57 TIPS FOR STAFFING FIRM OWNERS -...

157 TIPS FOR STAFFING FIRM OWNERS

57 TIPS FOR STAFFING FIRM OWNERSAn echogravity Strategy tool for Winning

http://echogravity.com/


ContentsWHY YOUR COMPANY NEEDS TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS 3

THE RECRUITING PROCESS IS CRITICAL 5

Recruiting Structure 6

Sourcing 8

Screening Candidates 10

References and Background Checks 12

Client Submittal 13

Negotiation 15

On-Boarding 16

Human Resources 17

Retention 18

Contracts 18

Sales and Account Management 19

Marketing 21

CONCLUSION 23

ABOUT ECHOGRAVITY 23


WHY YOUR COMPANY NEEDS TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS

No question, we’ve entered the maturity phase of staffing. Organizations have broken down the human labor purchasing

process into a science that resembles commodity buying. What used to be a highly relationship driven business, is now

an email and metrics contest. For fear of getting booted off a preferred list, staffing vendors have to stay clear of calling

decision makers directly, and can only communicate according to the strict rules of the program. The art of selling in

this climate continues to become extinct as more and more companies move toward preferred vendor lists and VMS

programs.

Additionally, the times continue to migrate in favor of the large staffing firms. In fact, the big staffing players have

cornered the market on filling orders with the large organizations (F1000) because of the sheer size of their recruiting

staff, national presence, and their total headcount. It has become nearly impossible for small to mid-sized vendors to

crack the code on getting into F1000 accounts that will give them opportunities to place large volumes of staff. Although

most companies open up a bidding process on occasion, the reality of the program sifts out the small guys unless there

is a very distinct purpose for their specialty niche. Let’s face it, these “RFI and RFQ” programs are mostly a facade when

decisions have already been made as to what vendors will be on a short list. “Nobody gets fired for picking IBM” was

a phrase I remember hearing all the time in the 90’s. The same goes for the 2000’s when it comes to picking staffing

vendors. We all know who the big guys are and how difficult it is to dethrone them from a major account.


However, there are a number of things a small to mid-sized staffing firm can do in order to put them in better position to

grow and compete with the big guys. As of early 2011, the market seems to have picked up for IT talent and our clients

and sources also tell us that business has increased. Talent pools have shrunk and the need for resources continues to

grow. This trend in new orders and greater competition of resources provides a “new account opening” opportunity not

seen in quite some time. With the stars aligning, there is a unique opportunity to make a push toward growth. If you can

execute on that push, your chances of better competing at a larger scale will increase.

So, based on our deep experience with numerous IT Staffing companies, we’ve come up with a list of items that

companies could consider when positioning their individual business for growth. A number of these items are also

utilized by VMS programs when selecting vendors. The list is meant to provide a guide to help you look at your business

from the outside in, but to also consider operational structures that may help in the growth process.

The bottom line is this: If your company can sharpen up methods used for hiring consultants, the processes you use to

hire internal staff, your processes for executing fills, and your messaging/branding, you should be in a position to grow

your organization and be more seriously considered when it comes time to competing with the big staffing players.


THE RECRUITING PROCESS IS CRITICAL

The recruiting process is the lifeblood of the business. If you can’t recruit, you can’t grow. It’s that simple.

We find that most companies these days hire “new age” recruiters. These are the recruiters that have been trained

to recruit by using job boards as the sole source for finding candidates. In addition to using job boards, the new age

recruiter is lacking in the skills and know-how to source passive candidates and use more advanced interviewing

techniques to vet out the best candidates. With the demand shifting from resource heavy to resource constraint, the

need for recruiters to step up their efforts is a must.


Have a local recruiting presence.Face to face interviews help in assessing local talent and determining value of candidate. This is also an area of differentiation since most companies do not see their candidates F2F. Cultural understanding of clients is a significant advantage when vetting the right candidates for key clients. This also helps when it comes to candidate control.

