Choosing the Right IT Staffing Model for Your Business A Comprehensive Guide

There are different staffing models and IT  staffing services available throughout the world. If you are also looking for staffing services, then this blog is for you. By the end of this blog, you will understand the crucial points you must remember while hiring a Staffing agency for your business. In this blog, we also discuss different staffing models based on your requirements. 

What is IT (Information Technology) staffing? 

IT staffing is the process of finding out the best IT professionals for your project(s). It is a systematic method of putting the human resources plan into action, the IT staffing process entails locating or attracting individuals as well as evaluating, selecting hiring, and appraising them. Finding qualified applicants to fill various roles in the organization is the main goal of the IT staffing process

How to Approach IT Staffing?

IT staffing has different approaches for diverse types of businesses. Here are three main international staffing approaches that staffing agencies and teams follow to recruit the best talent. 

Ethnocentric Approach: 

The HR department uses this approach, according to the abilities needed for the position and the applicant’s ability to blend in with the organization’s culture. This approach is used to hire candidates for different international locations. Communication between the companies has improved with this approach. The operations of the subsidiary company may be closely monitored by the parent company. Moreover, this approach comes with improved knowledge transfer in technical areas. 

Polycentric Approach: 

In this approach, subsidiaries of a country find the other members from the host country rather than from the parent company location. This can aid subsidiaries in operating within a certain community and understanding local demands. It is challenging to take control of the subsidiary activities. There might be some communication issues with corporate headquarters. Outside the subsidiaries, the career opportunities for HCNs are fewer.  

Geocentric Approach:  

In this staffing and hiring method, the hiring team is not bound by any location or nationality. The focus of this approach is to hire the best candidate for the company. It makes the organization truly global and free from racism. It helps diversify the cultural environment. This approach can be used when we need to hire someone at a location where we do not have offices. For example, if you need a customer care executive to assist clients belonging to different countries or time zones. This staffing approach covers both recruiting international talent and relocating individuals to a new host location.

Read more: A Comprehensive Guide to OpenAI ChatGPT: What It Is & How It Can Help Your Business?

Types of IT Staffing Models/Services: 

Before you decide to work with a staffing agency, you need to clarify your requirements first. 

Staffing agencies are frequently used by businesses to recruit individuals for temporary or project-based work, full-time or permanent positions, contractual positions, and so on. Additionally, temporary jobs are becoming more popular these days. This temporary-based model of hiring provides both the companies and the candidate time to understand each other in detail. So that before making a long-term commitment they can mutually decide on that. 

There are several IT staffing organizations to pick from for you. You need to be sure about all the crucial points before ensuring your successful recruitment. If you need to build a remote team without having to transfer it in-house, then you must choose an IT Staffing agency that deals with various locations candidates. IT staffing offers the chance to assemble your team from the world’s top tech expertise while assuring cultural diversity and adjusting the cost of professionals to fit your budget. 

1. Temporary model  

The most popular form of staffing is the temporary model that provides staffing solutions to hire employees for a short term. In this model, staffing agencies hire specialists to cover the duties of their permanent employees to complete various tasks that have time constraints. A company can hire a specialist on a contractual basis through temporary IT staffing services without anticipating a long-term partnership. 

2. Permanent 

Permanent employees are working for you directly. Solutions for permanent staffing make it easier for businesses to find and hire candidates for long-term positions. In permanent staffing of an employee, a variety of elements are considered, including compensation, experience, job description, cultural resonance, etc. Permanent staffing companies handle all aspects of the hiring process including finding the candidates, screening, interviewing, and onboarding. 

3. Contract

Contract staffing services involve a process in which an employee is hired for a particular period. These employees can work part-time or full-time. Companies may opt for this hiring model to check the flexibility and capabilities of the employee.  

