Outsourcing Doesn’t Have to Be All Bad
The current economic climate is leading a lot of companies to look for ways to manage their budgets more efficiently and maximize the effectiveness of every aspect of their business. In a previous blog we discussed the benefits of spending a small amount of money on a background check to save yourself thousands of dollars in internal left, law suits, etc. Another option that will offer benefits in multiple areas is using a staffing/recruiting agency.
Many employers are not willing to spend money to have someone else do their interviewing for them, but this could be a mistake for several reasons. First of all, the top management staff that typically conducts interviews has a multitude of daily tasks and demands on time that are necessary to keep business flowing smoothly. In order to find time to review applications and résumés, interview candidates thoroughly and select the best person for the job, other tasks have to be done more rapidly or ignored altogether. Secondly, in an effort to maintain productivity and get everything done, the hiring decisions may be done quickly and a better-suited candidate may be passed over accidentally. This may have long-term effects for the company if the selected candidate turns out to be a bad match, and then more time must be invested in finding a suitable replacement.
If employers initially turn to the services of a staffing agency, they could be saved a great deal of money in the long run which outweighs the outsourcing cost (also, don’t forget that a lot of agencies only charge if a candidate is actually hired). Allowing a staffing agency to handle the application review and interview process will provide a company with the following benefits:
1) Management staff will have more time to focus on actual business and ensure that everything is running according to plan
2) A decision will not be made hastily in order to simply fill a slot and move on to another task – a staffing agency is entirely devoted to filling your availabilities and need not divert attention to anything else
3) Hiring an applicant after a much more thorough review/interview process helps ensure that they are the BEST possible match, subsequently reducing turnover rates
4) Reducing turnover rates prevents the company from investing even more time and money in repeating the hiring process.
I’ve been told that it’s better to spend a little money now to save a lot of money later, and I think this is a perfect example of that handy little aphorism!
