How Do Staffing Agencies Get People Jobs?
Anyone who’s looked for a job has been contacted by a recruiter working for a staffing agency at some point. They’ll typically give you some details and may even have an interview lined up for you.
But how do staffing agencies get these opportunities, and what are some ways to work with staffing agencies?
The Staffing Agency Business Model
When you get a job working through the best employment agencies, in most cases, the staffing agency becomes your employer. You become a contractor working on their behalf at the company where they found you a job.
For a variety of reasons, a business may not want to hire someone as a full-time employee. Sometimes, there is a large project that needs to be executed quickly and the company simply doesn’t have the employees. Perhaps they’d rather try before they buy, so to speak.
Why hire someone as a contractor? Because having an employee working as a contractor from a staffing firm shields the company from all sorts of liability, should the job come to an end. Everything from unemployment to the rising costs of employee benefits may cause a company to want to hire contractors.
Staffing agencies make money by charging the client company one amount for your services and paying you a lower amount.
That’s not to say the staffing agency is ripping you off–jobs through staffing agencies may actually pay hourly wages that far exceed what you can make working elsewhere. This business model is how a staffing company works with employers and employees so successfully
How Can They Promise an Interview So Quickly?
Good staffing agencies spend months and sometimes years cultivating relationships with companies and local hiring managers. Getting a call from a staffing agency means that a hiring manager is definitely going to at least look at your resume, rather than sifting through a pile of candidates.
Because they’ve built a relationship with the client company and manager, recruiters working for staffing agencies often know what the hiring manager is looking for.
With this knowledge, most staffing company recruiters are only going to call you if they feel you are qualified. A good word from the recruiter to the hiring manager can go a long way toward adding you to the shortlist of candidates.
Are All Staffing Agency Jobs Temporary?
While many staffing agency jobs are temporary, there are great opportunities to be found, especially for those who are currently unemployed or may be covered by their spouse’s or family member’s benefit package.
Some companies like to try out an employee for a few months before hiring them as a permanent employee. In other scenarios, contractors are brought on for a newly-created division in a company, and if the project is successful they’ll be hired as full-time employees.
The key to understanding if the job is right for you is to evaluate the job as best you can. Look for roles working as a member of an established team.
Don’t be afraid to ask the hiring manager about why the role is open. In most cases, they’ll be honest with you.
Look for red flags such as high turnover in the position or many contractors being hired at the same time for a one-off project.
At the same time, don’t expect a hiring manager to make a promise to you that you’ll be brought on as a permanent employee.
Wrapping Up
If you have a permanent job that you enjoy and you’re the primary breadwinner for a family, jumping ship for a role through a staffing company may not be a great move.
But for those who need a job, or who find a contracting role that offers a promotion to a better job title, it may be worth at least attending the interview.
Title: How Do Staffing Agencies Get People Jobs?
Category: Employers
Co-Author: Becky is a contributor for theJub. She’s a writing and talent acquisition specialist who loves to apply her skills through creative writing and editing.