4. Contract-to-hire

Contract to hire comes with the process that includes the temporary hiring of employees and then changing their employment to permanent. A contract-to-hire arrangement places an employee in a temporary role for an agreed amount of time with the prospect of a full-time position at the end of the contract. The brief contractual positions give both the business and the employee the chance to work for a while before committing to a full-time position

5. Diversity Hiring 

Diverse staffing services refer to organizational strategies that support beneficial workplace diversity.  

It entails attracting candidates from all diverse places. The main goal of diverse staffing is to keep members satisfied and make sure they are comfortable. All the basic principles of staffing also imply diverse staffing. Overall, you will be able to see visible changes through the Diverse staffing model. 

Now, we will discuss the advantages of IT staffing

Pros of IT staffing: 

1. Reduced hiring risk 

Employing a candidate who cannot perform the job duties can be a bad option for your firm and it takes a lot of time to train this kind of employee. So, when a company contacts a staffing agency, they may relax as the entire hiring process will be taken care of by the agency. You can help them to understand your requirements and then the agency can help you to hire the best staffing solutions.  

2. Resource Diversity Increases 

You can access a larger labor pool by hiring a third-party IT staffing agency. A wide range of specialists is offered by these agencies. IT Staffing agencies can work for various locations and hence you have high to get the best candidate for your business. 

3. Comprehensive market research 

An employer has access to a staffing specialist with years of market expertise You can gain access to a variety of compensation packages and market data with the help of a good Staffing company. There are several fresh opportunities on the market, and many potential employees are actively hunting for better opportunities. A good staffing agency can work well in identifying the people with the best skill sets and experience as per your expectations. 

4. Increases new hire productivity 

The hiring process is time-consuming. Some companies even settle with an unqualified candidate to save time. To avoid such problems, you can hire an IT staffing agency such as OTS Solutions. We possess an expert hiring team that helps you with every step of hiring the best candidate as per your requirement.  

Employees employed by a staffing firm have the necessary qualifications and experience to start working right away. These staffing agencies work well when the requirement needs to be fulfilled as soon as possible.  

5. Financial stability 

Businesses that have extensively invested in full-time employees are particularly vulnerable to economic downturns. Companies are frequently compelled to fire workers when business slows down or the project is finished. Without having to make big layoffs, businesses can adjust this with IT staffing agencies. 

6. Quick Scaling 

With IT staffing solutions you can scale up your resources immediately as needed. IT staffing solutions work great in scenarios where you have some project coming up but lack of resources to meet the expectations. Either you must begin as soon as possible, or you might lose the project. In these situations, you can hire someone on a contractual basis to complete the requirements.  

Cons of IT staffing:

1. Chance of miscommunication errors 

This is a quite common risk that may happen between businesses and IT Staffing agencies. To overcome this issue, you need to discuss your requirements in a detailed manner. You need to help your staging agency to understand your expectations of the candidate with a thorough list of the company’s goals and skill requirements.  

2. The threat of Cultural Misalignment 

There may be a risk of cultural incompatibility. Because of this, you must carefully select a recruiting agency and ensure that your organization and the agency are culturally compatible.  

To avoid these limitations, we recommend you hire an experienced IT Staffing agency such as OTS Solutions. 

3. Team bonding and culture issues 

This issue may arise with a temporary recruitment model. Long-term employees or existing employees might not get along well with temporary employees.  

Since these newly hired employees work on a contractual basis and so there is less chance of building strong bonds and connections.  

4. Less Control: 

The IT recruitment agencies do not have a complete awareness of your company’s culture. Also, if your business is dealing with an inappropriate staffing agency, it might not be able to support your employer’s brand and business potential. 

5. Training of temporary employees 

Whether the employee is working temporarily or permanently, some training is required to help them before aligning with the work. In the case of permanent employees, it is fine because the companies can retain these employees but in the case of temporary employees, there is a loss in retention rate.  

Steps in IT Staffing Process 

1. Workforce planning. 

In this phase, you need to understand your requirements in detail and state the crucial points which need to be covered during the hiring process. For example, you can include job qualifications, experience, locations, skills, and responsibilities regarding the job.  

