What is the Difference Between Staffing and Recruiting?

Staffing and recruiting are two terms that are sent in your direction when one talks about HR. In fact, they together account for most of what HR does. So, then the question arises, what exactly is the difference between staffing and recruiting?

Before we look at staffing vs recruiting, let us define both recruitment and staffing.

What is Staffing?

Staffing refers to the selection, evaluation and hiring of individuals in a company, to serve current or temporary needs on a temporary basis. The main goal of staffing is to populate the ranks in a company with the right individuals at the right positions for a specific period.

What is Recruiting?

Actively seeking out, shortlisting, responding to and then hiring candidates for a specific job or role for a permanent position is referred to as recruitment. In the process of recruitment, recruiters review several hundred resumes, attempting to match the skills mentioned to those required by the employer, shortlisting those eligible and then evaluating them on the basis of their knowledge, skills and behaviour.

Staffing vs. Recruiting?

Let us now look at the difference between staffing and recruiting. Staffing is done to satisfy a temporary or contractual need which can transform into a permanent role. In recruitment, the goal is to hire for a permanent position. These days many companies are opting for contract staffing solutions as they prefer the flexibility.

Also under staffing, they need not provide the benefits of full-time permanent employees to the people they hire. This will help them cut costs and save the time in the payroll and other HR processes. Staffing is always the better option when you want to fill a position very quickly. If you have time and you will be training the individual, then recruitment is the better option.

What are Different Staffing and Recruiting Methods?

Staffing and recruitment are two sides of the same coin, but there are differences between staffing and recruiting, and the different methods under each help to set them apart more. Let us look at the different processes now:

Types of Staffing Methods:

The different solutions that staffing and recruiting firms generally provide under staffing are:

1. General Staffing or Contract Staffing:

Bigger companies have short-term, contractual requirements that need to be fulfilled quickly. A general or contract staffing company can move quickly to fulfil such a need. Employees hired in temp staffing roles may be converted into full time employees later.

2. Staff Augmentation:

The outsourcing of manpower that is based on a skill requirement or for the completion of a specific project, where one or more candidates are added to a team to execute certain tasks is called staff augmentation. As an employer you will be managing the members of your extended team, deciding how they will be onboarded and trained.  

3. Virtual Staffing:

Virtual assistance is an integral part of business planning and growth in companies today. Even key positions in companies are being held by remote staff. Virtual staffing contributes to increased productivity (for few individuals), saves cost of infrastructure and time, and is proven to contribute to a company’s growth.

4. Specialty Staffing:

Finding that right candidate can be a difficult job. The candidate needs to be unique and qualified, meet the skills required for the job and be the right cultural fit for the organization they will be joining. Generally, specialty staffing is for niche roles such as those in legal firms or accounting firms where only chosen few get into.

5. Patient Support Program:

A patient support program is also referred to as patient solutions, patient services, or patient assistance program. An increasing number of patients are being enrolled for patient support programs, given the growth of remote monitoring and digital therapeutics. Pharmaceutical companies want to improve the patient journey, but following up on each patient can be a difficult task, which is why most of them outsource patient support.

Types of Recruitment Methods:

The different methods in recruitment that staffing and recruiting companies generally offer are:

1. Executive Search:

Leaders drive an organization forward with their breakaway thinking. Members of the C-suite such as CEOs, CTOs, CXOs and CFOs are crucial to building a great company. The heads of management in senior roles such as GMs, VPs and AVPs and other niche leadership roles are hired under executive search. Executive search takes anywhere between 6 to 8 weeks for selection and 7 to 12 weeks for a hire after interviews and screening.

2. Contingent Search:

A contingent search generally happens for individual contributor roles, with a search and recruiting firm being paid only after the successful placement of the candidate in the company. There is generally a placement guarantee of 30 days as well. If the company or firm does not satisfy the condition, then the contract is void.

3. Enterprise Recruitment Process Outsourcing:

In enterprise recruitment process outsourcing, the entire process of recruitment is outsourced. This involves not just hiring and selection but onboarding too. Such outsourcing is very useful for large companies who want to outsource the recruitment processes in a particular geographic region, division or department. 

4. Subscription RPO:

In subscription RPO, the recruitment process outsourcing happens in a very flexible and scalable manner. A company need not be a large one to go for an RPO solution. In fact, companies can now subscribe to an RPO solution, with a pay-as-you-go model, where the costs are reduced, and quality is still assured.

Alp Consulting, a leader in HR consulting, provides a subscription RPO solution, referred to as Rekpro, where organizations can pay monthly for an RPO solution, without having an in-house HR team.

Closing Words

Recruiting and staffing are well managed by an HR consulting firm, so you can opt for either as per your need and the time. But an HR consultancy such as Alp Consulting goes beyond just recruitment and staffing and offers several other solutions such as payroll management, tax filing and compliance management.

If you have any recruiting or staffing needs to be taken care of or any other issue related to HR, please get in touch with Alp Consulting today.

FAQs

1. What is the difference between recruiting firm and staffing agency?

A recruitment firm is an agency that handles requests for sourcing candidates for full-time, permanent job roles. A staffing agency generally procures candidates for temporary or contract roles on behalf of employers.

2. What is staffing and recruiting industry?

Staffing and recruiting is a term that includes the two main terms for the talent sourcing and management industry. Staffing is different from recruitment because it generally addresses a short-term, contractual need and recruitment addresses a full-time, permanent need for a company.

Staffing is preferred for immediate requirements over recruitment. Modern recruiting and staffing agencies like Alp Consulting handle both these tasks efficiently.

3. Is talent acquisition and staffing the same?

Talent acquisition is a term for an activity that understands the present and anticipates the future needs of the workforce, hiring skilled candidates for the future and generally long-term needs, whereas staffing is generally for temporary, short-term needs.

4. What is talent acquisition also known as?

Talent acquisition is also referred to as recruitment or strategic recruitment in some organizations. Most modern HR consultancies such as Alp Consulting use the term recruitment for talent acquisition.

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