Have you chosen a hiring company to partner with?  If not, you may think it’s as simple as pulling a name out of a hat, but it’s not. You need to carefully evaluate potential staffing firms before you decide to work with them.  Here are a few tips that will help you decide which firm is going to be the best partner.

Do they Have a Good Reputation?

Reputation matters, but you can’t depend on any business to give you an unbiased opinion of themselves.  You need to check the reputation of the different staffing firms through an independent means such as reviews, newspaper stories, and magazine profiles. Businesses that don’t have great reputations won’t get top tier candidates.

Do they Specialize?

If you’re in a very specialized industry, you’re going to need very specialized employees.  If the staffing firm you decide to work with doesn’t focus on your industry, you may never get the qualified candidates you need.  Make sure that the firm can provide you with educated, experienced employees who know your industry.

How’s their Price?

You don’t necessarily want to go with the cheapest firm, but on the other hand, the most expensive staffing agency isn’t necessarily the best.  While you do have to make certain you don’t spend too much, partnering with the wrong staffing firm can cost you much more money in the long run.  Remember, you should be saving more in time and money by having a firm find you the best candidates than if you did all of the recruiting yourself.  

Look at their Numbers

How many candidates did the firm successfully match with businesses in the past year?  In the past five years?  How many of those placements were in your industry?  This information is vital to selecting the best staffing agency.  In fact, it’s one of the most important numbers to factor into your decision.

What’s their Process?

Does the firm put candidates through a pre-screening process and an interview, or do they make suggestions based on a resume only?  You’re going to want to work with a firm that only matches you with candidates who can actually fill the position you have open, so make sure they have a process in place that will do this.