Business is all about optimization.  Thriving and even surviving always comes down to efficient use of your resources.  Usually, the most expensive component of daily operations is people.  Regardless, in every business people are the most important factor.  As we start a new year it’s worth thinking about how you’re using this vital resource today and how you see yourself doing it in the future.
In business as well as the rest of life, it’s often not about what you do but how you do it.  How you deploy your people and the resources that support them will impact what your bottom line looks like in a year from now and into your future.
As you look at your staffing situation, chances are your current employees have been carrying a heavy load for the past couple of years.  There’s also a good chance non-essential work has piled up in corners waiting for that extra few hours that you know will never arrive.
Naturally as a staffing agency, we’re big fans of using agencies to leverage your time and dollars as well as manage your risk.  Smart use of an agency can maximize your efficiency as you start the new year.
What does “smart use” mean?  Before you pick up the phone or jump to a keyboard to begin your search for new temporary or permanent employees take a few minutes to think about what you’re asking for, and what you can expect once you’ve asked for it.
If you’re going in with both feet and posting an ad for a full time receptionist, clerk or admin. person, are you ready for the volume of resumes that will be sure to follow?  Do you have a way to efficiently source and sort for qualities you’re looking for?
You probably have more important things for your HR Department to do than numbing their minds sifting through hundreds of often-irrelevant resumes. We have the means and the expertise.  Why not use us?  Similarly, using Bolt to help find the rare jewels that fit your professional job openings is a low cost way to extend your reach.  The beauty of using us is that you don’t pay until we find you find the gem you want.
Obviously the best way to beat the uncertainty of hiring decisions for permanent positions is to go temp-to-hire.  These days temp to hire is ideally suited for those positions where there are plenty of candidates.
For professional or technical positions, however, you may realistically need to look at direct hire.  Professionals, for example in IT, are still scarce and for any position where experience is required, you’re going to need to do some head hunting.  In these kinds of positions any one you’re going to want to hire is already working.  Obviously, very few people will leave a permanent job for a temp-to-hire.
So as you refine your strategy, it’s time to think about your tactical objectives.  Cost savings are generally high on everyone’s list these days.  There are several ways to use agencies to your cost advantage.
For many special administrative projects, maternity leave, or catching up on that pile of deferred filing, you can usually save a significant amount of money by trusting us to take your job specifications and use our discretion to find a match for you.  The secret of success here is for you to define the task as clearly as possible so we send candidates who aren’t over qualified and cost more.
Our recruiters make their livings matching your specs to candidates.  If your needs are clearly stated and understood, you can expect us to meet your needs as effectively as your in-house recruiter would.
An even better way to reduce costs, and still enjoy the advantage of trying employees before you hire them permanently is to use our “payroll service”.  No, we’re not talking about the ADP kind of service.  In our industry it means if you find an employee you like, you can put them on our payroll.  He will remain our employee until you are sure you want to put him on your payroll.
This is the most economical way to use any agency, since there are no recruiting or interviewing costs.
On the other hand there are situations where you need to review resumes and conduct full-on interviews.  Because we are in somewhat uncharted economic waters, it’s easy to sidetrack yourself with questions that used to make sense, but aren’t worth over-thinking in today’s realities.
One of the big sidetracks we see is undue concern over a candidate’s work history.  A few years ago someone with long gaps in employment was cause for concern.  Today as you look at resumes it’s often better to focus on: “will this person be able to do what I need done with minimal training?”
You can save your doubts about work history for the interview.  How a candidate handles those kinds of questions not only tells you about the specifics, but also how the candidate feels about himself, his circumstances, and his attitude towards his previous employer.
The bottom line:  these days gaps are not disqualifiers, at least the resume level.
Agencies have always been force multipliers for employers.  By performing many of the time consuming recruitment functions, we serve as an extension of your HR department.  We optimize your productivity by enabling flexibility in the way you engage people, saving time in the recruiting process and sourcing.  Today, by coupling your own creativity with ours’, you can expect more efficiencies than ever.  That should make for a happy review next December.
Call us today and let us show you how we can make the difference for you when you look back on 2014!