Finding the right candidates for your staffing agency can be a tough and lengthy task. Organization is one of the keys you need to succeed at this process. Strategically plan out how your interview process will work and who will be involved, this will save your agency a lot of time and headaches. It may not be easy to come up with a step-by-step hiring process at first, but once you do, your staffing agency can take advantage of it for years to come. Recruiting for staffing agencies is hard — use these tips to make your company’s process a bit easier

How-To: Recruiting for Staffing Agencies

Look at LinkedIn and Other Job Boards

If you don’t want to post your position to the public right away, skim through LinkedIn and other job boards to see who’s looking for a new opportunity. This way, you can hand pick candidates you think may be a good match and reach out to them personally to see if they’d like to interview for the job.

Write Better Job Descriptions

Job descriptions can easily turn candidates off if not written correctly. Instead of writing your job description to focus on everything you need from a candidate, write it in a way that shows what your staffing agency can do for applicants. The Wall Street Journal conducted a study where candidates who filled out a need-based application, rather than a demand-based one were much more  willing to apply and in the long-run, more successful. Focusing on what your staffing business can do for employees will help you to attract and retain a better staff.

Strategically Sort through Resumes

Once you post your position online, you’re likely going to receive tons of resumes in a short amount of time. To make combing through the resumes easier, set aside a designated time to look them over regularly. Depending on how many you receive, this may be once a week or a few times per day. Let others know you’re not available during this time. This will make the job quicker and more organized. As you find appealing resumes, make different piles for the ones you like vs. dislike. Once you’re done with all incoming resumes, go through your ‘yes’ pile and continue to narrow it down until you’ve selected a few for interviews.

Utilize Phone Interviews

After you’ve decided who will be interviewed, set up phone interviews with the candidates before bringing them in. A phone interview helps the recruiter determine if the candidate’s personality and skills are a good match for the staffing agency without wasting anyone’s time. Although you should have personalized questions for each candidate based on their skills and background, it’s okay to have more generic questions for the phone interview so you can gain general knowledge of their qualifications.

Monitor Your Reviews

Before applying for a job, most candidates will search online for company reviews tips and advice from previous employees. According to Glassdoor, 46 percent of people will read a company’s reviews before speaking to the company’s hiring manager or recruiter. If you have a lot of negative reviews about your agency online, some quick improvements to the company culture can increase employee morale.

Be Thorough During In-Person Interviews

Aside from asking the right questions, make sure you’re carefully studying the candidate to ensure they have the right qualities and are a great fit for the job. Did the candidate ask great questions after the interview? Are they adaptive to a new and fast-paced environment? Are they a team player? Are they resourceful? Can they admit to making mistakes? Do they love to learn? Asking yourself these questions after you’re done with each interview can help you to make the right decision on who to hire.

Some additional interview tips are to ask a question that may be a little bit out of the blue and watch the candidate’s body language. How they react to a situation under pressure can tell you a lot about how successful they’ll be at the job. Ask a candidate what motivates them and why they are passionate about the field at hand. These few questions can give you a lot of insight into the applicant’s life and will show you whether they’ll be a good fit to become a part of your staffing agency or not.