The Pros and Cons of Using a Staffing Agency

Weigh up all pros & cons before deciding whether or not using a staffing agency is right for your business.

The Pros and Cons of Using a Staffing Agency

Engineering and IT hiring is competitive, and it's easy to lose the best talent to carry out crucial projects. Working with a staffing agency can be a great way to access the best IT and engineering talent, but it's important to weigh up the pros and cons before making a decision. As recruiters, we believe that using a staffing company has a great advantage, but we've listed some of the pros and cons of using a staffing agency to help you make an informed decision when it comes to accessing staffing needs. One of the main advantages of using a staffing agency is that it eliminates the initial costs used to market, find and attract talent. It also reduces employer overhead by eliminating benefit costs, improves employer cash flow, and reduces overtime costs associated with regular full-time employees of the company.

In times of economic uncertainty and periods of general slowness, staffing agencies offer employers the flexibility to hire qualified contract workers to complete short-term projects and tasks. Having the addition of a temporary contract worker usually means that the learning curve is shortened, as the work must be completed quickly and efficiently. The staffing company handles the onboarding documentation for hired employees, such as the W4, the I-9 and other documents. They pay employee-related payroll taxes, offer workers' compensation insurance, general liability insurance, and unemployment benefits. Temporary employees can be a big improvement to your workforce, reducing the burden on your full-time workforce by making sure that projects are completed on time and on budget. However, there are some potential drawbacks to using a staffing agency.

The potential for fees or commissions tops the list. If you pay a fee for a placement and are not satisfied with your new position, quitting smoking can mean losing money in general. Other inconveniences may be due to a lack of clear communication with your agency. For example, if they file requests on your behalf without giving you advance notice, you could accidentally send your own request to the same company, which would not seem professional.

Or, if you say you're desperate to find work, the agency may be focusing on getting you a quick job and not working so hard to find the best position (or negotiate the best salary) for you. You're outsourcing part of the hiring process, so the staffing agency doesn't know your company culture as well as you do. If you use the wrong staffing company, they may not present your employer's brand and opportunities as well as you do. If a hired employee becomes ill and contracts COVID-19, the hiring agency (depending on size) is responsible for paying the employee under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or Act).Recruiting can be done in-house or through an external recruitment agency. The choice of how to recruit is entirely up to you.

With the unemployment rate lower than ever, hiring is difficult. Posting a vacant position on a job board is not enough. To attract the best candidates, you need to create a great candidate experience. A recruitment agency communicates with both employers and job seekers. They discover what jobs are available and who is the best to fill them.

They provide support to candidates and also to customers. As a candidate, you will receive feedback on your application and on how to improve yourself. The recruitment agency wants you to succeed. They will always help you with any questions you may have.

Whether it's your resume or interview questions, your recruiter will be there to guide you. If you're an employer, hiring agencies help alleviate your hiring problems. Whether you need mass hiring or have an urgent position to fill, the agency will work according to your needs. Recruiters will want to provide you with only the best resumes. If they send you irrelevant candidates, you probably won't use them again. Using a recruitment agency can speed up the time it takes to find a new employee.

When you use a recruitment agency, you provide them with details about the position and the hiring time. Since the recruitment agency is already created, you won't have to attract and shortlist candidates. The recruitment agency takes care of the entire process, saving you a lot of trouble. Once you've given them your position, they'll give you the best candidates for you to consider. It's great for candidates too - having someone contact the employer on their behalf means they can focus on more important things. It's hard to find candidates no matter what high-quality candidates you need.

With the professional experience of a recruiter, you can improve the quality of candidates. The enormous amount of talent offered by an agency means that you'll have access to vetted candidates. Agency recruiters are experts at selecting candidates - they are trained to evaluate candidates and may have experience that you don't have. Recruiting agencies can tell you what the job market is like today - they'll also tell you how best to meet your hiring needs. Most recruitment agencies specialize in a certain industry, function or level - these agencies will have a better understanding of their labor market. Even generalist agencies can offer valuable information - they are experts in their field. In each recruitment agency they will have extremely qualified professionals - internal recruiters may not be able to provide professional advice and guidance when it comes to hiring better candidates. If you don't want to hire someone permanent most recruitment agencies offer temporary hiring - temporary recruitment is when candidates work for an unspecified period of time. These features are great if you need to hire recruits at a busier time - it gives employers more flexibility when it comes to managing their workforce. Using a staffing agency has advantages and disadvantages - it's important for employers and job seekers alike to weigh up these pros and cons before making any decisions about working with an agency.