Staffing and employment agencies take many steps to attract quality candidates for their client’s jobs. But when it comes to finding qualified individuals, it’s not always easy to weed through the applicants and locate the best workers to represent your agency. So, at the risk of hiring incompetent or underqualified staff members that could poorly serve their valued clients, what tactics do these agencies rely upon in their onboarding processes?
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This piece will discuss the importance of locating successful agency employees and analyzing the best methods for finding quality workers for your agency positions in 2022.
Jump to:
- The importance of hiring quality candidates for your agency position
- Qualities of an ideal agency employee
- Finding qualified candidates for your agency roles
- Use job boards and employment platforms
- Attend networking opportunities
- Review candidates based on previous performance and referrals
- Vet your job candidates
- Use tools and software for recruitment and applicant tracking
The importance of hiring quality candidates for your agency position
Agencies rely upon the integrity and success of their workers to represent their company as a whole. After all, if you hire an agency for service and they provide a worker who does a poor or unsatisfactory job, how likely are you to utilize that agency again in the future? Considering your previous experience with them, you will probably decide against using their services again and may even leave a poor review to warn other buyers of their poor service.
Of course, no agency wants to be on the receiving end of a poor review or lose customers to a situation like this. Therefore, finding qualified candidates to represent your agency is a must for avoiding loss of credibility as an organization.
Similarly, using unsatisfactory or unprofessional workers can have additional consequences for your company. Having employees who can’t pull their weight may result in the rest of your staff taking on a more significant workload to make up for their underperformance, causing low employee morale. Inefficient employees can also put additional stress on leadership, who will have to answer for their job critiques. And finally, let’s not forget that hiring the wrong staff may put your company in even more trouble, in the case of legal issues arising due to especially unsatisfactory work, or even legal activity.
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However, with the right team of staff members, you can see the opposite effects on your company’s reputation, in the form of repeat customers, recommendations to new clients, and positive reviews. Avoiding the risks of hiring the wrong workers is essential for agencies to stay prosperous and secure. Fortunately, agencies have many ways of locating qualified staff to portray their services in a good light.
Qualities of an ideal agency employee
For agencies, the best workers are the ones that can take on jobs successfully as they are assigned. That means reliable staff who can conform to flexible schedules, show up on time for jobs, and carry out the work necessary in the time allotted for them.
Of course, being qualified to work in a position means having familiarity with the role’s demands, whether it be through experience, training, or education. Knowing that your workers would be capable of successfully fulfilling their job is necessary when hiring for agency staff roles.
Teamwork skills may be necessary depending on the type of industry your agency specializes in. For jobs that take place in collaborative settings, this is a must. Additionally, people skills are desired in candidates applying for agency positions. After all, your workers will be representing your agency and, therefore, should be able to do so with professionalism and proper communication.
Depending on the type of agency, additional skills may be taught to their workers. For example, online staffing agencies should provide training to workers on how to utilize their employment system and accept jobs. Scheduling and agency-specific terminology should also be taught to workers and any other skills necessary to work for their particular company.
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Finding qualified candidates for your agency roles
Use job boards and employment platforms
Creating a well-developed job description and posting it on your agency website can help bring in new staff members – if they happen to see it. However, posting your open agency position onto a job board or an employment platform can make your post more likely to be seen by interested applicants.
Examples of these types of job boards and recruitment sites would include Indeed.com, ZipRecruiter.com, and Linkedin.com, to name a few. The great thing about these hiring platforms is that employers of all industries can source candidates through these methods. So long as you provide the necessary details within your post, you will likely reach the right audience.
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The information included within the description should be tailored to the specific role at hand to attract the best applicants. This should consist of aspects of the job itself and what you are looking for in a qualified candidate, such as education or experience requirements. Providing clear stipulations about who is eligible to land the gig will help deter under qualified applicants from applying, saving all parties time and effort.
Attend networking opportunities
Depending on your industry, you may be able to meet qualified candidates for your agency through networking opportunities. These events and opportunities can allow you to locate and socialize with interested candidates in your industry.
Knowing that your candidate has the right skills and background knowledge is essential for any agency. Therefore, attending industry-specific recruitment events can be a great way to find candidates with familiarity in the line of work that your agency specializes in.
Some opportunities for agency recruiters to find candidates would be through events like job fairs or conferences. While it is easiest to find candidates at events specific to your agency’s industry, often attending general hiring events and making connections can still lead to great employment opportunities.
Review candidates based on previous performance and referrals
Attending networking events within your industry can help you locate potential job candidates, but how can you be sure they are a good fit for your position? Well, making connections with other industry professionals can allow you to share relevant information about potential candidates.
For example, say you have an applicant with five years under their belt working for a separate agency. If you have connections at that agency, you may be able to contact them and learn more about their previous performance and why they may or may not be a good fit for your job. Having this review from a trusted professional familiar with your industry will help you make an educated decision about hiring the candidate in question.
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Additionally, maintaining industry connections can help you locate qualified staff through referrals. Current staff members can even be encouraged to refer skilled workers that they may know through referral programs. Finding candidates through referrals may also get you the most hiring success since, according to statistics collected by ERIN, 82% of employees rated employee referrals as above all other sourcing options for yielding the best ROI. This is yet another excellent method for bringing trusted members onto your work team.
Vet your job candidates
Another method for determining the quality of an applicant would be through employee vetting. This process is where agencies review candidates and their backgrounds prior to hiring them, based on specific standards that their particular agency upholds.
For example, Adia US is a staffing platform that connects employers with talent through its online service. They advertise their service as a place for accessing “vetted” workers based on their company’s standards. In Adia’s case, this is dependent on the worker’s qualifications, skills, and eligibility to work.
Setting standards in place for your recruitment processes and employee vetting can help your agency stay on the right track when onboarding new staff members. In addition, by ranking candidates based upon these standards, you are more likely to bring in the best workers for your open position.
Also read: 7 of the Most Reliable Employment Screening Services
Use tools and software for recruitment and applicant tracking
The enterprise tools and software accessible today can simplify the onboarding processes for agencies. Labor management software is helpful for agencies to manage all aspects of their recruitment processes.
Various types of software systems and tools can benefit agencies with their staff onboarding. Some examples of these would include applicant tracking systems, recruitment management tools, HR software systems, and more.
Enterprise software can ease the burden of recruitment for agencies by managing applications, processing onboarding paperwork, organizing training schedules for new staff, and more. These tools are excellent for agencies looking to streamline their hiring processes and quickly bring on qualified staff.
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