Author: Scott Schnierer

With Tax Season approaching, job seekers begin to look for changes, maybe even a new career.  An HR Generalist who has SAP, payroll reporting, and corporate budget and benefits monitoring, may express interest in utilizing these additional skills to land a finance or accounting role.  They discover that an Accounting Staffing Agency will help explore these job possibilities.  This may come after the candidate unsuccessfully posted a résumé, then waited… with little or no result of an interview or an offer.  Quickly they begin to value the communication and job knowledge that an Accounting Staffing Agency Recruiter provides, along with the anticipation of a position.

Clients come to an Accounting Staffing Agency, especially during the low unemployment and available talent shortage, for their expertise in sourcing and contact with a multitude of screened, skilled, and specialized talent, from entry level with little or no work experience, to director level.

According to the American Staffing Association, “more than three million temp/contract employees work for staffing companies in a single week. Temporary staff has become far more acceptable – and that includes accounting work.  From internal auditing projects and new compliance regulations to sudden budget changes or business mergers, there is frequent need these days for complex temp working in accounting and finance. Current third party firms are having trouble meeting the demand, and the need for temporary and contract work is high. Explore how temp hires could help you meet your company goals”.

With the changing demographics of a new generation of work-life balanced employee, Accounting Staffing Agencies need to highlight the successes and dynamic growth of the up and coming company, in order to pique the interest and attract a motivated individual.  A good Accounting Staffing Agency speaks with the CFO and Finance Department in order to understand the financial growth, future, and objective of the company, then relays it to the candidate.  This exchange fosters trust to someone who is ready to invest time and energy into a company that won’t soon downsize, relocate its accounting department, or close its doors…

Accounting Staffing Agencies must develop knowledge of financial enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems as SAP, the intelligent financial management reporting and accounting unified system, which is now widely required for reconciliations and to close process accounting, enabling an integrated environment.  It is also imperative to understand business intelligence, as (BI) Oracle Hyperion and Cognos, which help manage companies’ financial forecasting, reporting, and data analysis.

Lastly, Accounting Staffing Agencies need to continuously build their own network of accounting and finance professionals and remain actively and connected on sites such as LinkedIn.

Accounting Staffing Agencies typically staff professionals with these skill sets with an Accounting Degree or Certificate.  Examples of these job titles are:

• Bookkeeper with QuickBooks and SAP
• AP and AR Clerks
• Payroll and Cost Accountants
• Administrative Finance
• Financial Analyst
• Data Entry Clerk
• Data Analytics
• SAP

To further their role, after completing formal Bachelor in Accounting or Graduate Degree in Business Administration, the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) Training Program offers execution of additional analytical and researching rules and regulations tasks, in large firms or small with private clients, such as:

• Accounting
• Taxes
• Auditing

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employment of accountants and auditors is projected to grow 10 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations. Globalization, a growing economy, and a complex tax and regulatory environment are expected to continue to lead to strong demand for accountants and auditors.  In general, employment growth of accountants and auditors is expected to be closely tied to the health of the overall economy.  As the economy grows, more workers should be needed to prepare and examine financial records”. 

Whether you are a job seeker or a healthcare organization looking to partner with a Radiology staffing agency, it is important to select a staffing agency that has clinical talent acquisition expertise as well as a viable employee on boarding and human resources infrastructure.

Radiology staffing agencies typically staff Allied Health professionals with a Radiology specialty medical skill set. Examples of these job titles are:

• X-Ray Technicians
• MRI Technicians
• Cardiovascular Technologists (CT Techs)
• Mammographers
• Sonographers

Radiology staffing agencies are required to understand the clinical education requirements, work experience, and credentialing of its employees. Typically, a candidate will need to attend an accredited undergraduate radiologic technology program (Associates or Bachelors Degree) to complete their education. A candidate will also need to apply for certification and registration with American Registry of Radiologic Technologists . Once certified and registered, they can begin working as a licensed professional.

A good staffing agency will have deep relationships with schools that place graduate radiologic technologists. Some radiology staffing agencies will serve on the advisory board of the Radiology technology program for those schools to guide them on the balance between education and job placement.

Staffing agencies must also have a strong human resources infrastructure. That means a good on boarding process. Staffing firms need to know how to verify employment, perform license verification with the national credentialing organizations, and conduct a clinical behavioral interview. Additionally, a staffing agency will collect employee references and employment verification. Finally, an agency should perform background checks and occupational medicine testing (TB or PPD Tests, Titers, Vaccinations, Physicals, etc.)

Radiology staffing agencies are an integral supplemental staffing provider to many hospitals, outpatient / surgical centers, diagnostic centers, and physician practices. A healthcare organization that intends to partner with a staffing agency should request the hiring principles it requires as its full time staff.

Whether you are a job seeker or a Human Resources professional looking to partner with a temp agency, the same rules apply. Choose a temp agency near you that is responsive, customer service oriented, and specializes in your profession, skill level or job category.

Our product and brand recognition: The Job Seeker

It doesn’t matter if you’re working on assignment, full time, or you are between jobs, it all starts with the job seeker. A temp agency should clearly define and publish it’s open job orders so job seekers can easily apply online via its web site. Once the job seeker has applied for the job and is in the applicant tracking system, the candidate should receive an email communication that it’s application has been received.

A good temp agency will schedule phone interviews and perform a full prescreening conversation on what makes the job seeker tick. Be prepared to discuss your dream job, salary goals, and location requirements (driving commute). That way, if the job you applied for doesn’t work out, they have all the information necessary to match you up with another open job order.

Ask your temp agency what kind of benefits they have. Some staffing firms offer medical and dental benefits, a 401(k) retirement plan, disability insurance, paid holidays, and more. If you work in New Jersey, make sure the temp agency is compliant with the new NJ Paid Sick Leave Act.

Our client paying the bills : The Human Resources Professional

HR Professionals get bombarded daily with sales calls from temp agencies so they like to be very selective as well. They want to know if the agency will take care of its employees so employee benefits offerings matter to them too.

It’s all about value. What does a temp agency do that provides value to its clients. A good temp agency will be an expert at prescreening candidates. Examples include online skills testing, past employer reference checks from managers (not co-workers), and behavioral interviewing questionnaires.

Speed is key. Sending a qualified resume quickly with all the candidate questions delivered with the resume will only help move the process along. Ultimately, the HR Professional wants to know if the job seeker will accept the position within the expected hiring timeframe and within it’s salary or hourly pay rate budget. HR doesn’t like surprises (even though they can happen more than we like).

It’s that time of year: handing out Secret Santa gifts, gathering at a group dinner, preparing end of the year celebrations.  It’s the annual office holiday party.

Many companies that utilize “temps” wonder if they can invite their temporary/contract employees to the company holiday party.  The answer can be confusing, but the key is the messaging or branding behind the purpose of the company holiday party.

The issue that employers wrestle with is the concept of “co-employment.”  Co-employment is defined as “a relationship between two or more employers in which each has actual or potential legal rights and duties with respect to the same employee.”  That being said, who is the employer?  Temporary/contract employees are employees of the staffing firm.  They are not classified as employees of the company who is hiring the temp on assignment.