Trying to staff for technical positions is a constant challenge for every recruiter. Given how enormous and varied the pool of aspirants who want to join the IT field is, zeroing in on the ideal candidates will pose a challenge to even the most experienced recruiters. Getting hired into the IT universe is a feat for the applicants too, as they have to constantly catch up with the fast-moving technology.
An IT staffing agency overcomes these obstacles by assisting both the recruiters and candidates to find what they are looking for. With years of experience, a track record of success, streamlined hiring processes, and a passion for IT staffing, the best IT staffing agencies employ teams of top-tier recruiters to track the perfect talent. When utilized right, these firms save the clients time, money, and effort by allocating the projects to the most qualified and skilled candidates.
Topics Covered:
- What is an IT staffing agency?
- How does an IT staffing agency work?
- What does an IT staffing agency do?
- What is the difference between staffing and recruiting?
- What are the advantages of IT staffing agencies?
- Why do we need IT staffing?
What is an IT staffing agency?
An IT staffing agency is a company that recruits IT consultants for other organizations looking to hire for certain technical jobs. Organizations may use an IT staffing agency for four major reasons:
- Incorporating New Technology: They may be looking to incorporate new technology and do not have the internal talent needed to find the best employees for the job.
- Short-term Technical Project: They may have a short-term technical project in mind and, rather than creating an entirely new department internally, they use an IT staffing firm to find contract consultants for them.
- A New Business: They are a newer business that may not have the required funds or human resources needed to properly recruit, so they use an IT staffing agency.
- Hiring Surge: They may find themselves in an unexpected hiring surge and need to hire more people, faster than they are typically used to.
Regardless of the reason, a wide variety of organizations turn to IT staffing agencies in order to fill technical positions quickly and with the best talent.
How does an IT staffing agency work?
IT staffing agencies comprise a team of recruiters whose primary responsibility is to track, filter, and recommend IT consultants to clients. The recruiters in an IT staffing agency are faster and more efficient than recruiters from other companies as their sole focus is to find the best-in-class talent within a short time window.
What does an IT staffing agency do?
Though the responsibilities may vary based on domain specializations, most aspects of the overall process tend to be similar across every IT staffing agency.
STEP 1: The client who needs technical talent gives the agency a requisition detailing what they are looking for. This includes how many consultants they need, the skills required, how much experience is needed, the salary they are willing to pay, the timeframe of the project, etc.
STEP 2: The IT staffing agency uses this information to create a job description and starts talent hunting. To recruit, the staffing firm may call on its network of qualified candidates, post on job boards, pay for advertising, or use a combination of these options. Most agencies, stop the process at this stage and hand over the list of candidates to the client because they value quality over quantity. But the best IT staffing agencies take it a step further.
STEP 3: Once top IT staffing agencies have a pool of seemingly qualified candidates, they start the filtering, ranking, and vetting process. This process will vary from agency to agency depending on their dedication to quality. The goal is to shortlist only the best candidates, who match the requisition and team culture, so the client can make the final decision.
At PTP, we use a time-tested 5-step process with each and every candidate that includes screening of their communication and personality, in-depth review of coding skills, in-person interviews to remove any fake candidates, test projects, and continued evaluation after their project is complete.
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What is the difference between staffing and recruiting?
Staffing and recruiting are often used interchangeably because their ultimate goal is the same: to hire people. The difference is usually dependent on context, but often refers to whether the company is going after active or passive candidates.
- Active candidates: Job seekers who are intentionally looking for a job. They tend to apply directly to companies giving the business a pool of candidates to choose from. This is often what people mean when they refer to staffing.
- Passive candidates: May not be actively seeking a new job, but would be open to one if the right opportunity presented itself. These are consultants who need to be sought out and recruited.
The best IT staffing firms combine both: they staff active candidates and actively recruit the passive ones.
What are the advantages of IT staffing?
- Saves time: IT staffing agencies focus solely on hiring. A job opening that may take the HR department days or even weeks to fill can be closed within a matter of hours by the best IT staffing agencies.
- Increases quality: IT staffing agencies already know, or are able to find, A-players that traditional HR teams can’t get hold of. Agencies often have top-tier candidates available on hand, when they don’t, they know where to find them.
- Reduces turnover: By staffing only the best technical talent who gels with the client’s unique team culture, agencies are able to provide employees who will stand the test of time.
- Reduces costs: Turnover can cost employers 33% of an employee’s annual salary. By hiring consultants specifically geared for the job and the team, IT staffing agencies reduce that dramatic and unnecessary cost burden.
Why do we need IT staffing?
Great IT staffing agencies are able to attract, source, and vet high-quality technical candidates in a shorter period of time than internal HR departments. Most IT staffing agencies have a ready-made pool of shortlisted candidates for every tech role, given how they specialize exclusively in talent hunting. This pool of consultants also acts as a large network, enabling the agency to get referrals other companies won’t be able to find.
Additionally, IT staffing agencies are not weighed down by other concerns a typical HR department would face, allowing them to focus all their time and energy on seeking out, screening, and referring the most promising candidates to the client.
Long story short, with a top IT staffing company by their side, a client will never have to settle for sub-par talent ever again.
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About the Company:
Peterson Technology Partners (PTP) has been Chicago’s premier Information Technology (IT) staffing, consulting, and recruiting firm for over 22+ years. Named after Chicago’s historic Peterson Avenue, PTP has built its reputation by developing lasting relationships, leading digital transformation, and inspiring technical innovation throughout Chicagoland.
Based in Park Ridge, IL, PTP’s 250+ employees have a narrow focus on a single market (Chicago) and expertise in 4 innovative technical areas;
- Cybersecurity
- Artificial Intelligence
- Data Science
- Cloud & DevOps
PTP exists to ensure that all of our partners (clients and candidates alike) make the best hiring and career decisions.
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Peterson Technology Partners is an equal opportunity employer.
