Only the best employees can help your company develop. Only the appropriate recruiting agency can assist you in locating them. Any HR manager or business owner will tell you that people are the most valuable asset to any firm. They may concede, with misgivings, that people can be a company’s greatest liability. It all comes down to the people you hire.

It is a significant obligation for the personnel! If you execute it well, your company will have a fantastic team. You run the danger of wasting time, money, and, worse, your reputation. The outcome of a staffing role is not always predictable. Businesses are increasingly turning to staffing firms for assistance.

The phrase ‘Staff’ in public administration is derived from the word ‘staff,’ which means something on which one can rely for assistance. Staff agencies exist to provide specialized knowledge and wise counsel to executive authorities. Staff service is essentially an advisory service. It is virtually always in the background. It prepares for the executive’s choices but does not make them.

Mooney says of the nature and purpose of Staff agencies, “Staff is an expansion of the executive’s personality.” It entails more eyes, ears, and hands to assist him in informing and carrying out his ideas.” “….The Staff simply prepares matters for his (Chief Executive’s) action,” Marx writes. It does not issue its own directives.”

Commonly, Staff activities are mainly concerned with advising, planning, budgeting, personnel, public reporting, and public relations. Thus, Staff includes all those persons who are engaged in acquiring knowledge, who act as think-tank and undertake planning functions.

Thus, Staff Agencies constitute an indispensable supplement to a system of ministries and a descending hierarchy of sub-divisions. Staff Agencies extend the competence of the executive at each level without interfering with the authoritative flow of commands. In short, it can be said that Staff Agencies are the units that assist and advise the executive.

Staff Agencies are of different types from the standpoint of their relations to political programs and policy decisions.

Thus, the Staff Agencies provide help, assistance, advice, and information to the Chief Executive. The latter cannot work effectively and fully without the help and advice of the Staff. Staff units have little authority and power but they have influence and advice which is equally important. In India, the Prime Minister is the real Chief Executive and the cabinet Secretariat, the PMO, which gives help, assistance, and advice to him in all activities, is a Staff Agency. Even the Finance Department is a Staff Agency.

Read Also: What is The Biggest Staffing Agency?

Sometimes business owners find it hard to outsource their workforce needs to staffing companies; they’d rather be the ones in charge of the hiring process. However, once they get over this mindset, they often find it useful to collaborate with placement agencies, especially a temp agency, for temp jobs.

Employment agencies are exceptionally handy in the following situations:

• There is an urgent requirement for a large number of skilled workers on a short-term project.
• Your business is a seasonal one, and you don’t need people around the year.
• You need a highly qualified worker with a specialized skill set.
• You do not have the resources or the time at your disposal to recruit a team.
• You want to reduce recruitment costs like a large HR department, insurance for employees, etc.

Sometimes, a staffing agency can be single industry-focused serving only a particular sector like IT or manufacturing. In other cases, they allow businesses to connect to specific roles like executive positions or subject matter experts.

A staffing agency can provide end-to-end staffing solutions to a business, which include:

• Understanding the workload needs of the company
• Determining the workforce required to meet the same
• Conducting interviews and shortlisting candidates
• Vetting potential candidates through background checks and employment history
• Drawing contracts and looking at legal issues
• Imparting training in case of gaps
• Follow-ups on the performance of the temp workers to see if the requirements are met

Further, if the worker is not the right fit, then it’s the responsibility of the staffing agency to terminate the hire and compensate, as needed.

The following are the features of the Staff Agencies:

Staff Agencies perform Secondary Functions in the Administration- Line Agencies perform the primary functions, and Staff Agencies perform only secondary functions. The role of staff agencies is supportive and advisory in nature. Staff is like a stick that can help in walking. Line functions are to secure the objectives and the staff functions are a means to help the achievement of the end.

Staff Agencies do not exercise Authority and Command- Staff Agencies do not directly exercise authority and command. They advise the ‘Line’ in making decisions. The Line executes the decisions and acts. It has the power to command and control the areas that stand delegated to it by the Chief Executive. The staff has influence and can advise.

Staff Agencies do not have Executive Responsibilities- In administration, the responsibility lies with the Chief Executive. Staff Agencies are only to help and assist the Chief Executive in his work. They are not directly responsible for the executive work. They remain behind the scene. They cannot be held responsible for the success or failure of the administration.

Staff Agencies do not directly Deal with the People- The Line Agencies directly deal with the people and serve them. The Staff Agencies provide service to the Line Agencies. They help, assist and advise the Line Agencies and remain behind the scene. They do not directly deal with the people.

Outside the Line of Command- Staff Agencies are located outside the line of command. They do not enjoy the power to command and control. They, however, do indirectly influence the exercise of command and control powers by the chief executive.

We can study the main functions of the Staff agencies under the following heads:

(1) To Assist- An important function of a Staff Agency is to assist and support the chief executive in carrying out his work. They reduce his work, relieve him of routine matters, and save his time for important matters.

(2) Information Functions- The information function of the Staff is to collect all relevant data on which the decisions of the Chief Executive are to be based. The Staff has to collect, preserve and provide up-to-date information and data to the Chief Executive.

