We are in one of the most extreme markets of all time when it comes to finding, attracting, and securing technical talent for our organizations. To make matters more concerning, as employers we also need to navigate the post-pandemic workplace, which is ever changing in terms of on-site, remote, and the new “hybrid” workplace, which seems to have 100+ definitions and climbing daily.
Whether you are looking at working with a technical staffing firm for the very first time to assist you in your efforts or you have been working with a technical staffing firm(s) with disappointing results, there are a few simple tips that you can use to successfully maximize your experience.
1. Treat Technical Staffing Firm as an Extension to Your Talent Acquisition Team
View the firm and its recruiters as your ambassadors in the marketplace. The more information you can arm them with the better. Why is this an exciting company to work for? What is important about this role? Why should a candidate consider taking this role? The answers to these questions will assist the staffing firm’s recruiters to not only make your role stand out among the many in the marketplace but it might be enough to persuade the passive candidate to want to hear more too.
2. Understand Your Options
Technical staffing firms might offer contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire services. Discuss these options early in the process as different scenarios call for different solutions. Many times, clients can save money while getting the best resources for different phases of their projects by considering splitting the role in two. For example, do you need a highly experienced and costly direct hire (full-time/permanent) ERP Project Manager with specific implementation experience for your new ERP system or would you be better off hiring an experienced consultant in the short term alongside a moderately priced permanent hire for the long term?
The above scenario could swing either way but would offer varying cost/benefit comparisons. Regardless, understanding your options may mean considering things from an entirely new perspective.
3. Keep the Staffing Firm’s Recruiters Motivated
Give feedback promptly on resumes and interviews. Detailed feedback allows you’re your partner recruiting firm to either quickly secure the correct candidate or adjust the search accordingly. Successes, and even failures, are tools recruiters can use to better filter the candidate pool to identify the ideal applicant for your firm. Waiting to relay feedback on a resume or interview can serve to demonstrate that the role isn’t a priority for you.
Delaying communication with your technical staffing firm can also cost you the applicant you wished to hire as the market moves quickly, and yours is likely not the only job they’ve applied to. Providing timely and detailed feedback will only motivate your technical recruiting partner to continue to be ambassadors for your brand.
4. Don’t Expect (or wait for) Perfection
Waiting to hire the perfect candidate can be detrimental to the hiring process, and your business. Instead of looking for the unrealistic “purple unicorn,” ask yourself, “Can the candidate grow into the role in a reasonable amount of time?” Look for instances in candidate’s experience where they have demonstrated learning a new skill quickly, adapted to new applications, etc. The potential for identifying untapped talent in the hiring pool is far greater than discovering the mythical “perfect hire.”
5. Communicate After the Hire has been Made
A successful placement does not end at the start date. The initial days of a new hire are where the most important communication could happen with your agency representative. Providing real-time feedback on early successes, and possible misses, of a new hire is imperative in determining if the placement meets the needs of the organization. Work together with your technical staffing firm to ensure positive results.
The most significant advice to take from all of this is to establish open and frequent communications with your technical staffing firm early on. As your ambassadors in the hiring market, the recruiting team working on filling your open positions needs to be viewed like an extension of your organization’s existing talent acquisition team and armed with as much information about the role and your firm as possible. By maximizing your communication, you can be sure that you’re doing your part to ensure the success of your partnership with your technical staffing firm.
About Alexander Technology Group
Alexander Technology Group is the leading provider of technology staffing and recruiting services across Greater Boston and New Hampshire. Since 2007, Alexander Technology Group has provided qualified technology professionals, on a temporary and direct-hire basis, to thousands of organizations throughout the local market.
Learn more and search jobs at https://atg.stage.bankwstaffing.com
