Staffing Agencies: How to get half the Resumes and twice the Hope
By Sam Wiczer, Partner at Source One Staffing, Inc.
Several months ago, I was sitting in a restaurant for lunch and I overheard the guy at a table behind me talking on the phone. He sounded beaten, as he said, “I hired a temporary staffing agency to make my life easier, now I have twice as many resumes and half as much hope.”
You know, sometimes you just need to ask.
I work for Source One Staffing. We have offices near Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth and St. Louis. I figured maybe this guy's problem was something I could fix. I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention and asked if we could talk.
He told me he was a Human Resources manager for a local manufacturer. His company began relying on outsourced recruiting firms in 2023, towards the end of the COVID pandemic, to help with seasonal business and an aging workforce. His expectations were to have:
a reduced workload with regards to candidate screening,
higher quality candidates, that were pre-vetted by agency experts and
a more streamlined hiring process.
When A Staffing Agency Over Promises and Under Delivers
That’s not what he got. He said he was overwhelmed, getting quantity over quality, with unqualified or mismatched resumes and candidates. He said, he felt like the relationship was just part of a transaction.
Staffing agencies that don’t take the time to innately understand their clients’ business needs and care more about fees than helping, often expose those clients to risks, through operational inefficiencies and legal liabilities, all of which detract from the bottom line.
How to Find a Staffing Agency That Actually Staffs
I wasn't trying to sell him anything, but I wanted him to know what he should expect with a good agency, which is more than he was getting.
I told him that there are qualified temp-to-hire and staffing companies, like Source One, that specialize in manufacturing and warehousing. We're industry-specific, which means we know the difference between a forklift operator and someone who operates a fork at dinner.
I outlined how good, specialized staffing agencies engage with sector-specific knowledge and build the foundation of their businesses on the following practices:
Industry Specialization and customization. These staffing agencies engage employers with sector-specific knowledge and networks. They listen to employers’ specific “pain points,” and tailor support, resulting in more precise staffing solutions.
Proactive recruiting and ongoing employer outreach. Rather than react to job orders and scramble to fill them, specialized outsourced recruiting agencies work proactively to understand clients’ goals and build candidate profiles, matching candidates on skills and cultural fit. This strategy creates targeted talent pools that clients can access immediately when positions open, reducing downtime.
Thorough candidate vetting. Some staffing agencies, like ours, conduct in-depth, in-person candidate interviews. This process, while more time consuming, results in higher-quality placements who are less likely to turn over quickly — saving employers the time and expense of repeated hiring cycles.
Long-term partnerships. Good agencies position themselves as trusted partners, not transactional vendors. They build trust by working with clients in full transparency, unwavering reliability and consistent responsiveness.
Compliance and regulatory expertise. Staffing compliance is a major risk area for employers. Specialized staffing companies, like Source One, ensure proper screening, drug testing, and regulatory compliance are handled meticulously. This approach protects employers from legal and reputational risks often caused when agencies cut corners on background checks or employment eligibility verification.
Comprehensive workforce support. Some specialized temp-to-hire and staffing agencies, like Source One, offer consulting beyond just staffing, on HR best practices, safety programs and industry-specific employee training.
A Temporary Staffing Setback, Results in a Successful Staffing Company Partnership
I wasn't trying to sell him, but information has a way of selling itself. He met with me and my partners and became a client. At our last meeting, he said, "Thank you for being the staffing agency that gets it."
Hope is like a good staffing agency—when you find it, you wonder how you ever lived without it.