Staffing agencies can differentiate themselves

Oct 20th, 2014
Staffing agencies can differentiate themselves



Staffing agencies have been commoditized

In these times where 60% of large companies have implemented Vendor Management Systems (VMS) and staffing agencies don't even get to talk to the hiring manager, it is quite clear that staffing agencies are commoditized and struggling to differentiate themselves. Candidates don't have much loyalty to their full-time employers much less so to their staffing agencies. Recruiters hop from one agency to another in search of additional responsibilities or more money once they've learned the ropes and often take their candidates with them. Unlike Consulting companies that build some expertise in projects they undertake or have previous experience in the area, staffing agencies harp on the same old cliched claims of 'company culture',  'contractors are our assets', 'fantastic customer service for clients', 'proprietary candidate database' that neither clients and candidates really believe.


So how can a staffing agency stand out from a crowd of 'me too's.



A Client List speaks for Staffing Agencies that can't

The most credible and unique differentiator for a staffing agency or a consulting company is it's client list.


Having blue-chip clients is a clear sign that a staffing agency was seen as credible by someone of repute. It also means it has been able to provide the client with talent that meets their bar, and has been doing it long enough without screwing up so that the client trusts them with their ongoing business. This is hard to emulate by non-preferred and unestablished staffing agencies that can currently hide in this non-transparent market. No matter what other staffing agencies can say about their 'culture', etc., the one thing they can't lie about is their direct client list.



So why don't staffing agencies advertise their client list?

It is because staffing agencies are contractually not allowed to advertise that they are preferred vendors to their clients. Clients don't allow this because they don't want the world to know they use contractors and they don't want their full-time recruiters competing against a staffing agency recruiter. They also feel it dilutes their recruiting brand if their contract jobs are advertised broadly by its staffing vendors.


OnContracting can help a staffing agency differentiate itself

Our solution solves this problem for staffing agencies. OnContracting is an independent platform that helps jobseekers distinguish between staffing agencies by publishing its list of top staffing agencies and their clients. Job-seekers use this list to discover what Fortune 1000 companies they can work for and then discover the staffing agencies that can get them jobs in those companies. We indirectly help staffing agencies be discovered by showcasing them along with their clients- and prevent them from breaking any rules around advertising their clients.


We only list the best staffing agencies that we can verify have reputed direct clients. These form the Top 5% of all staffing agencies and consulting companies in the US. Interested in learning what else we can do? Email us or submit your company by clicking on the Tips for us button on that page.



staffing agency differentiation

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