Structure to the team.Having structure to a recruiting team will provide efficiencies when recruiting for multiple positions.

Train the Recruiters.AIRS is the most recognized recruiter certification out there.

Create a low cost off-shore team to do sourcing.Setting up a very specific process for utilizing sourcers will help in timing of candidates to submittal.

Recruiting Structure

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Balance the experience.Is your team capable of bringing your organization to the next level? Can they represent you in front of a client, displaying the team’s abilities to effectively recruit on behalf of your company? Are they able to conduct a detailed search for a candidate using all facets of a process in order to secure top notch candidates?

Write it down and memorize it.This is one area of differentiation if you have it in a form that is communicable, memorized and repeatable.

Use these bios for new business and RFI/RFP responses.If you are having issues creating bios that read well, maybe you have the wrong team!

Recruiting Structure

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Sourcing

Employ sourcing methods that can identify passive candidates.See if your company utilizes methods of sourcing that can get to additional talent pools. Also to see if your company is capable of sourcing candidates that the client is not likely to identify via general searches on their own.

Design a plan that outlines the process for exhausting all avenues of sourcing for client requirements.Understand how thorough the sourcing process is and to ensure that the team is using it on a consistent basis. Recruiters tend to fall into the “path of least resistance” when recruiting.

Utilize only the best paid sourcing methods.Don’t solely rely on them. If they become a crutch, take them away. Paid sources aren’t the only one way to get to good candidates.

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Demonstrate a thorough subcontractor selection process before utilizing a subcontractor.Ensure that your selection process, when using a secondary supplier, follows a due diligence process. Reviewing secondary suppliers should be of high importance and selected carefully.11


Sourcing

Develop and communicate a well designed employee/contractor referral program.Make sure to have this additional sourcing method that is typically a sound source of candidates.

Train recruiters to track all sources through a candidate tracking tool (ATS).This is an absolute must for growth. Make sure that you have a great tool that is easy to use. In addition to having the tool, make sure all candidates use it religiously. Using a tool like this can make or break success.

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Screening Candidates

Document a list of certain traits/values to hire against for ALL candidates.Make sure that the client is getting the best possible candidate and that your company understands that there are skills needed outside of technical buzzwords. Also make sure that the client gets contractors and candidates that have solid value systems. It’s important to know that your company is qualifying candidates that you would hire regardless of which client the candidate will work for.

Define generic, documented pre-determined hiring criteria for each new employee or contractor.It’s important that your company has a documented process for publishing hiring profiles to multiple sources. Be certain that a process is documented and followed. If your company creates hiring profiles that include critical hiring criteria outside of hiring client skills (and executes on it), this could be an area of differentiation if you get it right.

Confirm prior rates and compensation with all Candidates.Be certain that the cost of the contractor is based off of history, rather than desire of the consultant. Objective is to keep costs down for the client, for your company, and in order to manage acceptable margins.

Develop a documented method for technically screening candidates.Make sure that your company has a repeatable process that is used to accurately qualify candidates against technical competencies. This also reduces risk of candidates being thrown out of clients for non-performance.

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Screening Candidates

Develop and train your recruiters on using specific interviewing criteria/methods when interviewing candidates. (Behavioral, Communication Skills)Just talking to candidates is not recruiting them. Recruiters should interview as if they were seeking to hire them and assume the risk. Recruiters should be screening candidates out, not screening them in. The interview is a very important step of the process.

Incorporate face to face interviews with candidates into the process.Face to face interviews has become a thing of the past. Use this as a way to differentiate your services.

Perform interview role playing via phone and video with recruiters.There is no better training than watching yourself in an interview.

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References and Background Checks

Integrate a check and balance system that ensures the grammatical accuracy of each document that will be delivered to a client.Force quality and legibility of resumes. Make sure that your company is not skipping steps in providing a service to the client.

Be certain to capture references from every submitted candidate and document the result of each reference within a file or electronic file attached to the candidate’s record.We all know the value of gathering references. Make sure they get into the ATS or CRM for future marketing and communication.

