Staffing agencies and HR outsourcing companies are used by more than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies to hire skilled temporary and contract workers,

some of whom can eventually become full-time employees.

Below are some questions you can use to evaluate the options and choose the one that might work best for your company when considering working with a staffing agency:

It is important to work with an agency that specializes in your industry or has specialists who have extensive knowledge of the positions you are seeking to fill.

If an agency only recruits accounting staff, it is unlikely that they will have access to a large pool of IT candidates or have the knowledge to understand the skills and experience needed to succeed in the position.

You can save time and money when you hire a staffing agency that handles HR services such as background checks, initial interviews, and skill assessments. When hiring managers are confident that the candidates they are interviewing meet the job requirements, they can focus on evaluating the candidate’s other traits, such as personality, work style, communication, and problem-solving skills.

What types of staffing services do they offer? Some agencies only provide temporary or contract workers, while others offer both temp-to-hire and permanent staff. By selecting an agency before you need them, you can ensure that they’ll be able to meet your current needs and fulfill your future requirements. This will save you the trouble of switching to a new company when your needs change from a few temp workers as temps rise to fill short-term gaps, to full-time hires in support of sustained business growth.

Despite the most thorough screening processes and evaluation procedures, bad hires still occur. Look for an agency that offers refunds or other acceptable remedies for poor placements.

When selecting a contract worker, a number of factors are taken into account, including skill level, experience, education, personality, work style, and so on. An agency that has access to a large number of candidates with diverse backgrounds can give you a better chance of finding the right employee for your organization.

Ask open-ended questions about your company and/or the job position you are trying to fill when interviewing potential staffing agencies. Their answers can give you an indication of how well-versed they are. Your specific needs can often be better understood by agencies whose personnel have intimate knowledge of these areas and who can help identify the most suitable contract workers or permanent placements.

Would you mind telling me about the agency’s rates and fee structure? Do they charge separately for background checks and skill testing or do they include them in the hiring or placement fee? Choose an agency with a clear fee schedule so that you know exactly what you can expect to pay for the services(s) that address your staffing and HR outsourcing needs.