Staffing for Multiple Markets? Your Staffing Software Matters

By Terri Roeslmeier

March 22, 2016

Staffing for multiple markets takes a fair amount of finesse. Each line of business involves different approaches to finding, screening, interviewing, processing, and onboarding talent. Though the goal is always to take the client from point A (a vacant position) to point B (a position filled with a perfect candidate), the steps and strategies vary.

Successful multi-line staffing firms thrive because they have in-depth industry knowledge and staffing tools to help them switch between markets seamlessly. In fact, it’s often staffing software that keeps them speeding along without derailing. Here’s what the best staffing software tools are doing to aid multi-line staffing firms.

On the Candidate Side

What is your candidate experience like? Companies focused on multiple lines of staffing business need to create the perception that each line of business is equal to the rest. No sector is overlooked. If candidates feel that their specific industry is treated like the short leg of an irregular table, they’ll want to take their job search elsewhere.

Robust staffing software is part of a three-tiered approach. Your marketing message attracts candidates to each individual line of business. Your skilled recruiters convince candidates their needs are being served. And the candidate portal provided by your staffing software makes applying for a job as natural for job seekers as taking their next breaths.

For starters, the candidate portal should upload all relevant information from the candidate’s resume and auto-populate relevant details. And whether the candidate has applied to a specific position or into the general talent pool for a specific line of business, every form is tailored-made without superfluous questions or lines.

Healthcare staffing asks for the appropriate certifications, licenses, and current immunizations. IT staffing instead focuses on technical expertise and proficiencies. Industrial staffing should limit requests to work history, safety training, and machine operation licenses. Asking candidates to provide information that applies to them and only them garners a level of trust you just can’t buy.

And what message should candidates receive once they have applied? A thank you message that applies to their specific industry. High quality staffing software can be easily adjusted to send unique messages to individual markets.

On the Back Office Side

Without the right staffing software, the back office side of staffing for multiple markets can be a bit of a quagmire. You want issuing checks, creating invoices, handling benefits, and deducting taxes to be smooth. However, each line of business may have its own requirements that prevent back office operations from being even keel. Your back office staffing software will help steer your multiple lines of business into the clear.

Take direct-hire for engineering projects versus temporary hiring on the light industrial side. Invoices for both sides are very different. Sending out a universal form would be impossible and would completely complicate interactions with one (or both types of clients).

An established staffing software partner will have taken that into account. With the click of a button, your back office team can choose the right invoice forms for the right divisions without having to duplicate your labor. That saves on accounting costs and on the number of complications with clients.

On the Reporting Side

When staffing for multiple markets, you need something beyond ordinary reporting. Your staffing software should flexibly accommodate your lines of business. Static reporting is okay, but does not give you the full spectrum of insight. Would van Gogh’s The Starry Night mean as much if it was only done in one color? Your reporting should be just as vivid.

What if you want to look at the gross margin for a certain line of business? Or do a side-by-side comparison of different markets? Or analyze your gross margin as whole? The staffing software tool you use should allow that level of customization.

And if possible, you should also be able to visualize the data from those different divisions and export them for easy reports and presentations. What good is data if you cannot put it to good use?

Finding Software That Handles Staffing for Multiple Markets

There is little room for underperforming software when you are staffing for multiple markets. Every resource needs to be streamlined so that they work across divisions without shortchanging a single pillar of your staffing firm. That is why you should never settle on anything less than the best staffing software.

Our Ultra-Staff staffing software provides a one-of-a-kind experience across multiple lines of business. Candidate portals are customizable and application forms can be tailored to the type of position. Back office features allow easy billing for permanent and temporary staffing across industries. Plus, our interactive dashboard allows managers to view reports across markets as separate departments and as a whole. So schedule an Ultra-Staff staffing software demo today and see how staffing for multiple markets becomes a breeze.