Develop a proactive background investigation policy.Ensure that the client is getting a candidate that has been screened prior to submittal. Use it for all candidates regardless of whether the client requires it or not.

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Develop comprehensive reference check questions to extract information that is useful in the understanding of the candidates work history.Asking questions like “rate this person 1-10 in Java is not a good reference check. Ask penetrating questions and make sure that what is being asked matches to the needs of the clients. Digging deep will help get the truth and also make a great impression on the hiring manager giving the reference. If the hiring manager realizes that you are working hard to vet a candidate, they may just give you an order on the spot.

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Client Submittal

Be able to demonstrate proof that screening, interviews, and reference checks have been performed on a candidate prior to submitting the candidate to the client for consideration.Determining that the submittal process is complete and thorough is critical. Sometimes, speed is of the essence, but quality always wins in the end.

Implement an exclusivity agreement with the candidate.Many companies are doing this these days. This is important in order to avoid conflicts and issues during the candidate submittal stage.

Always accurately represent the candidate’s skills and work experience to the client.Never fudge resumes. If the candidate isn’t aware of the resume item, then it shouldn’t be there.

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Client Submittal

Vendor provides all new consulting employees with an offer letter, employment agreement, and application for company benefits.To confirm that paperwork and a thorough process exists, giving the client a better chance of success with candidates.

When necessary, be certain to present resumes in a consistent format and legible manner.The client should be getting a high quality work product that supports the candidate background. Our conversations with hiring managers uncovers that this is one of the top issues they have with vendors: poor grammar and typos on resumes.

Avoid compensation conflicts during the selection or hiring process. This is a critical point of the process. Many candidates fall off at this point because the T’s weren’t crossed and the I’s weren’t dotted.Make certain to be able to provide proof that compensation has been agreed upon with the candidate prior to submitting any candidate to a client.

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Negotiation

Role play negotiation scenarios with recruiters.Train them and then role play with them. Practice practice practice.

Train recruiters on negotiation skills as you would your sales reps.Having great negotiation skills as a recruiter could not be understated. Most recruiters today accept what they are told. Prepping for pay, negotiating rates, and closing on compensation are critical skills for today’s recruiters. 31

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On-Boarding

Take a proactive role in the introduction and starting of the consultant at a client.If at all possible, don’t just send your candidate to the client to start on their own. Walk through the code, determine if there are items the consultant needs to know about, and make sure all of the expectations are clear. Getting face time with the hiring personnel doesn’t hurt anything either.

Develop and document an on-boarding strategy and process.Provide the client with a streamlined process for bringing on consultants which avoids additional work for the client. Make sure that repeatability and execution of the process is being completed consistently and accurately.

Document and communicate a client code of conduct.Make certain that each consultant has a clear understanding of expectations while at the client site. There are so many stories of consultants being released from clients because they didn’t follow the simple rules. Create the code, communicate it and make sure that your clients know you do it.

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Human Resources

Train recruiting and human resource personnel on appropriate equal employment laws and policy.This is important. Most companies do not do this. All it takes is one recruiter to ask the wrong question.

Your company maintains files and records of each contractor and employee.Your company needs to track information and keep records of employees, hiring and practices. Hire an employment attorney to do an audit to make sure you are in compliance. With the laws becoming tighter on labor practices, one penalty can take your business down.

Document equal employment hiring practices within employee handbooks or other communication methods.Protect your company by adhering to the EEO and immigration laws.

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Retention

Build and implement a contractor/consultant retention program.Give the client a better chance of retaining and hiring those contractors that excel in the client environment. It is far easier to grow your business if your current consultants are happy and cared for.

Demonstrate ample communication with candidates, consultants and employees.Make sure that the client is getting a high level of service from its vendors. Contractors and consultants tend to be happier if the company that hired them displays value to the person.

