Creative Staffing Solutions Pair Workers with Employers

One of the greatest challenges for any company is to find the right workers to fill its needs, whether it's someone who can operate heavy machinery or someone who can give great haircuts. In the recent labor market, even with an economic downturn, high-tech firms have had difficulty finding enough employees who are skilled in information technology to fill their open positions. In addition, these companies have needs that are different from firms in other industries.

First, they are often looking for people who are willing to work part-time or on a temporary basis to develop and complete a particular project.

Second, that temporary basis differs from "traditional" temporary assignments, which often last a week or two while a permanent employee is ill or on vacation. Instead, high-tech companies want people who can stay on the job for six months or a year.

Third, these firms seek workers with particular skills and aptitudes in information technology. "Scarcity of qualified candidates, competition from highprofile employers, and the potential for IT professionals to earn more as professional contractors were cited as top barriers for recruiting IT workers," states a recent study conducted by the American Electronics Association (AEA).

In a tight labor market, where can high-tech firms find these perfect employees? Creative Staffing Solutions, a temporary and alternative staffing firm, provides such workers to companies. "Temping," as it used to be called, is now a $40 billion industry as more and more companies turn to staffing agencies for help. Companies are willing to pay for these employees. "For high-tech workers, this is an employees' market," notes Marc Brailov of the American Electronics Association. "It is very important for Internet companies to create and offer incentives to attract and retain employees."

That's where Creative Staffing Solutions (CSS) comes in. Founded by Mel Rhone in 1996, CSS, a minority-owned firm based in Philadelphia, now has clients ranging from small companies to large organizations such as AT&T, Hershey's, and Lockheed Martin. CSS specializes in finding IT professionals, engineers, computer programmers, and other high-tech workers for its clients. On one side of the process, a CSS manager meets with and interviews the HR manager at the client firm to determine the firm's needs. On the other side, CSS managers screen, interview, and test prospective job candidates to determine their suitability for positions.

CSS checks a candidate's work history and tests grammar and spelling, math, computer skills, and so forth. Recently CSS made it possible for job hunters to post their résumés on the CSS website, where staffing managers can review them. In addition, CSS's staffing managers peruse Internet job sites in search of potential matches. According to CSS managers, the alternative staffing solution meets the needs of both the company and the worker. Firms obtain screened, highly skilled, and motivated workers for a designated period. And currently many high-tech firms prefer to hire temporary workers because the IT economy is very volatile. They like to hire people to complete a special project, such as development of a new computer system. Workers also benefit.

"You get to make your own schedule," remarks CSS staffing manager Joy Thomas. Because CSS tests and trains candidates, people who want to improve their job skills can find plenty of opportunity through the company. Some workers are looking to change careers but are afraid to make a total commitment without knowing whether they will like the new field. Filling a temporary position can give them a good taste of what the field will be like. Occasionally CSS sends a worker to fill one temporary position at a company, and the person moves on to a completely different job at the firm. The arrangement gives both parties convenience and flexibility. Creative Staffing Solutions continues to find ways to grow its own business.

Now with an in-house staff of 11 people, Mel Rhone wants to expand. Recently the company received a loan of $100,000 from the e Speed Loans program, which is funded by e Philadelphia, a group that represents technology companies headquartered in Philadelphia. CSS plans to use the funding to purchase hardware and software, as well as to hire more staff to train workers for all levels of technology-related jobs. Rhone, like others, foresees a future in which temporary and alternative staffing will be routine in American industry, and he wants his company to be ready to grab every opportunity that comes its way.

A study by the National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services found that 90 percent of companies surveyed employ temporary help. "Companies are incorporating temp workers in long-term plans, whereas 15 years ago they used temps just to fill occasional holes," remarks Richard Wahlquist, executive vice president of the association. The same holds true for today's workers. "The way Americans seek work has fundamentally shifted-so many young adults look to temp agencies first, to get a taste of different fields, that we are a central part of the job search process," says Wahlquist. Creative Staffing Solutions intends to remain part of the process as well.

Questions
1. In addition to job websites and its own site, where else might Creative Staffing Solutions look for potential job candidates?

2. How can Creative Staffing Solutions create a learning environment for job candidates before they accept a position or while they are between positions?

3. As you consider your career, would you try working through a temporary agency such as CSS? Why or why not?

4. What difficulties might Creative Staffing Solutions have to deal with in using electronic job and résumé postings?