5 Ways IT Staffing Agencies Can Stand Out in a Crowded Industry

With offices in Seattle, it’s not likely that we would miss the explosion that has happened in the Seattle staffing industry marketplace. IT staffing agencies that want to stand out in a crowded tech staffing industry should take these tips to heart.

Is Your IT Staffing Agency Marketing Drown in a Sea of Sameness?

Few businesses can afford to be without IT expertise but, for some companies, it’s beyond essential. We have a front row seat to the ever-expanding tech staffing industry in Seattle and other cities, including how quickly the staffing industry is expanding with new recruiting, temporary employment and staffing agencies opening up all the time. Projections for IT jobs overall suggest that demand will grow at more than 3% a year through 2022; but in cities like Seattle, San Francisco and other areas where tech companies converge, that growth rate will be much higher.

The companies that need these tech-proficient candidates might see all IT staffing agencies as interchangeable – unless you find a way to set your staffing business apart. The good news is that some of the same strategies that will help you stand out with employers will also help you stand out with candidates. You can land more accounts and convert new clients into satisfied repeat customers that much more effectively.

5 Strategies Help IT Staffing Agencies Get Ahead

Plan Ahead

You can have the coolest company in the city but if you don’t have qualified IT staffing candidates ready to place it might not matter. Watching news, media and even social media channels can all give you clues about which companies are going to be looking for help in the near future. Once you have a sense of impending demand, having a list of candidates that have already done their paperwork, passed their pre-screening tests, proven their expertise to your recruiters and are ready to be placed could help you get in ahead of the pack.

Put a Different Spin on Things

The words you use with candidates, clients and prospects are your most valuable resources. Why would you use scripts and templates that people have seen over and over again for ad copy and job descriptions, when words might be the only tools you can use to set your staffing agency apart? Put a different spin on the copy you use in recruiting ads and emails, in job descriptions, and even in the scripts that you use to get the attention of your clients and prospects. Your brand has a distinct voice; but if you don’t put a different spin on things, your clients might never get a chance to hear it!

Pace Yourself

Whether you’re running a marathon or a sprint, you have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Pacing yourself isn’t just about reserving energy for the long run; it’s also about knowing how fast you need to run to win. You’ve got to be committed to the process day in and day out, and work the tactics that keep you in front of employers and potential candidates on a regular basis.

Active tactics might include reaching out on a regular basis by phone or in-person visits to your contact list, to be accompanied by passive activities like sending regular email updates, postcards, and placing ads online and in publications to keep your business top of mind.

Pay Attention to the Metrics

Setting specific goals and establishing measures and paying attention to missed targets in the short run can help you determine when you need to work harder, when you need to work smarter, or when you might need to alter your tactics altogether to stay on track.

Pay it Forward Every Pay Day

You’ve probably already heard about the Seattle CEO who decided to forego his own salary in order to raise the salaries of his employees. This move didn’t just get him media attention, it merited marketplace goodwill – and goodwill can be priceless. For that CEO, it was one big win, but it might be possible for you to build goodwill and the wins that come as a result into the fabric of your organizational culture.

Instead of waiting for that one time of year when the fun run or fundraising initiative regularly occurs, use the idea of paying it forward to generate year-round media attention and community goodwill, either by differentiating your agency with an internal program that is unique to your employee culture or by adopting a cause that will always benefit from sales your staffing agency generates.

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