2. Recruitment and selection. 

The recruitment process is the second phase in the IT staffing process. It includes finding open positions, examining job requirements, assessing applications, screening, shortlisting the candidates, and choosing the best candidate. If you hire the best staffing agency, such as OTS Solutions, the expert recruits can help you with this process

3. Placement. 

Placement is a process of allotting a designation to the candidate in the company so that he / she can start with the duties. The placement process is also taken care of by the Staffing agency. It is sometimes also known as an onboarding process. Experienced staffing agencies like OTS also help in the onboarding process.  

4. Training and development. 

Development is the practice of giving employees enough chances for personal and professional development. These opportunities are essential for an employee to flourish in the organization. Employees can enroll themselves in courses and training to gain experience in their fields. 

5. Performance appraisal. 

Performance appraisal can be given to the employee according to the work. This depends on the productivity and performance of the candidates and the candidates they are working for.  

Tips to keep in mind before Hiring a Staffing agency 

Whether the business is small or big, recruitment must be done properly to achieve your goals. This hiring process takes time to complete. Screening applications, conducting interviews, and determining their salaries need valuable time. If this process has not been done accurately it can affect your business negatively. This is why some employers cooperate with Staffing agencies. These staffing firms can supply individuals to fill vacant positions and significantly reduce the time and effort required to find candidates.  

Dealing with Staffing Agencies to fill your employment needs is not always the best option for your business, especially when the staffing agency is unable to understand your requirements. That is why we are here with tips that you must keep in mind before choosing any staffing agency.  

1. Identify the goals 

If you want to recruit a candidate for your organization, the first step is identifying the company’s current goals. You can write a job description in which you can write all the skills and qualifications. This will help the staffing agency as well to understand your requirements.  

2. Evaluate the current team 

The next step is to find out what abilities your current team already has. You could have a meeting or discussion with your current team regarding their strengths and perception of shortcomings.  

This is a crucial step as it is profitable to teach the existing employee rather than hiring a new employee for a specific role. Keep in mind the existing team member’s workload is also advisable to access whether requiring further learning is feasible or not.  

3. Identify skill gaps  

Make a list of the abilities required for each IT role. For example, if you are observing that your current team is lacking in cloud technology, and you need some cloud experts. Then you need to write your expectations for the newly hired employee. Similarly, you can write down all the skill gaps you have in your current team.  

Once you are done with the list of skill gaps. You can divide this into two lists. One of the existing employees consists of the skills you can help your existing employee to learn, and another one for that you need to hire new talent.  

4. Embrace remote workers 

You can work with employees who are working from remote locations. You might be unable to search for a suitable candidate if you restrict your search to your area. But if you are open yourself up to hiring remote workers all over the world, you are more likely to have a larger talent pool to choose from and new talents that could have a significant impact on your team.  

How to Choose an IT Staffing Company 

All the staffing agencies are not worth collaborating with us. Spend some time getting to know them before investing in starting to work with them. It’s important to determine if a staffing agency can support your work style and professional objectives. You need to check if the staffing agency is hiring generally or for a specific industry. Finally, it’s crucial to inquire about their fees for talent acquisition.

1. Identify your need: 

Identify your needs before choosing any staffing agency. During the initial phase, you need to help with the skills and qualifications you are looking for in a candidate. So, staffing agencies can help you to hire the best candidate for you. 

2. Look for an agency, that specialized in your industry: 

While some staffing companies specialize in areas, others cover the entire spectrum of businesses. If you are about to choose a multispecialty industry concentration and is a general staffing company. In that instance, consider the strength of their staff, your industry, their clientele, and whether they have account managers with competence in your area.  

3. Review the hiring process for the staffing agency: 

Before choosing an IT Staffing agency, investigate the staffing company’s expertise in the industry, experience in the staffing field, specialties brand reputation, staffing company, policies, social media presences, client testimonials, and client list. You can have a detailed discussion with the staffing agency about the hiring process they follow. 

