Jump to the Next Curve - Part 2: Create Your Own Online Staffing Business

This is the part 2 of our Jump to the Next Curve series. You can find Part 1 here. 

Anyone who has ever worked in the temporary staffing industry understands how to maneuver through the complicated dance that is workforce management. 

Each week, dozens of potential employees walk through the doors to interview for opportunities with the service. For every job order from a client, countless candidates will be interviewed, only three to five will be submitted, and ultimately only one candidate will get the job. This perpetuates the myths that staffing companies are standing in the way of opportunities or just want headcount for their business. While this is patently untrue, the cycle still continues. 

The sweet spot for most temporary staffing companies and their flexible employees are short term positions offering additional income or work experience. Managing these projects can take a lot of time away from a recruiter or administrators daily tasks. A client may call at 4 pm on a Friday needing 15 people to be at their facility at 7 am Monday morning. Suddenly, the end of the day tasks get set aside and the urgency to fill the position by "smiling and dialing" makes the tension in the office electric. And what happens when you can't reach everyone in time? If the job goes unfilled, that is lost revenue and candidates still not working. 

In this brave new world of online staffing, there may be a solution. 

Online staffing with self-service capabilities streamlines the experience to allow clients and candidates to take a more active role in the process. It will change the face of the industry. 

Once you've implemented your online staffing system, your candidates and clients become engaged with your organization  Optionally, you can allow your clients to manage jobs directly to the system which automates an alert to available and qualified candidates. These skilled workers can respond directly and receive all the information they need to accept and start the assignment. Candidates waiting in the wings for the perfect job to become available can now stay engaged with short term assignments if they choose. 

An online staffing system can also automate several other parts of the process in between your applicant tracking and your back office processes. 

• Candidates can manage their profiles directly by keeping their contact information and experience up to date.
• New jobs are broadcast to the widest range of potential, qualified candidates as soon as they come into the system. 
• Time sheets are automatically submitted and processed by your candidates and clients each week.
• Optionally your selected clients can post new jobs to the system which will automatically generate a notification to qualified candidates.

Integrating online staffing into your workforce management solution offerings can improve your performance and potential as a future staffing business. Imagine how you can improve your processes and take your company to the next level to focus on new revenue streams and offering the best service to both your candidates and your clients. 

What questions do you have regarding online staffing and how it can affect your business? 

Stay tuned for the next topic of our Jump to the Next Curve series: Creating a Private Talent Pool.