If you own or manage a business, you know how costly employee turnover is. Every year, American companies lose at least $11 billion to this problem. At least 57% of businesses and organizations in the United States see this as a big problem. When you are looking to staff your team, finding the right people, who will stay and work well for you, you need to work with the right staffing agency. Here are the steps you need to take to find the right company to help you.
- Think about what you need and want. Before you set out to staff your team, you have to know what it is you need and want. That sounds like a simple thing but, in reality, it may not be. Spend some time thinking about the position or positions you need to fill. Write out the role the person will play, the tasks that they will be responsible for and the skill set they will need. The more clear you are on what you need and want, the better able you will be to communicate that to your recruiting company.
- Talk to other business owners and managers. You know other people who have had to hire staff in your industry. The chances are good that they at least talked to a recruiting agency or two. Ask what they thought of the experience, how they found the agency they worked with and what suggestions they may have for you.
- Do some research. When you are hiring a company to help staff your team, you need to look into the options you have. Go to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website. Look at the testimonials they have on their website. Do what you can to verify what they list there. In a way, you need to vet the company that helps you hire staff in the same way that you would vet the applicants themselves. You need to work with staffing agencies
- Listen to the questions they ask you. In order for you to get what you need from a staffing agency, they need to really understand what it is you do. When you talk to the different recruiters, pay attention to how detailed the questions they have for you are and how much time they give you. Good staffing agencies are going to want this to be the start of a longer relationship, if they are not interested in you, you should hire someone else. The more time they want to spend getting to know you and understanding your needs, the better chance they will have of finding staff for you that will work out.
- Find a recruiter who has worked in your industry awhile. When you are trying to staff your team, you need a firm with a lot of experience in your industry. Medical businesses need a different skill set for their employees than an accounting business. The better they know your industry, the more people they will have in their stable to offer you. Most recruiters have relationships with candidates and should have a few that will fit your needs.
- Ask about their track record. You need to know how successful the recruiting firm has been finding competent and qualified people for their clients. If it is possible, you should be able to get some references who can tell you what it was like to work with them to fill openings they had. The more you can learn about the company, how they work with their clients, how long it takes and what the process is, the better the experience will be. Keep in mind that while it may seem like it is taking as long to hire a recruiter as it would be to staff your team, you will save money and time in the long run.
When you go to staff your team, you have a real job ahead of you. Your hiring decisions will end up being some of the most important you make for your business and bottom line. When you find the right recruiting agency to help with this task, you will be working with a team of qualified professionals who can help you get the right people.
