Over time society tends to do this funny thing where we place negative connotations on particular words and phrases. One poor experience may cause a domino effect, convincing others that a product, service, person, place or even just a simple word is bad. As time passes, this negative attitude towards something slowly embeds itself into the mindset of people who have no personal experience or reason to make them feel that way.
This reality could not be more true in the staffing and recruiting industry. When you hear the word ‘recruiter’, if you’re like most people, chances are you hold a negative connotation to that word. Most people feel this way but have never worked with a recruiter or staffing agency ever in their life. So why is this and where did the negativity surrounding the staffing industry come from?
Because of a large list of myths that hover over the staffing industry like a rainy cloud, employers tend to be hesitant in turning to a staffing agency for assistance filling their job openings. We are going to go over some of the biggest myths surrounding staffing agencies and what makes them false.
Myth #1: Working With Staffing Agencies is Too Expensive
Why pay a staffing agency to hire my employees when I could just do it? If I pay a recruiter to do a job that could be done internally, that’s just a waste of money. Yes, when a company turns to a staffing agency to fill their jobs, that service is not free, but it’s not necessarily going to cost the company any extra money.
Think of all the costs required to hire good talent. A long list of costs highlights: Human Resource salary/wages, advertising (whether on Indeed, Glassdoor, Google or another platform), time, and any potential turnover costs. So let’s break down how staffing agencies can save you on these hiring costs.
When you go to a recruiter, you are paying them X amount of dollars to fill that job. If they choose to open a paid ad for the position, they take on those costs, not you the client.
A staffing agency also reduces the need for an HR employee, whether this means less work for your HR personnel or just not having one at all, this cuts your payroll costs.
Additionally, as mentioned already, time is money. If you can save your own company time by not worrying about hiring talent, you make yourself more efficient overall.
Lastly, the costs behind employee turnover can be devastating. Studies show that losing an employee making $30,000-$40,000 per year costs between 16%-20% of that employee’s wage. This means that losing even just a low-level employee could cost you up to $8,000. With a decision that has the potential to cost your business substantial amounts of time and money, why would turning to a specialist be a bad idea?
So yes, not only will working with a staffing agency NOT cost you money, working with a staffing agency may SAVE you money in the grand scheme of things.
Myth #2: Recruiters Lack Work Ethic
This myth can be busted rather easily. There’s an elementary thought process that if you are having an external recruiter tasked with hiring your talent, they really don’t care if they find the right person or anyone at all. External recruiters make most of their money by commission. Meaning, if they don’t work, they don’t make money. Additionally, in most agencies, when recruiters place candidates who stay with the company, they receive a higher commission rate over time. With that said, it’s safe to say that your recruiter is not lacking any amount of work ethic to help you get your positions filled, and with the right talent.
Myth #3: Staffing Agencies Only Hire Temps
A word that is commonly associated with staffing agencies is ‘temp’ jobs. This is with good reason, being that staffing companies hire 15 million temp/contract positions a year. Despite this, that doesn’t mean that staffing agencies are only going to find you temporary help and not permanent employees.
Over 35% of temp employees hired yearly end up being offered a permanent position with the client company in which they were placed first as a temp. Of those offered a permanent position, over 66% of them accept the job. In the staffing industry, this is referred to as ‘temp-to-hire’ and it is exactly what you would think it is.
Fact: The TalentLaunch Network Vastly Improves the Candidate and Client Experience
Not only does the TalentLaunch Network bust these myths, but we also transcend them. Throughout the TalentLaunch Network, we live under one common goal and that is to motivate the world to unlock its unrealized potential. With a focus to build positive relationships, TalentLaunch improves the client to candidate experience, making the recruiting process smoother for all parties involved. We are able to achieve this by providing our network with industry-leading tools and resources to best serve their communities and customers.
The Takeaway
We can’t promise you that every staffing agency and recruiter you work with is going to be what you are looking for, but we can encourage you to try before ruling them out. Don’t let these myths, and many others, discourage you and your company from experiencing the benefits offered by a staffing agency. Break the domino effect and have your OWN opinion about staffing agencies. Start today by launching your own experience with the TalentLaunch Network!
