxing your regular work force.
Take a look at the following five ways a temp staffing agency can help increase productivity for special projects.
1. Fresh Enthusiasm.
If your current employees have lost their enthusiasm for a project, bringing in some temp workers can give the project new life. New perspectives and ideas can rejuvenate the entire team, giving your project the boost it needs. Also, your regular employees may be tired of working on their regular jobs as well as the special project. By supplying them with extra help from a temp staffing agency, you will increase your regular employees’ productivity in addition to adding more productivity through your temp workers.
2. Immediate Help.
Special projects don’t always come when you’ve had time to prepare for them. Sometimes, opportunities present themselves that could give your company a boost–if you can pull them off in a short period of time. If you find yourself in this situation, go ahead and say “yes” to the project, knowing that a temp staffing agency can supply you with able, qualified workers to help you achieve your goals. A temp staffing agency can find workers for you immediately and send them to you ready to work and make your special project a success.
3. Flexibility.
Maybe your special project requires evening or weekend work, and your current employees don’t have the flexibility to cover all the hours required. A temp worker who prefers evenings and weekends may be the solution to your problem. If possible, have your temp workers help out with the project during regular work hours to get trained and familiar with your systems. Then, enjoy the scheduling flexibility available to you with the addition of temp workers.
4. Specialized Skills.
When your company takes on special projects, you may need the help of people with specialized skills that no one in your workforce currently has. A temp staffing agency can find a person with the skills you need who can help you for as long (or as short) as you need the person. A good temp staffing agency will test workers to learn about their abilities, so you can rest assured that the temp can handle the assignment.
5. Try On a New Size.
Sometimes, special projects can lead to a new arm of your business. For example, an interior design company may currently work with only residential customers, but a local hotel asks if the company is interested in working on one of their commercial projects. The owner of the interior design company is excited about the possibility of expanding into commercial projects but doesn’t know if the time is right for expansion. By using temporary workers, this owner could try out the new, larger size and see if the company is ready. If not, the temporary workers are just that: temporary. If it works out, however, nothing is lost, and the expansion can be pursued without hesitation.
The Top 5 Ways a Temp Staffing Agency Can Help with High Volume Staffing Needs
6 May 2013 | No Comments | posted by Jeff Roth | in Staffing
Summer is upon us, and many businesses will soon find themselves in the situation of needing high volume staffing. If your business needs an influx of workers from time to time, a temp staffing agency can fill your needs and keep you running smoothly, even through your busiest seasons.
Temp staffing agencies are equipped to handle your fluctuating staffing needs, whether your needs arise because of employee illness and maternity leave or because you have special projects requiring a lot more help. Whatever the reason, check out the following top five ways a temp staffing agency can help with high volume staffing needs.
Immediate Help
When you need workers on site right away, the best thing to do is to call a temp staffing agency. If you try to find last-minute workers yourself, you’ll end up settling for workers who may or may not have the skills, experience, and interest you need. Temp staffing agencies have already screened their workers and filled out the necessary paperwork, so when you need a worker, there’s no hesitation. You call them up, and they send a qualified worker to you immediately.
Business as Usual
When you use temp workers to fill in during busy times, your regular employees can continue to do their normal jobs without taking on additional responsibilities. This means that your company can continue to operate at its normal pace, even when your volume is high. You won’t feel stressed, your regular employees won’t feel stressed, and you’ll be able to handle your high volume times with grace and ease.
Ability to Tackle Large Projects
When you have a good working relationship with a temp staffing agency, you can feel free to tackle larger projects, knowing that you can always get the extra help you need. Want to have a booth at a trade show? Hire a couple of temp workers to keep things running at the trade show while your regular employees keep the business running smoothly at the office. Want to take on a larger-than-normal project to see if expansion is a good idea? Hire some temp workers to try the new larger operation on for size before you make any hard-and-fast commitments.
Specialty Workers
One of the problems with hiring extra people for high volume times is that you may not be able to find the specialty workers you need. If just any old worker will do, you can usually find somebody. But if you need workers with special skills and experience, you’ll need the help of a temp agency. Temp staffing agencies screen all of their workers to find out which skills, education, and certifications each person has. With all of this information, it’s easy for a temp agency to find just the right people to help you during your high volume times.
Minimal Training
Bringing on temp workers can be stressful if they require a great deal of training. Your regular employees may have a difficult time getting their own work done if they have to spend several days training the temps. This is another area where temp staffing agencies can help. They can conduct training for your jobs at the agency before the temp workers ever show up at the job site. Then, once the temps are well-trained, they can show up and begin working productively from the very start.
5 Reasons to Use a Temp Staffing Agency
3 May 2013 | No Comments | posted by Chantal Van Maren | in Staffing
Using a temp staffing agency is a great way to increase your productivity while saving time and money. Temp staffers can be used to fill in for absent employees, bolster your work force during a busy period, or to help out on large or demanding projects. If you haven’t used temp staffing before, you may be looking for a good reason to start. Listing all the benefits of a temp staffing agency would take too much time, but here are five good reasons to get you started.
