One false impression of employment agencies is that they simply place workers in positions as soon as they become available. Employment agencies actually take a great deal of time and care in placing an employee in a position. This is because they want that employee to succeed and become a long-term staff member for the company in which they were placed. The more successful a worker is in a temporary position, the more an employment agency’s reputation goes up. Companies are most likely to hire employment agencies with a record of providing dependable workers.

Another reason employment agencies take such care in placing workers is because they want their workers to become successful and be hired on as permanent staff. Many employers use staffing agencies as a means of signing a potential employee for an “evaluation period,” and hire the worker away from the temp agency if he or she is a good fit with the company. This generally results in a payment for the staffing agency, both as reward for finding a perfect job candidate and as compensation for taking away a good temporary agent.

When placing temp agents, employment agencies take into account a number of factors. A few of those are detailed here:

1. Work experience. A temp agent with twenty years of experience managing warehouses would be poorly placed in an entry level clerk position. Staffing agencies try to match up employees with the positions they are most familiar with and have the most experience in. This will give the employee the best chance of succeeding as well as providing the employer with a worker whose skills make him or her valuable.
2. Worker’s attitude. This is a soft skill; a personality trait or quality that has to be taken into account when placing a temporary agent. For example, and introverted and shy worker with a keen eye for detail would be much better suited to a clerk or data entry position than a customer service job. A worker with a penchant for being talkative and friendly with employees and customers should be working in a social setting. Staffing services seek to match employees with the jobs that best suit their personality.
3. Schedule interests. Some companies are interested in workers with flexible schedules who are willing to work late shifts or put in hours over a weekend. Others are interested in employees who will rarely change their schedule and can work for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week every week. A good staffing agency knows which temp agents have the most flexible availability and which are most likely to be dependable workers, so they can place the most suitable employee in each position.
4. Workplace environment. A fast paced workplace is not suitable for a methodical thinker who values accuracy above all else, just as a strict and orderly office is not the best place for a free spirited, outgoing employee. The workplace environment must be taken into account when placing an employee, for while businesses typically do not discriminate based on how well their ideals and beliefs mesh with those of the company, such a placement will rarely last long.

To find out more about employment agencies and why they take such care in placing their agents, explore Symphony Placements.