Contracts

Develop and implement a process to audit contracts across all company relationships.Minimize turnover and legal risks to the client.

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Sales and Account Management

Create named account territories.If your sales team is not accountable to specific results against territories, then they are running blind. Breaking new accounts and farming against expectations is of utmost importance for growth.

Keep and measure quotas for all reps.Not documenting and measuring against quotas sets the stage for under-performance across the team. Hold tight on expectations and monitor them in the group in order to display accountability to the team, the company and themselves.

Run consistent sales meetings.Accountability for results and status are key to keeping sales teams motivated. Cross-pollination of ideas and concepts happen regularly in this meeting. Having top producers talk about successes and how they accomplished them will help the others on the team.

Require specific metrics for results.Maintain a list of metrics to measure against. Break them down weekly by rep and by target/key account. Taking care of the blocking and tackling will help reps achieve their goals.

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Sales and Account Management

Perform account reviews for key accounts.All it takes is one major account to pull you off their list. Don’t let this happen. Stay on top of the 80% that keep your business growing. Don’t get lazy by not staying on top of those key accounts. Assuming progress is a dangerous place to be.

Communicate your Value Propositions to your audience.Utilize various channels to convey the real value to your target audience and your current clients.

Develop a documented account management strategy for building strong relations with the client.Make sure that the client is getting a high level of service from your company. A plan of this type also ensures that any turnover among the sales staff will not create a high learning curve to those that take over the position.keep costs down for the client, for your company, and in order to manage acceptable margins.

Utilize and force the use of a SFA/CRM.This is critical to growth. Without data on your prospects and clients, your company will never grow. In addition to having the data, each sales rep needs to adhere to the processes of maintaining and updating data within the system. Tie compensation bonuses to following policy. The SFA/CRM is one of the most valuable assets in the company. echogravity specializes in this area, so reach out if this is a pain within your business.

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Marketing

Make sure that your web site is tight.All of the site copy, branding and messaging should be clear, concise and clear of rhetoric. Additionally, make sure that your visitors have a reason to come back and view your site.

Publish thought leadership.This one is tough, but find a way to publish articles and papers to distribute to your audience.

Hit the social networks.Although it is a B2B play, utilizing content marketing in the social communities can have a significant awareness advantage. Most IT Services companies do not utilize these channels to the extent they should be.

Make sure that your web site is fresh.Continue building content for visitors to read. Once you stop writing, your traffic will decrease. Keep a blog current and be certain to have eBooks and other materials that help set your brand apart. Giving the visitors something to download or engage in is always a great way to keep them coming back for more.

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Marketing

Optimize for search.Utilize keyword strategies, meta descriptions and title tags to get found.

Determine if your company is really unique.Utilize our Differentiation Exercise download to see how distinct your company is.

Be consistent throughout your materials.Utilize the same messaging throughout and put a stake in the terminology and phrases you use to create a brand for your business.

Install Google Analytics.Track your traffic patterns and learn why your prospects will want to know more about you. If you don’t keep a keen eye on your web site visitors, there is no reason to put any efforts in your web site. It ends up being a brochure at best.

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CONCLUSION

There are so many aspects to running an IT services company. The list above is only a small percentage of items you

should be considering. Take this list as a starter and try to integrate some, or all of these points on your way to becoming

a thriving entity.

If you like this publication and are in IT Services, try checking out our 27 Questions to Ask paper. Combining this eBook

and the 27 questions, you’re bound to be headed in the right direction.

ABOUT ECHOGRAVITY

echogravity specializes in driving inbound marketing for IT Services companies, Contact Center ecosystem

organizations, and other small to mid-sized businesses. Whether it’s driving content marketing, communicating on the

social web, optimizing web sites, or pointing prospects to your site, echogravity will make sure that your target market

not only knows that you exist, but that you are a leader in your space.

In a Nutshell, we are a group of skilled marketers that do the heavy lifting at the top of the funnel so you can focus on closing in the bottom.

http://www.echogravity.com/

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