Working with Recruiters vs. Working with Staffing Agencies

As we begin to recover from the global pandemic, companies start their search for new employees. Although this is an activity they performed before COVID-19, the hiring process has become uncharted waters. Most businesses are seeking help to make the process as accessible and easy as possible. But they have faced another dilemma when seeking help: should they work directly with recruiters or hire a staffing agency? That is the question.

Staffing vs. Recruiting

Hiring new employees can be highly challenging, but it can be more accessible through two different processes. On the one hand, there is staffing. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, staffing is the management of the number and types of workers needed in an organization. This means “one way to fill open roles within a company or organization. You have a particular role or set of roles available, and you need people to fill those roles.” Staffing is usually done through specific agencies created to help companies hire the appropriate candidate for the position they are trying to fill.

On the other hand, recruiting refers to employing new people to work for a company or organization. According to recruiting expert and founder of OpExpert, Tanya Bourque, recruiters are more hands-on, and their retainer is usually 60% less with more value for service. These recruiters typically work within the company and understand better what the employers are looking for.

While staffing focuses on short-term goals and mostly hires temporary employees, recruiting aims to satisfy long-term needs a company has and concentrates on hiring high-level employees in management and C-level positions. The truth is each process will help you depending on what you are looking to achieve when hiring a new employee and filling out a specific role in your company.

Advantages

Even though both processes exist, and each of them will be of value depending on what you are looking to achieve, there are specific goals you should be looking to reach with each of these approaches. For example, staffing is extremely helpful when you need to fill roles in a short amount of time, for a short duration, for temporary projects, or for positions that do not require detailed skills, lengthy training, or high levels of compensation.

While recruiting comes in handy when you are looking for new talent to lead your team, are seeking qualified candidates, want to seek high-level talent from competitors or other industries, or are concerned with culture and skills meshing with your team. Tanya Bourque explains recruiting “aims to provide you with optimum value. Whether scaling for hyper-growth or at a pivotal stage in seeking out a highly specialized role, recruiters provide fluid and customized services with incredibly dedicated expertise and execution.”

Recruiters vs. Staffers Helping Companies

As more and more companies navigate the hiring process after the pandemic, many of them have turned to experts to help them hire the right candidate. Some of them have opted for staffing agencies to help fill out a role in a shorter period. In contrast, others utilize recruiters to work with more qualified candidates. Whatever process your business selects, the important issue is to keep in mind the goals you want to reach when hiring a new employee.