They expect miracles – Some companies will search for a candidate to fill a vacancy for months with no results but expect a staffing agency to have the perfect employee in their database every time they call. While it’s true that the business model of a staffing agency is to maintain a database of a wide variety of immediately available employees, when the unemployment rate dips below 4%, good employees are much more difficult to find, and they don’t last long. The staffing agency may have the perfect employee in their database, but if not, they will need to recruit, screen, interview, and hire candidates for the position, which can take time.
Where a staffing service has the advantage over a traditional employer is that because they are always working to fill a variety of openings for multiple client companies they are constantly recruiting and hiring. Therefore, there is a good chance that they will have qualified candidates either already in their database, or at least in their pipeline.
They treat their staffing agency like a vendor and not a partner – To produce the best results, your staffing agency should function like an extension of your HR department that is working offsite. To do so, they need to receive the full support and cooperation of their client companies as they work to source candidates for their open positions. Open, honest, thorough, and timely communication is critical for the staffing agency to be able to do their job effectively and efficiently. The staffing agency needs detailed job descriptions, and a clear understanding of the skills, experience, and culture fit that you’re looking for in a suitable candidate. If you reject a candidate they present to you, they need detailed feedback on where that candidate fell short of your requirements so they can refine their search and provide a better match going forward.
They screen out what may be really good candidates – Some companies place unrealistic expectations or requirements on the candidates that they will consider from their staffing agencies, sometimes holding staffing agency candidates to a higher standard than they hold candidates that they source themselves.
Make sure that when calling a staffing agency to request a candidate that candidate criteria you give them (like prior experience, number of years of experience, education/training, or certifications) are all relevant to the position and necessary to succeed in the role.
Remember, if you are unsure about a potential candidate, the best way to tell how they will perform on the job is by trying them out on the actual job. And since most staffing agencies guarantee their employees, there’s really nothing to lose.
They might be breaking the law! – Under federal and state equal employment opportunity (EEO) law it’s illegal to discriminate in any employment related matter because of candidate’s age, sex, race, national origin, arrest and conviction record, and many other characteristics. It’s also illegal under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to discriminate against an otherwise qualified individual because of a disability, provided the person is able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
These laws apply to your company as well as your staffing agency, so it’s important to remember that using a staffing agency to serve as the “middleman” in the hiring or staffing process does not shield a company from their EEO and ADA responsibilities or liabilities.
Fortunately, a good staffing agency will be well versed in EEO and ADA law, and will work to help your company avoid the potential legal issues that could result from of making discriminatory hiring or staffing requests.