Staffing firms for years have been a steady provider in the labor market, helping companies weather recessions or the windfall from a lack of skilled or educated workers. The candidates they provide are in effect their employee and they understand how critical their personnel’s performance is to their clients’ businesses.

“Companies are interested in temporary or contract positions when they have a project to work on or when they have an up-tick in business and they’re not sure how long that’s going to last,” said April Clark, SPHR, Manpower-Maine’s Area Vice President. “They have a finite period of time where they know they’re going to have a need—it might be two months, it might be two weeks, but they know they’re going to have a need during that period of time.” Clark added that about 40 percent of the time there’s an offer of permanent work upon completion of the assignment.

“The prospect of an assignment ending doesn’t seem to be any more of a concern in the staffing business as it is in any other company because I think what employees have seen is that we’re all temporary and that any job can change at any given time,” said Clark. “I think that there’s very little risk in taking a position with a staffing company because staffing companies pay into the unemployment insurance fund and there’s an ability to tap into that if needed and if eligible.”

One of the major misconceptions about staffing firms is that they only hire for part-time, temporary work. Staffing firms also hire for full-time, permanent positions, also known as direct hire.

We’ve seen the stereotype of a “temp” on television and in comic strips, but the reality is you won’t just be thrown into a position in which you aren’t qualified. “We’re not looking to qualify the candidate for one specific position, we’re the opposite, we want to qualify that candidate for as many positions as we possibly can so that the candidate is most marketable to our client companies,” said Clark. “And that’s a great place for a candidate to be—we call it the Reverse Funnel Approach.”

Temporary: Assignment work for a company, usually on a project basis. These positions are ideal for job seekers in between jobs, looking to change fields, who recently graduated, are interested in seasonal work, or who are new to the area.

Temp-to-Hire: The definition of a temp-to-hire position varies depending on who you ask. However the common factor in all of them is that these positions give both the company and the employee an opportunity to determine if there is a fit before a permanent position is offered. 

Permanent (Direct Hire): These openings are filled by the staffing firm through some form of career placement. Companies may come to firms for assistance with a direct hire position to save time, man-hours, or because the position is so valuable that they are looking for a partner in the hiring practice to make the correct hire. 

“A permanent or direct hire position is when the company says, ‘I have a traditional head-count position that I need filled and I would like a recruiter’s help in finding the most qualified candidate,’” said Clark.

Going back to the earlier statement regarding direct hire openings of companies working with staffing firms as a trusted partner,  think of a staffing firm as a satellite human resources office of an extended company. They’re looking for individuals who are reliable, dependable, willing to learn and coachable. And perhaps that is where misconceptions of staffing firms can be most harmful to your search because one thing that stands out about this discussion is that staffing firms offer, and look for, variety.

“Manpower has a wide variety of clients that we service ranging from companies who are looking for packers and machine operators to administrative assistants, to engineers and IT professionals,” said Clark. “We’re looking for a wide variety of skills because we have a wide variety of clients who have a wide variety of needs.”

Employers carefully evaluate who they have chosen as their recruiting firm in order to gain the full benefit of the association.  In this way, the staffing firm becomes familiar with each company’s operations and can function as a true partner in the HR function.  “Many mid-size companies simply do not have the capacity to staff an HR Division – especially in Maine,” said Laura Thibodeau, PHR, MA, President of Springborn Staffing. “If a company is looking for an HR partner in addition to a staffing firm, they will need to choose an agency that has the knowledge and ability to handle both. Choose an agency that possesses staffing as a high-level competency, but an agency that also has employees that have achieved certificates and designations demonstrating their knowledge in the HR arena.  An example, I have my PHR certification, and my staff members have various designations including CTS and CPC.”

This commitment to the HR field is another reason that you should feel confident working with them to help you find work.



Prepare for meeting with a representative of a staffing firm as you would an interview with the hiring company. Would you walk into an interview unkempt and with no resume or idea of what type of job in which you’re looking to apply? 

Not only are you representing yourself to the staffing firm’s rep, when they provide you to their client, you are now representing them. It’s their job to provide the client with the best candidate possible, and that candidate is you if you properly prepare yourself.

“We are  just like any other company, we don’t hand out jobs, we offer  opportunities,” said Banville. “It is our job to select the best qualified person for  each position. It works the best when a job seeker approaches the  interview with a particular objective in mind. They should show  enthusiasm and be dressed properly for the interview.  There are certain  qualifications that any applicant must meet in order to be hired by Adecco and  be presented to our clients with an assurance that they can fulfill the  client’s needs.  We will not just send them anywhere because they  are willing to do anything.”

When you take an assignment with a staffing firm, you are their employee on a temporary basis. Here are some tips from those quoted in this article on interviewing with a staffing firm.

Remember, when you walk in you are a blank canvass to the interviewer; they need to assess a verifiable job history, along with skill sets as represented by specific, real world past examples of competencies.  Have a current resume in hand and available to send electronically. It’s critical to include what actual jobs you have had over what time frame. Agencies will also conduct Employment Verification and call your references, so honesty is the best policy.  

This goes for both parties: the employer and the job seeker. The prospective employee not only needs to have the required knowledge, skills and abilities to have success at the position, but there needs to be an attitudinal and cultural fit as well. Being a team player is critical to any employer in the current competitive landscape.

Staffing firms don’t just hand out jobs to anyone. Treat your interview and interactions with firms just as you would with any employer. Staffing firms can open the door to current and future opportunities with some of the most sought after employers in New England.  How you handle yourself at a firm can open or close doors.  

There are a number of interview strategies out there, Behavioral Interviewing being among the most popular right now, where the interviewer will ask the interviewee to explain an instance where they handled a certain situation.

Staffing firms are an excellent way to enhance your job search, find work or change careers. In addition to being a temporary employee with the firm, many also offer career counseling, benefits and training.

Contact your local staffing firm for more information on what they have to offer, and be prepared to show them what you have to offer as well.

 

About the Author: Tim Sardano is Production Manager for Employment Times, LLC, publishers of Employment Times, MyJobWave.com, HRTimes and HRTimesOnline.com.