Businesses that rely on staffing firms to help fill their talent pools should look at their relationship as one of a partnership. In your position as a business owner, you need to raise this two-part question: How well does the staffing agency know your company, and how well do you know the agency? Since you want your office spaces to hum with a harmonious mix of productive employees, choosing a staffing agency that meets the following criteria will help you meet that goal.

Great Match for Your Specialty

Any business leader strives to load office spaces with employees who have the skills and personality to thrive in the company’s area of business; a consulting firm that supplies your workers should have the same goal. Make sure that your staffing group understands your market and can demonstrate a history of placing the workers successfully in your industry. Ask the firm to break down their processes for evaluating their placements and ensuring they really are the right fits. You can not afford to waste time and money retraining replacements.

Proven Stability

Ideally, your staffing partner will have been in business for a number of years. If not, you have a small base upon which to build your own evaluations of their performance. The longer the staffing agency has been in business, the greater your chances of finding honest and accurate recommendations from current and former clients.

Measurable Processes

At the same time, the staffing company should have a system of self-analysis in place that it values deeply. In other words, they recognize that to stay competitive they need to attain a high-placement success rate. If they operate complacently, eventually they will lose out to other firms. While the staffing firm should self-audit, it should make sure to include you, the client, in the process, since your satisfaction is their bottom line.

Happy Staff

Companies that fulfill the needs of their clients tend to be positive places to work. When a company meets its mission—in the case of staffing firms, placing good employees successfully in workplaces—its own staff members can feel fulfilled, a job perk that pays big dividends. Ask yourself when you interact with your staffing firm’s employees, do they give off a positive vibe? If the answer is yes, then that company culture will likely feed into the staff they place into your business.

A good staffing agency can save you time and effort in building your workforce. If you take the time to investigate firms before you contract with one, you can ensure yours will do the job so that you can focus on growing your business.