What optimal staffing partnerships look like
May 3, 2018 | By Lisa Dare, TEKsystems Digital Content Strategist
Seeing beyond the job posting
An interactive entertainment company couldn’t find software testers with development skills—a major problem for a videogame maker. Without adequate testing staff, they couldn’t release new products quickly.
“The client couldn’t get much traction because the role was so new to the marketplace,” says TEKsystems Delivery Manager Scott London.
Based on his specific knowledge of the customers’ needs, as well as a strong awareness of the local market for the skill, Scott’s team made a recommendation.
“We shifted their approach,” says Scott. The client had been looking for testers with some knowledge of development, but there were more developers in the market with a little testing knowledge. Recruiters looked for developers with the passion and capacity to learn testing, and hired almost 20 people within three months.
If I had one recommendation for hiring managers, it’s to demand more from our industry.
“It was a creative partnership, and one that earned the client’s trust,” says Scott. This trust—and customer knowledge—allowed the client to unload even more of the staffing process. Scott and his team now use a TEKsystems technical architect to conduct the initial tech screening for the client.
Trust and creativity solve problems
Scott shares another story when a client treated him like a partner—and got great results.
“I was handling a client transitioning from a print product to all-digital, which meant they needed to drastically expand their IT department,” says Scott.
The client faced a unique situation: their IT shop was unionized, a legacy from the print days. The union had placed strict requirements about engaging contractors, but the CTO needed to hire quickly through a temp-to-perm model.
“The CTO wanted to work with us in a way that was respectful to the union but was also fast, because his projects needed quality people ASAP, faster than they could hire permanent employees.”
TEKsystems found a solution. We reworked our normal fee structure into one that met the union’s requirements, which included full-time benefits and mandatory dues. The arrangement worked because of the deep trust between a staffing provider and a client, and the client's openness to partnership.
Achieving real partnership
If your IT staffing agency doesn’t understand your problems and occasionally question how you’re trying to solve them, you might not be in the best relationship.
“For our clients to view as a labor market consultant—a true partner—we need to earn that respect by arming ourselves with market knowledge, understanding the local landscape and showing past wins,” says Scott.
“If I had one recommendation for hiring managers, it’s to demand more from our industry,” he adds.
Related: How IT managers use market analytics to up their talent game
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