A significant percentage of executives believe that there is a real “skill gap” that prevents employers from hiring top talent. Several thought leaders in the staffing and recruiting industries have weighed in on whether skill gap is fabricated or real. However, it is clear that in certain sectors including, Technology, Science and Mathematics – there are not enough workforce with the desired skill set in available talent pools. Therefore, in response, many organisations have sought to get creative and shifted their focus on “Contingent workers”.

Some employers have found to reach outside local talent pools, hiring employees located abroad. Some have sought to train existing employees to embrace new skill sets, while others have turned to sourcing and hiring contingent workers to obtain the talent they need.

4 strategic ways to hire contingent workers

Independent contractors or contingent professionals have become one of the leading ways employers fill vacant positions. In the healthcare domain, these professionals are accessible to support already overworked staff to address the rising concerns about patient care. Nevertheless, hiring and managing the contingent workers is no easy accomplishment. Several organisations have found that sourcing, recruiting, managing and off-boarding such professionals can be tough and costly.

Try the follow four strategic tips to hire and manage your contingent (independent) contractors better.

1. Partner with right Contingent Workforce Management Provider

Organisations must keep the lengthy list of staffing companies in the optimisms of sourcing the talent they need as independent contractors. Now, having a partnership with one supplier to manage the hiring of such professionals saves organisations money and simplifies the process.

Using the “Vendor-Neutral” model empower organisations to acquire the best talent at the best rates. Under this model staffing providers are better able to identify employer’s requirements. Also, proactively competing to offer the best talent at the decent figures.

2. Make a proper use of Vendor Management System

In managing the contingent professionals VMS or Vendor Management Systems are a growing trend. Due to the involvement of several moving pieces in contingent work assignments. Several companies find they are unable to create the risk management strategies and transparency on their own.

The providers of VMS can offer the solution to this problem and help in better ways through:

–    Contract and data storage

–    Vendor classification

–    Centralised data management

–    Payroll capabilities and more.

The right Vendor Management System enables organisations to gain a 360-degree view of their cost, risk and data and to manage it proactively.

3. Create a system for Performance Management

Sourcing and hiring the contingent professional is one thing and managing their performance is another. After the onboarding of such workers, it is significant to check in and see how they are doing.

Following things should be implemented for desired outcomes since these professionals are often project-based:

–     How will talent be evaluated?

–    Clear guidelines must be established to identify what successful project should look like.

–    How contingent workers will be managed if they are not accomplishing project goals?

4. Think of planned labor strategies

It is imperative to have an overall proposed labor strategy when hiring a contingent workforce. Therefore following questions must be answered by the stakeholders:

–    What is the scope and size of the project requiring contingent professionals?

–    What are the budgetary guidelines?

–    Which roles are critical to its success?

–    Are there any opportunities exists to hire contingent worker full time after the project is ended?

In most of the cases, organisations find this to be a brilliant recruiting tool for their next great hire. Therefore, a robust labour strategy will help recognise these opportunities, reducing cost per hire. Making the overall sourcing & onboarding process faster and better.

During a skill gap organisations are experiencing an uphill battle to hire the best and brightest. Thus, bringing the contingent workers onboard makes hiring easier. It also gives opportunities to employers to save money, time and, to effectively manage risk.

Note – The blog was originally published here.

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