Who Moved My Cheese? The Changing Face of the Staffing Industry

Change is constant and the staffing industry certainly holds no exception. How we manage the hiring process - from top to bottom - has shifted dramatically in recent years, but many of the fundamental rules still remain. It's all about finding the right talent at the right time, place and price. It seems simple, yet there is no elegant formula. Mostly, temporary staffing relies on the grunt work of middlemen. But the efficiency with which employees are staffed is constantly improving, and those companies that fail to adapt may begin to wonder, who really “moved their cheese”?

Culture Shift in Hiring

In the past, staffing firms and departments managed talent in very different ways than we do today. What used to be a paper and pen, pick up the phone and beat the streets process is now far more streamlined and effective - when the right tools are in place, that is.

What separates good staffing firms from great ones is ultimately how easy they can make the hiring process for their clients. Each company has their own secrets, but one pattern is clear: the Internet has changed how our day-to day jobs. Only those businesses that adopt and integrate the right tactics, in this case the Internet, will survive in the competitive world.

Take the airline industry as an example. What once was the task of travel agencies, helping customers to find the best deals from point A to point B, is now automated by online systems that show real-time pricing options. The consumer completes purchasing directly with airlines in many cases, but there are also services like Kayak and Travelocity that aggregate a variety of prices and options for consumers. The leaders in the industry are those that tailor technology to their customers’ needs.

New Tools Shake Up Old Ways

We now have a broad range of tools available for managing billing and staffing projects, but not all tools are created equally. Some big names include Elance and Odesk, but lots of smaller entrants are shaking things up as well.

The big companies have a lot of the standard features like billing and records management. These have become a staple in the industry, helping us to keep payments flowing and staff positioned properly.

But some innovators like NextCrew, which is providing online staffing tools to staffing firms, are hitting the market with some creative tools. Two features that are unique include instant job matching and self-managed staff profiles. These tools are likely to become standards in the marketplace in upcoming years.

Instant job matching used to be something we could only dream about. When companies request temporary labor, we get busy with phone calls and emails to prospective staffers. In other words, it's still a fairly manual process. But with services like NextCrew, a job is posted and everyone who meets the criteria is immediately notified. In many cases, positions get filled with qualified candidates in minutes with little to no involvement from the staffing agency, a relatively hands-off, stress-free method.

The other key factor is presentability. Especially with temporary work, first impressions make all the difference. With self-managed staffing profiles, prospective employees can maintain their own profiles and manage content, much like a social media site. Not only does that lift a burden off of staffing firms, but also it allows them to see their employees as more than just names on a page.

The Change Is Here...

 

 The management of clients and employees is rapidly changing. The advent of online-based services has made staffing sleek and simplified, but new tools are constantly surfacing. How your firm implements these tools will determine where it lands in this industry. Be prepared, because the cheese is moving and it’s not going to stop anytime soon.

Rise of the Contingent Workforce: Are You Ready?

There's change in the air, and we're not talking about the elections. The nature of the modern workforce is shifting in significant ways. One of the biggest shifts we're seeing today is the rise of the contingent workforce - an entire, large segment of ready-to-work staff who just need or want to work a short-term job.

Businesses are more and more likely to need contingent staffing options to handle unique, short projects. Instead of hiring and training full-time staff, more firms are looking for ways to bring on specialized or temporary staff to meet their needs.

But there's also a trend in workers looking for temporary opportunities as well. From contractors that just need to fill in on some downtime to students looking for jobs to the unemployed trying to keep bills paid - more workers are looking for and ready to fill temporary positions.

Leveraging Technology

One of the keys to successfully engaging this contingent workforce is through advanced technological solutions. One such solution is NextCrew which allows firms to make a job posting and all qualified staff is immediately notified via text or email - no more picking up the phone at the last minute and trying to round up a crew. NextCrew also allows those looking for jobs to maintain their own records and profiles, taking pressure of the organization.

This innovative platform is transforming the workforce by making it easier and easier for firms to actually get the staff they need quickly and efficiently. In the past companies have often found hiring full-time employees easier just so they have staff on hand for emergency projects. This doesn't have to be the case anymore.

Bigger Talent Pool = Better Results

The contingency workforce represents untold, untapped talent. Whether you are a staffing agency or your firm handles staffing internally, one of the keys to a successful project is getting the right people on the right job. The contingent workforce is incredibly mobile these days, and with the right systems like NextCrew in place, it's incredibly easy to bring in specialized staff quickly.

Staff utilization is a critical skill for staffing groups and a contingent workforce can be an excellent source of bringing in the right people fast. It just takes the right tools to manage the process.

And many of these staffers are looking for part time work for extra income. Contingent jobs usually last from a few hours long to several days, maybe a few weeks at most. So these staff can make some extra money, build their resumes, and move on without disrupting their current jobs, if they have one.

The rise of the contingent workforce is happening now and it's not going away anytime soon. The question is, are you ready?

NextCrew Transforms Short-Term Workforce Industry

From event planning to construction to the office: every growing business has the need for short-term staffing. But anyone who has dealt with this side of the business knows just how time-consuming and frustrating it can be. The typical process includes preparing a work order, sifting and sorting through candidates, and contacting them until you have your shift covered. This often takes place at the last minute requiring human resource teams to work after hours to get positions staffed.

With NextCrew, this entire process is streamlined, eliminating most of the steps traditionally required to staff short-term positions. Now you just post a work order and qualified candidates are immediately notified, respond, and can be managed in on one platform. Once a work order is posted, qualified candidates immediately receive an email or text notifying them of the opportunity, to which they can respond with the press of a button. You get notified of their interest and can finalize arrangements all from a single interface.

Post Once and Get Immediate Results

One of the most powerful features of NextCrew is the ease of engagement with qualified staffers. Instead of combing through resumes and profiles, the system automatically connects your work order to qualified staff in real-time. Candidates can immediately start responding to your work order. There's no need to send multiple emails or to pick up the phone. NextCrew connects with candidates in the way they prefer. The result is near immediate results from staff interested in the job. Post once and get the right people interested fast.

 

Self-Serviced Candidate Profiles

Candidates manage their own profiles, which takes all the pressure off of temporary staffing firms. No more data entry and perusing through page after page of useless resumes. Candidates can login, manage their credentials, contact information, and areas of interest. The result is reduced pressure on human resources staff who typically would have to manage the database of candidates.

One-Stop Work Order Management

Once candidates begin to respond to your work order, you have a number of tools for managing your project. From selection of candidates to communicating with those who have responded to your work order, you can quickly and easily stay on top of your project. The NextCrew platform gives you a dashboard for managing everything from the timing of your event or project to which staff will be on site at the time.
 
Private Label and Branded NextCrew Sites

For companies who simply want to integrate NextCrew into their brand, it's important to understand that NextCrew is simply a platform. You can provide your candidates and clients the tools available with NextCrew in a completely branded environment. You've worked hard to establish your brand! Use NextCrew to enhance it. You can host the NextCrew platform on your servers or use ours.

Why NextCrew?

NextCrew makes temporary staffing much easier and efficient with a near-social media-like interface. You only have to post a work order once and get real-time updates to the best candidates who can immediately respond with their interest. Staff up a project in minutes, not hours or days. And once you have your project staffed, easily manage your team from your dashboard.