Cost
The D0-It-Yourself approach isn’t as inexpensive as you may think. Temp staffing agencies have twin benefits: years of hiring experience, and economies of scale. They spend all day, every day, engaged in the hiring process. From candidate searches to pre-employment screenings, they do it all—and they do it efficiently. Since they provide temps for hundreds of employers, the cost of the hiring process is divided among a huge group. Instead of shouldering the cost of finding the right candidate yourself, you can share the cost with other businesses that are looking for different candidates.
Convenience
The hiring process is an inconvenience. Even more so if you’re only looking for an employee for a few days or weeks. With a temp staffing agency, you can bypass the inconvenience and remain focused on your core business objectives. While it’s up to you to decide your level of involvement, the entire process can be as simple as a single telephone call. If you have clear criteria for the position you’re trying to fill, you can simply give the temp agency the necessary information, and leave the rest to them. They have qualified applicants ready to go, so all they have to do is match your requirements with their existing pool, and your temp can be on-site in hours. And, since they have such a large pool of qualified applicants, it’s easy to get multiple temps—even on short notice.
Expertise
Temp staffing agencies are experts at finding the best candidates for their clients. That expertise ensures that temps who arrive on your doorstep have the education, experience, training, background and commitment necessary to start working immediately. As employees of the temp staffing agency, the staffing agency has already completed the necessary paperwork, background checks, and pre-employment screenings.
What if you don’t know what you’re looking for? Maybe you need some help, but aren’t sure exactly what candidate would best fit your needs. With their expertise, a staffing agency can help you identify critical needs and put together a profile for the ideal candidate. Then, the agency can take that profile, and find the candidate to fill that role.
Risk
The key word in “Do-it-Yourself” is “yourself.” If you take a DIY approach, all of the risk is on you. You could spend a lot of time and money finding a candidate, just to have them show up unprepared, or not show up at all. You’re stuck with the losses that went into finding them. And, since the role is still unfilled, you get to do it all over again. With a temp staffing agency, staffers can quickly be replaced using the existing pool of applicants—saving you time and inconvenience.
Reward
A quality temp staffing agency is much more than just an employment service. They are experts in all aspects of hiring, including employment laws and regulations. They can advise you on matters related to personnel, and even offer advice on potential labour issues before they become a problem. Many companies come to think of and use their temp staffing agency as their long-term partner for all their staffing and HR needs.
Common Misconceptions About Using a Temp Staffing Agency
1 May 2013 | No Comments | posted by Heather Dowell | in Staffing
If you’ve been thinking about using a temp staffing agency, you’ve probably been checking to make sure they’re a good investment. You may have talked to friends and family, asked business colleagues, and even searched on the internet. The problem is, there’s a lot of misleading and outdated information out there. Even your most trusted confidants may be repeating information that isn’t accurate. These misconceptions have been repeated so often, that many people just assume that they must be true. Unfortunately, basing your decisions on this bad information can cost you time, money, and the many benefits that temp staffing agencies offer.
High Cost, Low Value
One of the most common misconceptions about staffing agencies is that they’re too expensive for what they provide. After all, you’re just getting a “temp,” right? This ignores all of the other services that temp staffing agencies offer, and casts an undeserved negative light on temps. Hiring, even for a temp, is an involved, expensive process. From advertising to onboarding, every step costs you time and money. At any step in the process, applicants can drop out, forcing you back to step one. Temp agencies cut out all of these steps by having a large pool of qualified, experienced applicants. A ‘Do-it-Yourself ‘solution only saves money if everything always goes right on the first try. As soon as something goes wrong, you’ll see why assuming all the risk yourself isn’t the best idea.
Top Talent
Over the years, “temps” somehow became synonymous with short-term, low-skill workers. They were considered stand-ins for better trained, more experienced employees who, for whatever reason, were absent from work. This was never accurate, and becomes less so every year. Temp workers are the fastest growing, most experienced workforce in the world. They encompass every level of education, training, and experience.
Temp staffing makes it easy to fill any role within your organization. From clerical work, to logistics, to IT, no job is too big or too small for a temp agency. You can hire a temp to handle light office work, to help roll out a huge software upgrade, for light industrial or warehousing/logistics needs, and everything in between.
Nobody Likes Leftovers
There is also the misconception that temps just can’t find “real” jobs anywhere else. They have to work as temps because they lack the education, training, dedication or experience to find permanent work. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. The majority of temp workers enjoy the variety that temp work offers. They get to work in multiple positions across multiple industries. Whether they are continuing their education, have family commitments, or are transitioning to retirement, the temp staffing model fits perfectly into their lives. These are workers who could easily find permanent jobs elsewhere, but choose temp staffing for how it better suits them.
Don’t be Misled
Relying on bad information is never good for business. If you’re still avoiding temp staffing due to outdated and inaccurate opinions about staffing agencies, you’re missing out on some great workers. Temps can fill in for absent employees, bolster your work force during seasonal upticks, help cover shifts during busy periods, or just help out when things fall behind. With the help of a temp staffing agency, you can have a ready pool of top-quality workers waiting in the wings for all of your staffing needs.
