Which Came First: The Job or The Candidate?

We are in another state of transition where we are hopefully looking in our rear view mirrors (for now) at the recession of 2008.  Everything is cyclical, and in staffing nothing rings more true.  So, how does a staffing company move forward in providing excellent service and benefit to prospects and clients?  There is more than one answer and always two sides to a coin……..

Businesses are regrouping and retooling internally to best position themselves in the economic upswing.  All companies have clients for their product and utilize many ways to market and sell, but people are a key cog in the wheel.  For example, you have a sales force to push your services but you had to cut back on the number of your team by half last year due to the recession.  You need to get back to meeting the numbers required for your company to be profitable.  Thus, a problem (I like to call it a challenge) arises.

How do you meet these numbers with half the resources?

Quite simply, the old adage of “you have to spend money to make money” should be on your radar.  You invest in people and people will bring revenue to your company’s bottom line.  Going in the woods to fight a bear with a wooden pencil is not a recipe for success.  Invest in your sales force and get that revenue stream rolling while landing new clients and satisfying existing ones.

“But I don’t have the budget for additional headcount.”

Your organization began a 2 year implementation of a global ERP system that cost several million dollars.  The project budgeted for X amount of consultants but had to be reduced in headcount, and the timeline to completion has been pushed back 12-18 months.  Along I come, from a staffing company, with the ability to get you the talent and expertise to get your ERP project back on time.  You tell me that you cannot afford to replace the 3 consultants that you scaled back on last year.  Hmmm…..the problem (remember, I like to call it a challenge) is not that you don’t have budget for additional headcount. It’s that the VALUE of the ERP project is not being considered.  Taking an additional 12-18 months to complete will probably cost a lot more than the additional headcount.  If I provide you with the right candidates, and you see that they will bring immediate value to getting the project back on track, THAT is something that can be measured.

Not every situation is the same.  My job is to find new opportunities.  I define opportunity as a situation to be a measurable resource.  If I help a client fill their jobs, that is success.  If I market a candidate to a company, open job/project or not, and the client can utilize this person within their organization, that is success.  Remember, everything is cyclical…….just like life, enjoy the ride!

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