Three Frequently Asked Questions about Staffing Agencies

Staffing agencies exist to place top talent into short term, seasonal, or temp to perm (temporary to permanent) positions. Staffing agencies give employees flexibility, and employers a chance to examine a candidate’s work before hiring them permanently. These frequently asked questions cover the benefits to employee and employer alike.

1. What are the benefits of a temp to perm hiring process?

Many employers use “temp to perm” positions to test drive employees before bringing them on full time. Resumes and interviews are a great way to measure a candidate’s previous successes, but they don’t allow you to learn many important things about a candidate. You won’t know how well they fit into your office culture, for example. A highly skilled person can still be the wrong fit for a job if they can’t work with the office as a whole. When you set up a temporary position through a staffing agency, you can observe a pre-screened candidate working with your office. You can evaluate their work and their cultural fit before bringing them on board full time.

2. Where can staffing agencies help the most?

While all levels of business can benefit from staffing agencies, especially during growth periods, small companies and start-ups could be said to benefit the most. Many small companies are built around one service or product. As the company expands, they suddenly have to hire employees in areas that they’re not qualified in themselves. It’s difficult for someone who’s never worked in accounting (for example) to choose between two almost equally qualified accountants. When using a staffing agency, every candidate has already been screened for competence by people experienced in their field.

3. What incentivizes top talent to work with staffing agencies?

People come to staffing agencies for their own reasons, but there are a few very common ones. Typically, top talent comes to a staffing agency when they need flexibility for a time. Shorter term employment is perfect when someone just moves to a new city, for example. Temporary employment can also be a chance for top talent to get a feel for a potential place of employment. Just as employers get a better feel for a candidate during a short term contract, the candidate can evaluate the employer—without seeming like a job hopper!

Employers don’t have to rush into a permanent hire who isn’t a good fit. At the same time, top talent can be choosy about where they want to work. Short term work also provides flexibility to fit around a busy personal schedule, or to ease them into the local job market. Staffing agencies serve the needs of employers and employees alike.