4. Market reputation: 

Any IT staffing agency that desires to attract a strong client base must have a good market reputation. If the IT staffing firm you choose has a strong online and physical presence in the industry, this directly translates to having a strong pipeline of qualified applicants who are eager to work with them. 

You may check their LinkedIn page; you may quickly assess any company’s position with the help of the internet. You may get a good sense by looking at the number of followers and how actively they interact with their followers. Only choose staffing agencies with a rating of 4 and more after looking for reviews of reputable companies.  

5. Company experience: 

You must not collaborate with an IT Staffing agency that does not suit your expectations in terms of experience. Before choosing any IT staffing agency, check its record of accomplishment. It would be great if they could offer their industry-specific experience. You should seek out an IT staffing firm that can provide you with IT specialists with a variety of experiences and who are skilled at verifying them at every stage.  

US IT Staffing Industry Trend 

• The U.S. IT staffing industry size in 2021 has a market value of USD 32.50 approximately and is expected to grow by 5.05% of CAGR to reach 43.68 billion by 2027.  
• The US staffing market holds staffing services for different domains and industries but still includes the IT staffing sector as a crucial component. 
• Moreover, the US temporary staffing market is still strong due to the ongoing investments and technology developments in the IT sector.  
• Modern and Industry 4.0 technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, IoT (Internet of Things), and many others are helping companies to create many new opportunities and update their processes for project executions. 

Why should you opt for OTS staffing services? 

OTS is one of the best IT staffing firms. We possess 20+ years of experience in software development and understand the importance of staffing services well. We have expert recruiters who have years of experience in different fields. If you want to understand our process of IT staffing services, then you can contact us to discuss it further. 

Conclusion: 

We hope this blog provides you with the answers you are looking for regarding the IT staffing processes. We discussed in detail the hiring process including the tips you should follow to collaborate with any staffing agency. If you still have doubts, we would like to resolve them as well. Contact us for more details on the IT staffing process. 

Frequently Asked Questions: 

1. How does your company find talent? 

We deal with different industries and have more than a decade of experience in software development. We understand that the recruitment process is crucial and requires much attention. OTS hires the right candidates through an effective and detailed screening and selection process. We have our own internal bench of resources complementing the large internal database of available resources we have worked on in the past that helps us close your IT talent needs in no time. 

2. What kinds of customers do you work with? 

We have worked with different industries for the last 20+ years. Some of them are: 

• Manufacturing 
• Travel and Tourism 
• Education 
• Retail and Distribution 
• Banking and Finance 
• Healthcare 

Let us discuss in detail the skillset you are looking for to hire for your company because this discussion will help us to address our potential candidates.  

3. What makes OTS a unique staffing agency? 

OTS helps you to recruit the best candidates for your business. We are always upon your requirements. We are the best software development and IT consulting company possessing 20+ years of experience in the same. Clear communication, a detail-oriented approach, and our technical expertise set us apart from our counterparts.  

4. What factors are impacting the growth of the IT staffing market?

The IT staffing market is being driven by factors like digital transformation, the gig economy, data-driven hiring, etc. These factors are impacting the growth of the IT staffing market. 

5. Why should I collaborate with a Staffing firm? 

Some of the benefits of working with an IT Staffing company are: 

• Quicker assessment of the candidates: Staffing agencies can help you to collaborate with desired candidates easily. 
• Fast requirement fulfillment: The complete process of hiring will be taken care of by the staffing agency. So, you can work on other important tasks meanwhile.   

6. What are the questions you should ask before hiring a staffing agency? 

• It would help if you asked various questions before choosing an IT staffing agency. 
• What kind of IT staffing solutions do you need from an IT staffing agency? 
• How does their hiring procedure work? 
• What is the difference in their process? 
• What distinguishes them from other hiring agencies?  
• What is their reputation in the industry?