(3) Advisory Functions- The ‘Staff’ has to advise the Chief Executive. The advice may be accepted or rejected by the Chief Executive. But the view of the Staff is to be taken by the Chief Executive before making a final decision. In fact, the Chief Executive always seeks advice from the Staff Agencies and often holds consultations with them before taking a decision. Advising and consultancy are important functions of all staff agencies.

(4) Supervisory Functions- After a decision has been taken by the Chief Executive, the function of the Staff Agencies is to communicate that decision to other related departments. They have to plan and coordinate their work, maintain contact with all related agencies, and help the Chief Executive in his task. It is the duty of the Staff to help the Line agencies in overcoming their difficulties in the process of implementing the decisions of the Chief Executive.

(5) Delegated Functions- Sometimes, the Chief Executive delegates some authority to a Staff Agency. The Staff Agency has to perform such functions on behalf of the Chief Executive but within clear and defined limits. The Staff Agency can be entrusted with the execution of a desired function on the basis of the specific authority delegated by the Chief Executive.

What Are The Main Roles in The Recruitment Process?

Recruiting operations vary from team to team, depending on strategies and resources. The following list covers all eventualities, so depending on which feature most highly in your process, you’ll need the appropriate number of relevant recruitment staff.

• Strategy – the plan of attack from start to finish
• Policy and process organization
• Monitoring productivity and operations
• Maintaining and utilizing operational systems
• Analyzing applicant and recruiting data
• Marketing and advertising
• Finance and budget
• Procurement of resources, negotiations, and measuring ROI
• Legal and compliance policy
• Managing change and team cultivation – organizing changes in your team to enhance its operation

How to structure a recruitment team – here are the key roles

1. The recruiter(s)

Recruiters arrange the recruitment process from start to finish, including, but not limited to:

• Delineating tasks across departments;
• Communicating with the hiring manager;
• Aligning with company vision and goals;
• Writing job descriptions;
• Coordinating interviews;

Value added to the recruiting team: Recruiters are generally responsible for the coordination and arrangement of the entire hiring process. They will fill the core role in your hiring team strategy.

“Recruiter” has become a catch-all term for someone who sources candidates and sometimes manages candidate communication. In reality, the recruiter (or recruiters) on your team is probably doing so much more: coordinating and conducting interviews, taking job specs from the business, extending offers to candidates.

Don’t let a multi-faceted role be bogged down by time-crunched tasks. They need assistance from time to time, just like we all do! Make sure to include some team members that overlap into the “recruiter” category.

2. Head of Human Resources or HR Lead

Along with other employee life-cycle tasks, the HR Lead plays an integral role in the recruitment process. Although it can be a bit behind-the-scenes, this role is key for:

• Organizing candidate and employee documents;
• Maintaining the ATS (Applicant Tracking System);
• Ensuring forms are up to date;
• Orchestrating salary and benefits when bringing on a new hire;
• Extending offers to candidates.

Value added to the recruiting team: HR leads provide back-office organization and accuracy. Don’t waste valuable time scrounging around old emails when you could be losing potential talent. HR Leads make sure that everything from candidate resumes to ratings and reviews are correct and available to the hiring team. Organization = sanity in recruitment!

3. Resourcer (or Sourcer)

A resourcer’s job is to find talent that is able to be submitted to appropriate open positions within the company. They are the ones doing a lot of the legwork when it comes to hunting down the right talent for vacancies. This entails:

• Understanding the company’s vision and goals;
• CV parsing;
• Aligning candidate skill sets and personality with the right position;
• Rounding up applications into an ATS (no resumes lost in email inboxes!);
• Screening candidates.

Value added to the recruiting team: Resourcers are the ones that provide a steady source of candidates for your vacancies. This is often what people think of when they think of recruitment, in general! However, it takes a team’s involvement in your recruitment to ensure organization and alignment with the company vision.

4. Hiring Manager

Role: A hiring manager is typically the person who has an open position in their department and is directly hiring for that position. They set the recruitment process in motion with tasks including:

• Requesting that a position be filled;
• Defining the job requirements/duties;
• Coordinating with the recruiter(s);
• Interviewing candidates;
• Making the final hiring decision.

Value added to the recruiting team: Hiring managers have extensive knowledge of department needs. They know the open role intimately and most likely be working with the new hire on a day-to-day basis. After the employee is onboarded, they will be directly affecting the hiring manager’s own KPIs and professional goals. For those reasons, it’s important to include this role in your collaborative hiring every time.

5. Core team member(s)

Role: This is another role that can (and most likely should be) divided among several individuals. Core team members are the people that the new hire will work with on a day-to-day basis. Their close relationship with the prospective hire means that they should be heavily involved in the recruitment process in order to ensure the best fit. This includes:

• Showcasing top-performing attitudes to potential hires;
• Communicating the company vision and goals to candidates;
• Interviewing candidates;
• Conducting work trials;
• Giving input to the hiring team on candidate performance;
• Onboarding.

Value added to the recruiting team: Core team members add perspective from future coworkers of the new hire. They can let you know if a candidate just doesn’t jive or seem like they would be able to work well in the environment they’re used to day-to-day!

Finding someone who is a top performer in a similar position also allows your recruitment to be that much more honed in and precise. This top performer (or performers) are a valuable asset to your recruitment team, ensuring the new hire will be beneficial and able to perform the tasks required.