According to Staffing Industry Analysts’ Workforce Solutions Buyer Survey 2018, respondents report that 22 percent of their staff is currently contingent, and project that by 2028 that figure will rise to 30 percent. As the blended workforce continues to grow, it’s becoming increasingly important to perfect your company’s recruitment strategies to consistently hire strong permanent and contract candidates that will drive business growth. No matter what industry you focus on, the ability to implement an effective contingent workforce recruitment strategy that is part of your overarching hiring plans is essential for success in today’s competitive job market.

“Many companies in the Retail and Home Furnishings and Electronics sectors are missing out on an opportunity to get key projects done using the growing GIG economy,” according to Bill O’Malley, Managing Partner of Connector Team Recruiting.  As I talk with leaders in our industry they talk about fears they have including; competition in areas such as the Digital play arena and the big changes in Supply Chain and Technology to name just a few examples. They describe a strong desire to grow and keep up with these changes. They also describe the reluctance to add management staff which I truly understand since I spent much of my early career in industry leadership roles. Adding a full time equivalent to a management team is a huge commitment to your P&L and operating structure. I think this is very prudent of these executives to weight these pros and cons carefully.

There are cost effective and very scale-able solutions available today at all levels of the organization.  Having a portion of your workforce contingent gives you maximum flexibility and allows you the ability to get projects done when times are very good, then scale back without the negative impact of cutting back your full time workforce when the next downturn materializes.

Our Contract Staffing Team in Philadelphia is outstanding in making sure that what we refer to  as “payrolling” of these contract staffing professionals is professionally managed and administered.  From my seat and view contract professionals are an amazing group of people, they are super talented and generally blend in very easily with your current team.  The big plus is that if these on demand professionals are not a good fit, a great staffing firm will quickly replace them with another.  With the increasing demand this part of the workforce has become comfortable with change and they embrace it and are not insecure about the assignment ending.  They know there is another project when this ends in fact many will tell you they have a choice of assignments to accept.

As you continue to read this article our team emphasizes the need for creating a strategy around this much like your overall branding, marketing or any other major strategic goals.

“Many newer companies make the mistake of assuming that coming up with an effective contingent talent acquisition strategy can happen overnight,” said Tim Ozier, senior director of contract staffing sales for MRINetwork. “The reality is that identifying hiring needs, searching for right-fit candidates and screening takes extensive time and consideration. Generally, the most successful strategies unfold with the help of staffing companies.”

Whether you are running a startup tech company or managing a team of long-time engineers, you and your organization are going to need a strong recruitment strategy, ensuring that you are focused on the talent decisions that will actually affect the organization’s ability to reach its business goals. Consider these methods for executing an effective plan that works for your team:

Strive to maintain balance

No matter how good your retention rate is, changes in employment are expected within any company. New projects, changes in strategy, new market opportunities can all have an impact on the staffing levels and skill requirements of any organization, big or small.

However, it’s key that your organization is always thinking two steps ahead when it comes to your contingent workforce recruitment strategy. While not all exits from the company can be anticipated, workforce planning is most effective when it resolves talent gaps while maintaining a balance of labor surpluses and shortages. This is best accomplished by using predictive analytics to monitor workforce trends inside your business, as well as in the external environment. When a company can accurately forecast future job openings, analyze current demand and talent, and measure predicted resources, it improves talent acquisition. “This ability to look ahead and recognize what your company will need and when, can enhance the success rate of recruitment,” said Ozier. “Keep one eye on current challenges – and one eye on future needs that your organization must prepare for.”

Encourage a blended workforce

Today’s workforce looks much different than it did even several years ago. With the onset of remote work, the gig economy and the appeal of telecommuting, it’s becoming rare to find a company filled completely with full-time, in-office employees. From the top down, organizations and employees can reap the benefits of a mixed workforce but first, your company needs to be on board with this kind of work environment.

One way to do this is by including discussions around the blended workforce during planning sessions with the entire organization. Demonstrating how contingent workers can help drive the organization’s bottom line, while cutting costs at the same time is key. In many cases, contingent workers are hired for projects that could not be completed by existing staff. Overall, creating clear means of communication across all sources of workers is beneficial.

Expand expectations of contract workers

In the past, contingent workers were mainly brought on for short-term projects with an official deadline in place. Today, not all of these employees operate on fixed-term contracts. In fact, there are long-term contracts that can last up to several years, or even indefinite contracts with no official end date.

If companies continue to view this pool of candidates as merely temporary, they are largely missing out on the talent that is today’s world of extremely skilled top performers. While you may only think of contingent workers as one-time fixers, merely filling a gap in talent while saving on costs, you’re losing out on the wealth of knowledge these highly skilled workers have to offer.

According to figures from a recent study published by Oxford Economics, IT, healthcare, public service agencies, financial services and professional services are among the top sectors using contingent labor as a solution. These organizations that require niche expertise can highly benefit in the long-term by sourcing from this top talent.

“Both organizations and contingent workers benefit greatly from contract staffing,” said Ozier. “Many times, the relationship and outcome is so great, these employees are later hired as permanent workers.”

