7 Qualities of Fast-growth Staffing Agencies

If only the secrets of successful staffing firms could be bottled! Well, you’ll be pleased to know the main secret of business success is that there is no secret at all! Everything thriving staffing firms do is in plain sight. 

At Tracker, we’ve been involved in recruitment agencies’ growth for decades, providing ambitious firms with the recruitment tech they need to scale. We see first-hand how fast-growth agencies operate, and in this blog, we share what sets them apart. 

Here are the top qualities we consistently observe in the fastest-growing agencies.

1. A focus on developing relationships

Staffing is all about people, but most importantly, it’s about relationships. 

Nurturing connections is a crucial aspect of any recruiter’s role, and we repeatedly see that successful staffing firms are exceptionally good at it. Building strong relationships with clients and candidates is critical in fast-growing agencies. A focus on building relationships also extends to the team, where collaboration between colleagues is encouraged and facilitated, usually via tech. 

So, in addition to having the right tech to foster great communication, how else do the most successful agencies build better relationships? 

Largely, it stems from authentic engagement, routinely reaching out, and finding new ways to connect with clients and candidates. 

In Staffing Hub’s 2024 State of Staffing Survey, respondents were asked what they deemed the most essential recruiter attribute. Relationship-oriented was ranked highest. The survey also revealed that fast-growing agencies are 60% more likely to prioritize relationship orientation. 

The best-in-class understand that it’s not just about establishing relationships but also ongoing maintenance. Consistent engagement is seen as vital. Continuous dialogue fosters trust, minimizes misunderstandings, and ensures more informed hiring decisions. That’s why relationship building is at the core of Tracker’s recruitment software. 

A culture of learning from feedback and continual improvement is also embedded in fast-growth agencies.

2. Deep industry expertise

A crucial role of recruitment firms is to serve as intermediaries between candidates and clients. Where the best staffing firms excel is in their extensive understanding of the intricacies of different industries and job markets. 

In fast-growth staffing firms, dedicated teams of recruiters possess in-depth knowledge of specific sectors, have their fingers on the pulse of emerging trends and market demands, and deeply understand skill requirements. There’s a thirst for knowledge and learning and a deep interest in how clients’ businesses operate. 

Having such a deep level of expertise enables recruiters to identify qualified candidates more effectively and efficiently. With developed knowledge of the industry, recruiters can provide valuable insights and added value to both employers (clients) and job seekers and quickly bring the right candidates to the attention of clients.

3. Agile and adaptable

Economic uncertainty and job market volatility are signs of the times. To stay relevant and competitive, staffing firms must become increasingly agile, adaptable, and innovative to weather uncertain political and economic conditions. 

Change management is inevitable in any business but can be hard to navigate. The real winners are the organizations that don’t just survive change; they thrive on it. 

A client-centric approach can really help agencies become more adaptable. Frequent discussions with clients enable recruiters to make micro-adjustments to recruiting strategies and better align with clients’ recruiting needs. 

Technology is another critical lever. Improving a staffing firm’s agility is almost impossible without the right tech. For example, adaptability is more challenging without a modern ATS (applicant tracking system) and CRM. Outdated, clunky tech solutions make firms much less agile. 

Key questions to continually ask to assess and improve adaptability include: 

• What’s going well? 
• What isn’t working/where is improvement needed? 
• What are the barriers preventing or slowing progress? 
• What can we learn from times when our reaction to change hasn’t been so great? 
• Is our organizational structure aligned with our business goals? 
• Is our tech old, clunky and holding us back? 
• Do we have the right metrics in place? 
• If one of our key clients made a fundamental change to their business model, how would we respond?
   

4. Robust talent pipeline

With recruitment more competitive than ever, keeping your talent pipeline brimming with possibilities has never been more important. Recruiters want instant results, clients want positions filled yesterday, and increasingly discerning candidates want certainty. 

Thinking ahead is a crucial trait of fast-growth staffing firms, which is why they recognize the value of passive candidates. With nearly 50% of people considering leaving their jobs this year, passive candidates are a significant resource for talent pipelines. 

