When You Should Switch Your It Staffing Provider

by EdgeLink on Mar 11, 2014 in Client Relationship, IT Staffing

In today’s IT market, it’s getting harder and harder to find the technical talent you need to complete projects. Many managers have found that recruiting on their own isn’t doing the trick and have turned to an IT staffing provider. When partnering with a firm to help your hiring needs it’s important that you work with the right IT staffing partner. Doing so will help you successfully find high quality consultants for your open positions. Working with the wrong partner though, can leave your jobs sitting open for weeks on end, leaving your projects stalled.

Obviously, if you’re not getting your jobs filled, it’s probably time to switch IT staffing companies. But what are some other key traits that can clue you in that it’s time to switch? Check out our list below of four examples that will tell you it’s time to find a new partner:

If You’re Not Getting The Right Candidates
Your IT staffing partner might be sending you candidates for your jobs but are they the right ones? If they’re sending you lots of resumes that are requiring you to sift through them and then the resumes are only coming out so-so, you might consider changing. The right staffing partner should vet resumes for you and only send you their top recommendations. If they’re not making your job easier, it’s probably the wrong partnership. You might also be experiencing candidates that look great on paper but in person, don’t match the skills on their resume. A great recruiter will not only talk to candidates on the phone to assess them, often they’ll even meet them in person before they’re sent on to you for consideration.

If You’re Working With A New Account Representative Every Few Months
Working with an account representative that you trust and respect is the key to success in any business relationship. This is no different with your IT staffing partner. Having someone that knows you and knows your company is integral to your staffing projects. Developing a relationship with your IT staffing account representative is not just important so you’ll know who to contact when you have a job opening. They should know the types of attributes you want and look for in a consultant. It’s also important that they know the environment of your company and can find the right candidate that will thrive in the atmosphere your company provides. If the account representative for your company keeps changing, it will be virtually impossible for them to get to know you and your company. If they don’t know you and your company well, how can they be expected to find the right-fit candidates for your organization?

If They’re Not Consultative
IT Account Representatives and Recruiters have a great deal of insight as to what is going on in the market. As Recruiters are on the phone talking to candidates all day they know what people are looking for in a role, what types of technologies are hot and what makes candidates look the other way on a position. If you have an open job that you just cannot find the right-fit person for, there may be a valid reason and something you can do to change it. Often times little things in the job description like must-have technologies or specific hours that need to be worked could be holding you back from finding that right person. The IT Recruiter and Account Representative will know this from working on your open role. They should share this information (and any additional information that will help the search) with you. If they’re not offering up helpful tips to further aid your search, you might need to find a new company to work with.

If The Process Is Taking Too Long
With the IT unemployment rate around 3% (Dice.com) and the technology job sector continuing to grow, you can’t afford to have your recruiting process take too long. IT contractors are getting multiple calls a week from recruiters about open positions. If you find that you’re extending offers to good candidates, they’re accepting your offer but then not starting because they’ve taken another role, it might be because of the start date. It’s not uncommon after an offer is extended for the IT contractor to start in two weeks. However, in this market two weeks could make the difference between your contractor starting and finding another role. Paperwork for the onboarding process does take some time but you should work with IT partner to target the soonest possible start date. If they are unwilling to work with you and you’re losing talent because of it, it might be time to find a new partner.

Finding that right, trusted IT staffing partner might not be an easy task. There are lots of companies out there that can provide you with IT talent but it’s critical to your department and projects that you find the right one. Don’t be afraid to ask questions in the beginning of the relationship to qualify exactly what you can expect in a relationship with them. And if it doesn’t work out like they said it would, don’t be afraid to do your homework and move on to the next one.

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