Get Talent Off the Bench … and Into the Workforce

486482041 (1)A lot of the jobs that are being created are temporary in nature, from blue collar to white collar contract jobs. Those white collar contractors often aren’t looking for full-time, career-type employment. They’re looking to work at a company maybe for a year or two, and then move on to the next skill, or the next computer language, or whatever skill is in demand. That’s something staffers can take advantage of. Especially right now, with inflation low and an economy that isn’t growing too quickly. Interest rates should stay low, and there should be little pressure on wages for the time being. This type of environment creates an opportunity for staffing companies to expand.

In order to capitalize on this favorable environment, staffers really need to tap into the untapped reserve of human capital available in the marketplace. The untapped capital is all of the people that have fallen out (or that may never have entered) the work force — people who are of working age, who are eligible and can work, but are simply discouraged. It’s important for staffing companies to reach into those reserves, even though many employers are looking for employees with current or recent experience. The fact of the matter is that if there’s a demand for jobs, staffing firms need to fulfill it. Staffing is designed to take folks who may not be able to get jobs on their own, polish their resumes and interview skills and help them off of the bench and back into the work force.

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Good employees will not have to work at a starting salary for very long. Employers will find ways to keep good talent. There’s an untapped reserve of talent out there that just needs to be motivated. Available contract jobs turn into full-time employment. That’s really more of a shout-out to recruiters, and to employees who have been out of work for a while but feel like they’ve been out of the work force for too long to get back in.

Unemployed and/or disgruntled talent can’t afford to feel that way. They have to be out there looking for work. If you’re unemployed, it’s good to stay involved through continuing education classes or other opportunities. What I’m hearing from a broad spectrum of clients is that they have open job offers, but they don’t always have the right candidates to fill them. But there really is a wealth of available candidates.

Part of the staffing company’s job is to act as a broker between the employee and the employer. Staffing firms have to bridge the gap between the employer’s expectations and what’s available. If the staffer can convince an employer that talent is available, even though it may not be exactly what they’re looking for but would work really well in the jobs they need, then they’ll find the sweet spot. Bridging the gap between expectations and available talent can be tricky, but it can also lead to temporary and full-time employment opportunities.

If staffers can convince employers that those that have been out of the workforce for sometime are ready and willing to work, they can help grow a staffing company pretty quickly by filling open orders with talent that’s available. All it takes is a few successful placements to get the ball rolling. It will definitely take some salesmanship to do that, but that’s what we’re all in the staffing business to do.

MORE: How an ATS can help attract top talent

Nick Andriacchi

Nick Andriacchi
Nick Andriacchi is a director of sales and marketing at Damien Services Corporation.

Nick Andriacchi

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