How to Choose a Staffing Partner?

While there are thousands of temporary staffing firms in Canada, finding the one that best suits your company’s needs doesn’t have to be a time-consuming process. Your criteria for a staffing partner should be the same as for any new supplier. Quality, service and price are the key elements in making your final selection. Some factors to consider are:
  1. Temporary Recruitment Capabilities: Staffing firms need to employ innovative and creative methods to capture the widest pool of qualified temporary candidates. Do they utilize Internet recruitment sites, job fairs, or some new/effective high-tech methods to allow the best and largest number of candidates to apply for the jobs? What kind of marketing strategies (both offline and online) do they use to attract the most qualified candidates? Carefully assess whether the firm’s temporary pool of candidates can adequately meet workload requirements during peak seasons.

  2. Matching Procedures: Potential candidates should be thoroughly screened, evaluated and interviewed to accurately assess their skill levels and ensure the best match for the position. Does the staffing firm identify your company’s special requirements and match this information to their employee work profiles? What types of assessment programs do they use? Once the staffing firm understands your needs, can they promptly fill your order?

  3. Temporary Pay and Benefits: Compensation for temporary workers should be competitive. Staffing firms that offer incentive programs attract and retain the best people. Staffing firms should provide worker’s compensation, medical and dental insurance. Many top firms also provide holiday and vacation pay, as well as tuition reimbursement in order to ensure the continuous training of their candidates in today’s most sought-after skills.

  4. Guaranteed Performance: The staffing firm should offer a guarantee that the associate will meet your company’s needs. Front-line employees should be empowered and trained to resolve customer concerns quickly and effectively.

  5. ACSESS Membership: Staffing firms should be a member of the Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services (ACSESS). Members pledge to abide by the trade association’s code of industry ethics.

  6. Specialization of Services: Ask if the staffing firm provides a comprehensive menu of specialized services.  Although the industry’s largest portion of business is derived from the traditional clerical and administrative categories, some staffing firms also provide specialized services ranging from information technology, engineering, and accounting to other professional skills. An extensive range of services managed through one point of contact can ultimately improve the responsiveness and efficiency of your company’s specific requirements.

  7. Competitive Advantages: Make sure that the staffing firm you choose for your company has some significant competitive advantages that can not only allow them to outperform their competitors but also find the absolute best candidates for you and eventually save your company money in the long run. For example, in addition to analyzing or evaluating their recruitment marketing strategies, find out if they have the financial strength and management credibility to weather the global economic downturn, if they can act as a one-stop shop organization (i.e., if they are involved in both general and professional staffing, temporary and permanent recruitment, RPO, etc.), if they also engage in Direct Recruitment in order to find the most talented candidates as quickly as possible, if they have effective diversity initiatives in place in order to assist their clients in meeting their diversity targets, and/or if they have International Recruitment initiatives in place in order to fill positions in which there is a scarcity of skilled labour in Canada.
Selecting a staffing firm is a critical step in managing your company’s flexible workforce. In today’s ever-shifting business environment, a staffing firm can act as your human resource management partner—one who thoroughly understands the unique aspects of your industry, company culture, and business fluctuations. Make sure you understand a staffing firm’s capabilities. The right selection can be the definitive solution for managing your company’s contingent workforce.


©2009 Adecco. All Rights Reserved.
Bookmark and Share

Other recent articles/whitepapers from Adecco:
About Adecco
Adecco is the world leader in human resource solutions, with a service offering that includes permanent, temporary and contract recruitment.

With over 50 years of experience in the industry, 7,000 offices in more than 70 countries and territories (including 70+ branches in Canada), as well as 37,000 employees worldwide, the Adecco Group is the world leader in human resource solutions.

We are well-positioned to serve both job seekers and employers/companies (from small businesses to large corporations) better than anyone else in the industry.

Simply put, Adecco connects more people – with more permanent, temporary and contract employment opportunities – at more organizations than any other company in Canada.

For more information about our human resource, recruitment or staffing solutions, please click here or e-mail us at  excellence@adecco.ca.


©2009 Adecco Canada