SAVE TIME & MONEY.

• Author: MEYERS, DEBORAH J.
• Position: Brief Article

Whether you need someone to work two weeks or are looking for a long-term employee, placement agencies can assist.

Usually, renting something costs more than owning it. For example, if you rented your daily commuter vehicle, it would cost much more, in the long run, than monthly car payments.

Renting employees' time is an exception to the rental rule. In many cases, filling a position temporarily or long-term through an employment agency can be very cost-effective.

Most employers use temps from time to time if they are short-staffed during a busy period, or when they lose a vital employee suddenly. The urgency and necessity of the work requires that the position is filled quickly, and the convenience of an instant employee is well worth the fees.

Employment agencies also fill more long-term employment needs. For example, if a company wants to find an employee who will stick with the company and grow with it, employment agencies can help in the selection process.

Employment agencies do this through a temp-to-hire process, where employers get to test out employees and hire the one who works out. Agencies partner with the employer to find just the right candidate for direct hiring.

In any of these scenarios, employment agencies save companies money in a variety of ways.

"Advertising is a big factor," said Opti Staffing Group President Avonly Lokan. "Most people don't realize how much it costs (to advertise)."

If advertising doesn't result in a successful hire, those dollars are wasted.

Not only is advertising expensive, but paying current staff to follow up on ads is pricey, too.

"Instead of running the ad and screening the applicants (yourself) we step in," Lokan said. "It used to be that (companies) could place an ad and their lobby would be filled with people. People now use a temp agency because we do it every day," she said.

Opti Staffing Group, an Anchoragebased firm, provides temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire services, including manual laborers.

Although some companies use employment agencies because they can't find enough people, the opposite problem is also true in some industries.

"All too often, we hear about employers inundated with resumes," said Gloria Kron, owner of Elite Employment Services in Anchorage. "With (an employment) service, they receive only a certain number from those who can perform the work. They can make a choice of interviewing only a few."

This is especially helpful for smaller firms that don't have their...