When the time comes to start looking for a staffing agency, it might feel a little overwhelming. After all, there are roughly 20,000 different agencies currently operating in the United States alone!

Finding the right staffing agency to work with your company and meet your specific needs can be a daunting task. You know your company best and probably have an idea of what you want and need from this relationship, but how can you tell whether the staffing agency you’re about to partner with can meet and exceed your expectations?

Here are some tips and things to consider when reviewing and researching staffing agencies.

1. How established are they? Every company has to start somewhere, yes, but do you want to put your reputation in the hands of a new organization? Take a look at their credentials and read reviews and testimonials to get a sense of whether they’re effective or if people are left unimpressed. See if some of your peers or competitors have used them and what the outcomes were. A company with five years’ experience and a thousand positive reviews might still be worth a phone call.
2. How do they find talent? The benefit of working with a staffing company is faster access to qualified, skilled employees who can add to your team. It matters how the staffing company finds these clients and how those relationships are developed. Do they rely solely on LinkedIn and job boards, or do they have a fully integrated social media strategy? You’re also going to want to work with a partner who fully understands what you’re looking to meet an open position and who wants to know what your company is all about. Staffing companies should be using your culture and job descriptions to match up their talent with your positions, but they need a deep understanding before a successful match can happen.
3. Does the company understand and work within your niche? If you’re a marketing company, you need a staffing agency that gets the creative talent you need, not an agency that only works in construction jobs. When doing your initial research, make sure the staffing agencies you’re reviewing understand your “language” and your industry’s demands to start the relationship off on a strong footing of mutual understanding
4. What’s their advantage? Each company will advertise their excellent success rate, their satisfied customers, and the number of placements they secure each year. But what do the numbers mean? How many jobs were given to them, and how many placements lasted longer than a week? What’s the secret to their success, really, and how does it differentiate them from other agencies promising the same thing? Drill deep and ask hard questions about their claims to fame.
5. How happy are their employees? This might seem like a strange thing to ask, but take a step back and consider it. A staffing company that loses its employees regularly might not have the kind of company culture and internal standards that would match your own. A staffing company that has long-tenured employees who are eager to talk them up and are happy in their own positions is one that is doing a great job – and will do a good job for you, too.

Find a Good Fit

Just like any relationship, it might take some time to find the right fit for your company. You might go through a few trial runs before finding a match that feels comfortable, understanding, and solid. Honest communication and good research at the start can help speed the process.

At Action Group Staffing, we’re proud to have started from humble roots and worked our way up. We now gladly partner with companies in several states and remain dedicated to helping our clients find the top talent they’re looking for. Contact Action Group Staffing today and see what we can do for you.