According to data recently released by the American Staffing Association, the top concern for staffing agencies across the country in 2018 is how to attract and retain temporary employees. With the ongoing effects of the tight labor market, staffing agencies are looking for new ways to improve recruiting and onboarding processes to attract and retain their temporary employees. Here are four simple ways to improve your recruiting and onboarding processes and increase employee engagement at your staffing agency:

1. Implement a paperless application and onboarding process.

The best way to make sure that candidates finish your application process and move into the hiring and onboarding process is to make it as convenient and painless as possible. If you’re still requiring candidates to sign paperwork and apply at your office, then you might be missing out on promising candidates. Make your application process fast and easy by going paperless and optimizing for mobile devices.

2. Have a quick response time and send more personalized messages.

In today’s tight labor market, it’s important to do everything in your power to make sure candidates come to your door instead of your competitor’s. The key to keeping candidates engaged is making them feel like valued applicants. Two easy ways to make candidates feel valuable is through a quick response after their application is submitted as well as a personalized message that shows that they’re not just another number. Start simple by setting a goal to respond five minutes faster than your average response time. Then evaluate your staffing software to see what fields you might be able to leverage to easily send messages that are more personalized than just an auto response.

3. Stay in touch between hire date and start date.

Again, one of the keys to employee retention is making the employee feel like they are valued. An easy way to make an employee feel valued is regular communication. A simple step is creating a communications plan for when and how to contact candidates after hiring and before their start date. This could be as simple as reaching out to ask if the candidate has any questions about their upcoming position, such as the site location or dress code.

4. Ask for frequent feedback about your application and onboarding process. 

In addition to making your employees feel more valued by soliciting feedback, asking for frequent feedback on your current application and onboarding process is an easy way to figure out how to find ways to improve. Think of it like a free efficiency evaluation that will help you find better ways to work while simultaneously engaging your employees!

 There are many ways to find small efficiencies in your current application and onboarding process to enhance the candidate and employee experience. Want to learn how TempWorks helps staffing agencies improve onboarding efficiencies? Check out our onboarding staffing software or contact us today to learn more!