Staffing Hub’s 2024 survey found that fast-growth agencies filled more of their job orders and were more successful at redeploying talent (compared to other agencies in the survey whose growth had contracted). 

To build a robust talent pipeline, you must: 

• Develop an effective content strategy 
• Change up job ads and consider more diverse sourcing databases and platforms 
• Mine your existing database 
• Build a runners-up pool (‘nearly made it’ candidates could be your next hire) 
• Set up a referral program 
• Build a strategy for engaging with passive candidates 
• Incorporate skills-based hiring – upskill ‘nearly there’ candidates 

 Significantly, fast-growing agencies have robust referral programs. Ask any successful agency owner how they get their best candidates and clients; they’ll tell you they come from referrals. 

 Referrals are a win-win because they already come with a high level of pre-established trust. Cold leads aren’t endorsed, and relationship building has to start from the beginning, taking more time.  

 A consistent referral channel not only aids in client fit but also in building a strong foundation. Referrals are made with a deep understanding of your offering, ensuring a good match. When someone is referred, they already have a sense of your business and how you work, fostering a sense of security and loyalty.  

 Referral marketing is an essential strategy in the fastest-growing recruitment firms.

5. A stand-out candidate experience

The power of candidate experience cannot be underestimated. Fast-growth agencies understand that candidates are brand ambassadors, a great referral resource, and loyal customers. 

Top-performing agencies also recognize that creating differentiators in the recruitment process is key to attracting the best candidates. A positive candidate experience has knock-on effects. Word gets around when you provide a smooth, informed, respectful and supportive hiring process. 

On the other hand, recruiting processes that are tedious, repetitive, suffer communication droughts, or place an undue burden on the candidate won’t get you good reviews and will undoubtedly increase the dropout rate. 

Leaving a positive impression on candidates matters. Here’s how to deliver an outstanding candidate experience: 

• Open and transparent communication (email, text, phone calls, live chat) 
• Automation of tedious tasks, workflows, and some communications 
• Respect for candidates’ time and preferences 
• Clear expectations and appropriate information about what to expect during the recruitment process 
• A smooth and streamlined process 
• Prompt follow-ups at each stage of the hiring timeline 
• Support and guidance throughout to build rapport 
• Gather feedback for continuing improvement

6. Investment in Technology

Fast-growth firms are doubling down on technology investments this year – spending more of their budget on software and technology solutions and automating as many processes as possible. Some of these automations include performance monitoring, credentialing, and pre-screening interviews.   

The benefits of recruitment tech cannot be ignored. 

Top-performing staffing firms are using automation and AI to streamline workflows, optimize productivity, and improve operational efficiency, giving recruiters more time to concentrate on nurturing relationships. 

Fast-growth agencies have also made savvy decisions regarding future-proofing technology, choosing applications like Tracker that are customizable and easy to scale. 

Tracker’s combined ATS, CRM and recruitment automation software gives you a 360-degree view of your business. It ensures you can track, monitor, review and report on all your customer relationships, candidate information and opportunities in one centralized place.

7. Data-driven decision making

Another critical aspect of technology that successful recruiting firms factor into their decision-making is analytics and reporting capabilities. Fast-growing businesses understand the essential requirement of data and analytics, so this aspect is a significant factor in technology choices. 

With data-driven decision-making, staffing firms can gain more control over the direction of the business. Hunches and intuition are romantic ideas, but it’s hard facts that drive businesses forward. 

Setting primary goals, objectives, and KPIs was seen as some of the most critical success factors by recruitment leaders and executives surveyed by Staffing Hub. But goals and objectives are only worthwhile if you can measure them. 

Tracker makes reporting and data analytics easy for agencies, enabling them to harness the critical performance information needed to drive business growth.

Join the fast-growth recruitment revolution with Tracker  

Tracker is a leading cloud-based recruitment, applicant tracking and CRM software provider. Our tech has been developed with a relationships-first approach and built by recruiters for recruiters.  

Everything about our software has been designed to help recruiters work more effectively and efficiently and support recruitment business growth. 

Don’t take our word for it—see it for yourself! Book a Demo now. If you prefer, speak to one of our experts, who will happily discuss your recruitment software needs. We’re here to help.