Work with a staffing company

Industry focus is key for finalizing your recruitment strategy and the best way to do this is by working with a staffing organization. Not only do these agencies have working relationships with top talent, but they understand the specific skill sets needed in your given industry. When it’s the top candidates within your sector you’re looking for, staffing organizations can help you find them. Instead of training an inexperienced worker, you gain access to the right candidate for the job at hand. The recruitment firm takes care of all the talent sourcing, background checks, and preliminary interviewing activities to deliver highly qualified workers. For both permanent and contract work, this single-source solution can help you implement the best contingent workforce recruitment strategy.

Blog Post by: Bill O’Malley, Chief Recruiting Officer at Connector Team Recruiting.  Connector Team is recognized by leaders and leading consultants as the premier search firm in the Furniture | Appliance and Sleep vertical space. Connector Team is an affiliate office of MRINETWORK recently ranked in the Top 10 in Recruitment Firms by Forbes Magazine.

We all know how hard it is to get customers in the door or to customers to buy into your product offerings or service if you are a provider.  Here is our quick infographic and “how to guide” to prevent bad leadership from hurting your brand. I believe that when someone steps outside the so called “circle of trust” they typically don’t have guard rails in place to keep them inside those lines.

Hire for success and consider the traits below.

Today’s senior business managers face not only traditional business planning tasks when driving growth within their organization, but also the need to understand new marketing challenges and opportunities presented by technologies that were not taught in business schools even five or ten years ago.

Key among those business planning elements are marketing and public relations planning that leverages the latest technologies to communicate your company’s mission, focus and differentiated, competitive advantages. Leaders also need to plan digital defenses against issues that can arise virtually overnight even as they deploy new marketing tools and techniques.

Here are four ways you can promote your business more effectively using the latest marketing and public relations techniques:

1. Stick to the 1 in 7 posting principle

A spin on the “Rule of Seven,” which stipulates that a buyer should hear a marketing message at least seven times before buying, the 1 in 7 rule relates to social media. As noted by American Express, whenever you post something on Facebook, Twitter or other social media website, one out of every seven of the posts should promote your business. The other posts should be some piece of content that your customers will consider interesting or valuable. This balance helps your customers view your business as an industry thought leader.

2. Target your audience with search engine optimization

What are your customers searching for when they log on? What websites are they going to for information? Search engine optimization can help you decipher the type of questions your customers want answered and what key search terms they’re using to find them.

“Find out who’s talking about what, where they’re talking about it, and then start listening there,” Amy Vernon, marketing consultant at Predictable.ly, told Fast Company.

2. Form a crisis management team

How would your company respond if an employee mistake or a cyber security attack tarnished the organization’s image? Time is of the essence in today’s digital world where word travels fast, and the immediate strategy you employ determines how you’ll bounce back. You may want to appoint some of your existing employees to serve as crisis managers. The team should consist of individuals who have a knack for staying cool under pressure and thrive at problem-solving in a digital environment. Once the team is assembled, map out a process that can be followed, should a crisis arise.

3. Connect with influencers

Influencers are the people who move the needle and whose endorsement of your product – or contribution to your blog – elicits more clicks. That’s the social media component of leveraging influencers. However, your association with influencers goes far beyond the online world. Connecting with industry influencers can lead to additional marketing opportunities, such as guest speaking at your corporate conferences or appearances in promotional content.

“From guest blog posts to interviews to podcasts, influencers can legitimize your organization and significantly raise the company’s profile,” explained Vince Webb, vice president of marketing for MRINetwork. “Influencers allow you to reach target audiences, as well as those that you might never have expected, through a vast assortment of interactive mediums.”

Establishing a solid brand and spreading the word about your company has never been easier, thanks to cost-effective measures like social media, digital marketing and public relations. The key is striking the right balance between traditional and new marketing and public relations techniques that can propel your business to new heights.

Connector Team Tip – Utilize CRM software to target and track new customers. 

So you’ve targeted your audience and connected with key influencers and you have tons of leads to follow through and connect with.  How do you do that in an organized and effective way?  Utilize a CRM software to follow up on those engagements and relationships and turn them into revenue.  As the Chief Recruiting Officer at Connector Team Recruiting our ASP – CRM software has been key to our firm being able to grow year over year and keep our performance in the Top 25 percent of revenue within a leading network of Search Firms. There is no reason that any size company should not benefit from the numerous applications that are out there. There are CRM applications available today that cost as little as $15.00 monthly per user, and you can benefit from these outstanding tracking platforms.  Some of these include ZOHO, FRESHSALES, INSIGHTLY, SALESFORCE and PIPEDRIVE  to name just a few.

Whether you are selling at wholesale, solution selling or selling at the retail, a CRM application can organize your activities and funnel and pipeline your sales leads.  Research shows that most people give up after 2-3 attempts in contacting a lead.   What sets apart top performers is there ability to continue with a touch plan until they successfully conclude the sale or reach the prospect and gain a definitive answer.

 Blog Post by: Bill O’Malley, Chief Recruiting Officer at Connector Team Recruiting.  Connector Team is recognized by leaders and leading consultants as the premier search firm in the Furniture | Appliance and Sleep vertical space. Connector Team is an affiliate office of MRINETWORK recently ranked in the Top 10 in Recruitment Firms by Forbes Magazine.