As a long-time Hawaii staffing agency, we’ve seen a lot of upturns, downturns, and shifting trends in hiring. It’s always good news when we see a strong and sustained upswing in local hiring activity like we have in 2024. This is an indicator of business growth and increased opportunity for workforce development.

This is also why staffing solutions providers in Honolulu are emphasizing what has quickly become the most important strategy for finding the right candidates to fill job openings in a tight job market: Quality of hire.

What is Quality of Hire?

Your recruiting team probably does well tracking key hiring metrics such as time-to-fill and cost-per-hire. But do you know what a bad hire can cost you?

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates the cost of a bad hire is about 30% of an employee’s first year’s wages. Hiring the wrong person can further increase losses in terms of low productivity and poor performance, as well as a decrease in company morale when a new hire doesn’t work out.

Think of Quality of Hire as the value that a new hire brings to the organization.

How does the position you’re trying to fill contribute to your business goals, efficient day-to-day operations, and profitability?

This is what makes finding the right candidate vital for your company’s long-term success.

The Role of a Hawaii Staffing Agency in Attracting the Right Talent

Staffing agencies in Honolulu and throughout the islands can reduce the chances of making a bad hire by identifying candidates who not only have the required technical skill sets, but bring the right mix of soft skills, cultural fit, and best chance of success in your unique work environment.

Staffing Agencies in Honolulu Have Local Market Expertise

Like skilled surfers, a Hawaii staffing agency needs an intimate knowledge of the local “waters” plus has the timing, balance and ability to help employers better ride the waves of an ever-changing job market and shrinking labor pool.

Partnering with a staffing agency in Honolulu means you’ll gain access to pre-qualified candidates that best fit your company culture, and align with your organization’s mission, vision and values.

Your management team will benefit from many business advantages afforded by decades of specialized recruiting and executive search experience, resources, and customer service delivered with Aloha.

Connections with Passive Candidates to Fill Positions Fast

When unemployment is low, that means all the best candidates already have jobs and may only have a passive interest in making a career move or switching to a new employer for the right opportunity.

This makes recruiting all the more challenging. The usual job postings or even employee referrals may not be as effective in finding the candidates you need fast enough to fill an immediate opening.

A local staffing agency in Honolulu gives you access to a large database of passive talent acquired over years of relationship building, networking, and providing resources to job seekers at each step of their careers. You can expect staffing solutions to fill positions across a full spectrum of talent, from entry-level to specialized skills and advanced professional disciplines in various industries.

Conduct an Efficient Vetting Process

Your staffing solutions partner will take the time to understand your business, company culture, and look beyond the job description of each opening to analyze the requirements as well as learn the nuances of how the position contributes to the growth or sustainability of your organization.

Once a candidate pool has been identified in a thorough database search, or via networking, direct search and sourcing methodologies, and advanced technology such as Artificial Intelligence to find those hard-to-find skillsets, each individual is evaluated against a number of qualifying factors to identify those most likely to succeed.

When working to fill your job opening, the goal of a detailed vetting process like ours is to present only the right candidates for your specific hiring criteria.

Create a Compelling and Targeted Job Descriptions to Attract the Right Talent

Let’s face it, most job descriptions are boring.

To attract the right talent, another important area where a staffing solutions provider can offer expertise is to help you craft a strong, targeted job posting that compels those sought-after passive job seekers to apply.

In addition, most AI searches require a high-quality job description in order to find the best fit candidates.

To stand out from the competition, you need to polish up the job opportunity and make it shine. A recruiting industry professional knows what today’s job seekers are looking for, how to take advantage of trends in your industry, and can help differentiate your employment brand.

Why Employers in Hawaii MUST Prioritize Hiring the Right Talent

In January 2024, Hawaii had over 26,000 job openings island wide. In the first quarter of 2024, our unemployment rate was 3.0% and dropped to 2.8% by April, which is significantly lower than the U.S. national average rate of 3.5% for the same period.

Yet at the same time, the Hawaii Employers Council reported that many local employers are struggling to hire due to increased competition and a lack of qualified candidates. Organizations are raising pay and restructuring compensation packages to attract and retain talent. So what else can you do?

Focus on Quality of Hire as your strategy for recruiting success:

The Right Talent Enhances Productivity

Whether it’s a temp, contact or permanent placement, focusing on quality of hire means your new employee will likely be more productive from Day One. The key here is efficient onboarding, a welcoming atmosphere, and providing the right tools and resources for the job.

Creates a Positive Work Environment

Filling a job with the right person makes everyone’s job easier.

A good cultural fit ensures a smoother transition for the new hire and assures team members they can rely on or collaborate with the new person who brings value and expertise to the mix.

In the case of temp workers, you need the right people who can fit in right away. Most temps are there to take the burden off the full time staff during peak periods or help handle routine administrative tasks to free up time to work on special projects, change management, or navigate through challenging times.

Lower Training Expenses

With a thorough vetting and qualifying process, application of advanced assessment techniques such as predictive behavioral analysis and pre-employment testing, the right candidates will come equipped with the knowledge, skills, experience and temperament you need to put them to work with less on-the-job training.

Perhaps they can even teach your current employees a thing or two by bringing fresh perspectives and more effective methods for achieving the desired results.

Better Employee Retention

When the right candidate is placed in the right position, they each get what they need in terms of learning, advancement opportunities and job satisfaction. This naturally leads to better employee engagement and retention.

Retention can be further enhanced with an onboarding process that demonstrates how employees are valued, rewarded, and recognized for their work.

Gain a Competitive Advantage

Hawaii employers are rethinking their staffing solutions and strategies. This includes leveraging the flexibility of using staffing agencies in Honolulu for finding candidates as well as guidance in recruiting and workforce planning.

Quality of hire is now the key to successful talent acquisition.

Struggling to Find Quality Talent? Partner with the Best Local Staffing Agency in Honolulu, Hawaii: Bishop & Company

Since 1986, Bishop & Company delivers comprehensive staffing solutions in Honolulu and helps companies like yours gain financial advantages that lower hiring costs.

We understand the islands’ unique recruiting and staffing challenges. Whether you need temporary staff for short-term assignments, or a top quality employee for long-term growth, we have a deep knowledge of the local market, plus the resources and expertise to find the right talent for you, quickly.

Let’s talk! Contact us to learn more about how partnering with Bishop & Company can give your company a more competitive edge in today’s tough job market.