Jump to the Next Curve – Part 5: Getting Started

This is part 5 of our Jump to the Next Curve Series. Be sure to read the first, second, third and fourth installments as well. 

We've already discussed what online staffing is, the trends and challenges, and how to create customized talent pools for your clients. So, what does it all mean for your business? If you want to take the leap and jump to the next curve to provide contingent workers for your valued clients, how do you get started?

There are just a few things you'll need to establish your online staffing platform which will allow you to engage more of the talent you've screened and provide additional services to your customers.

•  Match the options to your current business model. Do you want to provide a way to connect candidates to clients in a seamless fashion? Do you want to create customized talent pools for your client's specific needs? The first decision you need to make is what kind of online staffing resource you want to be.
• Learn about the available technology. Creating your own system can be expensive and time consuming. An attempt to build a solution from scratch or use your current software in a manner inconsistent with its design can lead to distractions and disappointment. You may want to consider working with a workforce management technology provider. They can partner with you to create a customized platform, get started quickly, and allow you to focus on what you do best.
• Be the champion for the new solution. The staffing industry is changing rapidly. If you're not moving forward you may easily be left behind. In spite of push back from management that prefers a "traditional" approach, online staffing will be a trend that can't be ignored for very long. It only takes one person in the company to get the ball rolling in the right direction. If you feel strongly about the importance of online staffing, become the champion in your company.
•  Develop a plan and put it in motion.  Once you determine that online staffing is an important next step for your business, you need to determine a plan of action that can be executed in a timely fashion. Establish your budget, partner with the right technology provider, train your staff, and begin to transition your systems to this new world of online staffing.

Are you ready to embrace online staffing and workforce management for your business? 

Jump to the Next Curve - Part 4: The Online Staffing Marketplace

This is part 4 of our Jump to the Next Curve Series. Be sure to read the third installments as well. 

Staffing just doesn't get any less complicated. Regardless of how you position yourself to candidates and clients, you will always have mismatches. These mismatches can leave money on the table when the right opportunity doesn't come at the right time for each candidate you've prescreened. Even though this is out of your hands completely, it can affect the candidate's desire to continue to work with your company. 

No matter how hard you try using traditional staffing methods you can't find a job for everyone who walks through your doors. 

But what if you could increase the odds of having your employees hired for even short term projects?

Let's look at some of the scenarios that you and your recruiters are probably familiar with.

•  The candidate is based in a specific location which is not a match to your current job openings.
• Your client has a need for a specific skill set that this candidate does not possess.
• Your candidate is interested in part time or short term work and all of your current positions are long term. Or vice versa.

      When an opportunity does cross your desk that might be a fit with these candidates they may no longer be   available. They may have accepted another opportunity or are unwilling to work with you due to displaced dissatisfaction in the recruiting process. 

In this second decade of the 21^st century, this has all changed. Now is the perfect time to capitalize on these lost opportunities. 

Why now? 

Because for the first time the technology is in place to allow candidates and clients to interact directly in a safe and contained system that is bridging the employment gap. 

There are multiple ways you can design your candidate market place.

•  You can focus on creating the customized talent pools that we discussed in the previous blog installment.
• You can create lists with focused skills to market to businesses on your sales target list.
•   You can allow employees to access certain job orders through your client base to encourage them to apply.

Automating this process with a workforce management tool and online staffing system allows recruiters to be hand-off. They can focus the human factor on sourcing and hiring the best candidates and developing relationships with them and the clients. The technology doesn’t replace the recruiter but is allows them to concentrate on the part of their job that can earn the company money in the long term. 

An online staffing marketplace can also take advantage of revenue streams that have previously been off the table. Allowing employers to access the candidate database directly in a controlled way will give them more opportunities to bring in employees for short term projects and allow more employees to work steadily as they wait for long term positions to become available. 

The fifth and final installment of the Jump to the Next Curve series will feature how to get started and take advantage of this technology for your business. Don't forget to read parts 1, 2, and 3.