3 Reasons Why You Should Use a Recruitment Agency to Find Skilled Workers

If you’re a skilled labor employer looking to hire workers quickly, you may have asked yourself, “Are recruitment agencies any good?”

The short answer: yes, as long as they meet some basic requirements.

The skilled worker shortage isn’t going away, so it may be time to look into new hiring and recruiting methods. An inability to find and hire the right workers leads to productivity and revenue losses. You need a way to find, vet, and hire employees as soon as you need them.

Using recruitment agencies with a travel staffing approach might not be at the top of your list, but we think it should be. The best recruitment companies will: 

• Know your industry
• Understand your needs
• Handle the recruiting process for you
• Provide you with quality candidates

If you’re tired of having unfilled positions and want to learn how using a temp agency to hire employees can benefit your company, keep reading.

In this article, we’re sharing all about the advantages of partnering with a trade labor staffing agency. You’ll learn:

• Why you should use a recruitment agency
• What to expect from a good recruitment agency
• How to partner with one of the best recruitment companies

Let’s jump into the world of skilled labor recruiting.

Why Hire a Recruitment Agency with a Travel Staffing Approach?

Whether it’s a previous bad experience or the fear of losing money, many skilled labor employers are averse to using recruitment agencies.

There are some poor agencies out there, but good recruiting agencies can greatly supplement your hiring efforts.

Here are three reasons to consider using a temp agency to hire employees for any trade employer wondering, “Why should I use an employment agency to find and hire workers?”

1. Provides Access to More Candidates

Years ago, the nursing industry experienced a worker shortage similar to what the skilled trades are experiencing. Do you know what the solution was?

The answer was travel nursing—the ability to fly nurses into facilities from all over the country to fill employment vacancies for a few months or years.

Instead of relying solely on local talent, the nursing industry found a way to fill open positions more effectively through travel nurses. It also provided these facilities with more time to find a permanent employee or see if the travel nurse was a good long-term fit.

This same phenomenon is true of the skilled trade industry today. Skilled worker travel staffing presents employers with an opportunity to cast a wider candidate net and fill positions quicker.

You can seek local talent all you want. But if the talent isn’t there, you’ll still have open positions and experience decreased productivity.

Skilled labor travel staffing provides a unique opportunity to access a larger pool of qualified candidates so you can get vacancies filled quicker.

Talk to a recruiter today

2. Promotes High-quality Hires

You don’t simply need more workers to keep production and revenue high—you need high-quality, experienced tradespeople. 

Nothing can be more frustrating than spending time and money hiring a new employee that:

• Doesn’t show up on time or at all
• Doesn’t have the skills or competencies necessary
• Doesn’t follow safety standards or procedures

These issues will most likely lead you to fire the employee, which will ultimately cost you more time and money.

Working with one of the best recruitment agencies allows you to fill positions with top talent instead of settling for mediocrity.

For example, Skillwork has a proven 8-step gating and vetting process that does all the upfront work of recruiting quality candidates for employers. This process involves:

1. Crafting a precise list of job requirements
2. Hand-screening resumes
3. Pre-screening candidates for experience, skills, and certifications
4. Putting candidates through personality and aptitude assessments
5. Assessing job-specific skills
6. Interviewing and validating candidate information
7. Conducting a final review of qualified candidates
8. Introducing the best candidates to the client

Using recruitment agencies that have a thorough vetting process ensures that every potential hire will meet your needs.

3. Improves Employee Work Life

As an employer, what (or who) is one of your greatest assets? Your employees, of course.

Without your team of skilled workers keeping the construction project on track or maintaining your manufacturing facility, you’d have no way of delivering your product or service.

However, a lack of workers leads to intense hours and overtime for current employees. These extended hours can cause:

• Employee burnout 
• Job dissatisfaction
• Employee attrition

But the opposite is also true. When you’re fully staffed, your employees:

• Won’t be overworked and overly stressed
• Will be more productive
• Will enjoy their job and roles
• Have a more positive view of the company

So, why use a recruitment agency to help with staffing?

Because using recruitment agencies to access more candidates and hire better workers doesn’t simply benefit your bottom line—it also benefits your other employees. 

Now that you know some of the reasons why to hire a recruitment agency, let’s talk briefly about what to expect from a recruitment agency.

What to Expect From a Recruitment Agency

Whether you’ve worked with a recruitment agency before or not, it can be helpful to understand what the process looks like.

The first step to partnering with a staffing agency is to reach out to a few and choose the one you like. Once you’ve started the relationship, you’ll:

• Talk with the recruiter: Having a personal conversation with your recruiter is the most crucial step. They’ll ask questions about you and your company to understand your needs. You should share openly about what you’re looking for—the more information you provide, the better.

• Wait for potential candidates: After you’ve provided the recruiter with as much information about your needs as possible, it’s time to let the recruiter go to work. They’ll utilize their networks and recruitment process to begin narrowing down the best prospects.

• Maintain contact with the recruiter: A good recruiter will regularly reach out and keep you in the loop. They’ll provide you with updates and continue gathering information from you if necessary.

• Interview potential candidates: Once the recruiter has vetted several candidates and finds a possible fit, they’ll set up a time for you to meet and interview the candidate(s) yourself. 

• Hire a new employee: If you decide to hire any of the candidates your recruiter finds, you’ll let the recruiter know and start the hiring process. The recruiter will often handle the bulk of the paperwork so you can begin on-site preparations to receive your new hire.

• Onboard your new hire: With a travel staffing approach, the staffing company will get your employee set up with travel arrangements and lodging. The only thing you’ll need to handle is setting your hire up for success once they start the job.

The recruiter’s goal is to make finding and hiring the right workers quick and straightforward. Since the recruiter handles the upfront work, you’re free from the pressure, stress, and time commitment of finding and hiring employees yourself.

Connect With One of the Best Recruitment Companies Today

The skilled labor shortage has made finding and hiring tradespeople increasingly difficult for many employers. Fortunately, there is a solution to this need—using recruitment agencies that utilize a travel staffing approach.

But this novel approach to skilled labor may leave you wondering, “Are recruitment agencies any good for trade labor staffing?” or “Why should I use an employment agency when I can try to find workers myself?”

Good skilled labor recruitment agencies do exist and can significantly benefit your hiring efforts by:

• Providing access to a large number of candidates
• Helping you hire experienced and qualified workers
• Improving your employees’ work life

Are you ready to start overcoming your hiring hurdles and start working with one of the best recruitment companies?

At Skillwork, we take the pressure of hiring off your shoulders. With our proven 8-step recruitment process, we’re able to find and vet qualified candidates every time you need them. Whether you need skilled workers for three months or a year, our travel staffing approach provides you with experienced workers so you can:

• Grow your business
• Improve your bottom line
• Reduce risk

Let us help you find the workers you need.

Talk to a recruiter today