Whether you're looking for a temporary or full-time hire, a top-ranked staffing agency can help you find the best candidates, advise you on staffing through the inevitable ups and downs in business, and serve as your long-term partner for recruiting and hiring.

Look for insider expertise
If you're an accounting firm, for example, you'll get the most out of an agency specializing in placing accountants, bookkeepers and tax professionals. Often, such an agency's recruiters were employed in positions similar to those they now place. Their industry knowledge and expertise helps ensure that candidates and employers are well-matched. A candidate from a specialized firm will do the job more quickly and accurately than a lower-cost candidate from a generic staffing firm.

Be direct about what you want
Clearly communicate your company's requirements and your timetable for bringing someone on board. It's also a good idea for your staffing agency representatives to see your workplace firsthand. This experience provides them with a better sense of your company's culture, the work environment and, most importantly, the type of person likely to excel with your organization.

Establish follow-up
Keep recruiters informed of any changes in your requirements. After an employee comes on board, review that person's progress with the staffing agency several times during his or her first weeks on the job. Maintaining communication and providing feedback allows the agency to understand better how to serve you.

Take action if things go sour
Despite everyone's best efforts, every now and then a hire will not work out. In this situation, first determine whether the employee wasn't a match or whether the agency itself was a bad fit for you. How the staffing agency responds to such problems will tell you a lot: Does it shirk responsibility or work with you on a solution? Never hesitate to sever ties with an unsatisfactory agency.

Tap agency resources
If the staffing agency provides training resources to its registered candidates, encourage your workers to make use of them. It's a win-win. The professionals placed by the staffing agency can augment their on-the-job skills for free, and that will benefit everyone involved.

By partnering with a staffing agency, you can achieve your business goals and find the ideal staff for your organization — and save time and money in the process.