If you ask many business owners what the most difficult part of their business is, you’ll likely hear “finding and keeping good employees” either tops or at least appears on almost everyone’s list.  Most business owners don’t have the time needed to focus on recruiting, interviewing and hiring the best  people for their companies and either cut corners on the process (and end up hiring bad fits) or neglect other parts of their businesses while they focus on these issues.

On the flip side, those who are seeking a new job may also find that they have a difficult time ‘breaking in’ to the companies that they want to work for or that they are continually ending up in jobs that are a bad fit for their skills or personalities.

In both of these cases, working with a staffing company could be the answer.  For both businesses and job seekers, staffing companies can provide the expertise they are lacking to either find those perfect employees or find the perfect job.

For Business Owners

“A strong, skilled workforce is the best investment a company can make,” says Angela Caldwell with Manpower.  “There are many reasons why a company should consider partnering with a staffing vendor.  The first is the mountain of resumes you will get with each job posting.  Staffing companies can streamline the recruiting process by presenting you with top performers for your temporary or permanent positions, resulting in time and cost savings.  The second is the costs of hiring the wrong person for the job.  The average cost to replace an employee is 1.5 times that person’s salary, not to mention the productivity lost.  Using a temporary-to-permanent hiring solution lets you test an associate’s skill and cultural fit before you make a permanent hire and while your work is being done.  Finally, temporary staffing solutions let you adjust your workforce size and complement your core group of permanent employees.”

“Hiring agencies can certainly provide support in staffing – they are experienced professional who know what to look for,” says Denise Scholl-Serrett with The HR Lady. “A human resources consultant can provide the same type of services, or can get more involved by setting up a complete process for all of a company’s hiring needs.  A staffing agency or human resources consultant also assists in protecting a company from charges of discrimination because these professionals are trained on legal hiring practices.”

Tim Washburn of Express Employment Professionals adds, “Working with a staffing company gives companies an opportunity to focus on things they are really good at.  Most managers and business owners don’t have time to focus on staffing and they could be short-staffed in the HR department or have no HR department at all.  Our staff is skilled in matching the right person with the right job.  We’ve also found that there is still a tremendous amount of uncertainty with the economy and that many businesses want flexibility.  They’re not sure where their business model will be in six months, so they prefer to keep their payroll variable and we can help with that.”

Finding the right fit for a job, especially one crucial to the success of your business, is vitally important for any company and staffing companies can be invaluable in this capacity.  “Our recruiting process is designed to find associates who can add business value in your organization from day one,” says Angela Caldwell. “Through our national network of nearly 800 offices, we have unmatched access to a pool of skilled individuals in a wide variety of industries. We use proven and reliable job related assessments to pinpoint candidates’ abilities and fit with your work environment. And, we work to build an in-depth understanding of your objectives to effectively match our associates to your needs.”

For Job Seekers

“There is a misconception that staffing companies are only for those who are unemployed,” says Sheri Neeman with Advantage Personnel.  “There are a rising number of current employees searching out new employment opportunities. These employees are searching out employment that promises less stress, higher wages, or at a minimum a fresh start. When employees apply for new jobs through our staffing company, they can feel confident that all information is kept confidential so they don’t have to worry about their current employer finding out they are job seeking.”

This is just one of the advantages for individuals of working with a staffing company.  “We work with some of the best companies in Lincoln and can line job seekers up with some phenomenal opportunities,” says Tim Washburn.  “We’re very skilled at getting through to companies and finding the job opportunities they have.  Most individuals don’t know how to go about getting to the decision makers to hire them.  We can navigate that process much easier and have the contacts needed to find the best jobs.”

“Another great aspect of individuals working with a staffing company is that if you realize you’re unhappy with your current employment situation you can come to us and we can help find a different, better fit,” explains Sheri Neeman.  “Many times, people stay in jobs they don’t like because they don’t know how to quit or because they are afraid of trying to find another job. With Advantage Personnel being a full service staffing company we can be that extra set of eyes and ears searching out and providing opportunities and experiences in industries candidates may not have otherwise thought of trying. We take the search off of their shoulders and focus on making a quality placement insuring candidates find a really good fit with a client company and can thrive in a career they love.”

Find the Right Staffing Professional

Working with a staffing professional that provides the services best for your business is very important.  It’s important to find out what types of services they provide and if they are the right ones to fit the needs of your company.  Tim Washburn says, “We can do pure temporary placement (filling a job while your regular employee has time off or is on leave), evaluation hire (when you need someone and want to try them out for a certain amount of time before deciding if you want to hire them on permanently) or direct hire (where we find someone for you to immediately bring onto your payroll).”

Angela Caldwell says, “We can help companies control workforce costs, staff hard to fill positions or hire a large workforce for peak demand. We also partner with our clients by offering Recruitment Process outsourcing, Managed Service Programs, Risk Assessments, Project Solutions and Client Risk Management. We also offer our clients thousands of training and development solutions that can cost-effectively enhance their employees’ skill sets, engagement, productivity, and train them in several other critical business areas.”

For individuals, going to the staffing company and meeting those who work there is always a good way to find if you are comfortable working with them.  You may also want to request visiting with someone they currently work with so you can see how they enjoy working with the company.

Staffing is a vitally important part of any business, and one that often causes an undue amount of stress on company owners and managers who are not skilled in the area and would rather be concentrating on other parts of their businesses.  By working with a staffing company, you can eliminate many of the stressors involved in finding the best people to work for you.