Information technology covers all aspects of our lives, and the IT market is developing at breakneck speed. There is a real “talent war” going on in this area, and companies are willing to do anything to gain the lead. Let’s take a short dive into this world and figure out what’s better: using the services of an outstaffing company or waiting for miracle employees on hiring platforms.
Let’s consider the definition of outstaffing and platforms for finding employees
Staff augmentation, or outstaffing, is when a company hires a third party to perform certain tasks that are necessary for its business. Outstaffing in the IT field includes hiring qualified specialists on a remote basis.
Employee search platforms are online services that provide companies with the opportunity to find and attract candidates for vacancies. These platforms typically contain databases of information about the skills, work experience, and education of potential applicants, as well as tools for creating and posting job openings, filtering, and screening candidates.
International hunting, as well as growing demand and personnel shortages
Following trends, companies are ready to hunt for talent even in other countries. Some are looking for specialists from India, Israel and China, offering them favorable working and relocation conditions.
For instance, in 2023 the demand for IT specialists has increased by 63%, and at the beginning of the year, as many as 59 thousand open vacancies were registered on indeed.com. This creates talent shortages and forces companies to look for new approaches to attracting and retaining employees.
In conditions of personnel shortages, outstaffing and platforms for hiring IT specialists are becoming a “lifeline” for companies in search of experienced and professional candidates.
The goal is to compare outstaffing and hiring through employee search services
The right choice of IT specialists is the key to the success of your business. Today we will help you understand the two main approaches to hiring them: IT staff augmentation and search through platforms. Let’s compare the advantages and disadvantages of each so you can determine which is best for your company.
Flexibility and scalability
You are already familiar with the term “outstaffing,” but let’s look at its benefits in more detail. One of the main advantages of staff augmentation is the flexibility and scalability it provides to companies. Changes happen very quickly in the business world, and companies must be prepared to respond to them as quickly as possible. Outstaffing allows companies to hire external firms only for the duration of a specific project and not waste resources on additional training and adaptation of employees.
This approach saves money and time for the company, and also allows you to scale activities in accordance with current needs. For example, if a company is working on a large project, it may need to hire more specialists for a certain period of time. Outstaffing provides this opportunity without spending time and resources on searching and hiring new employees. As a result, the company can easily and quickly respond to changes in the business environment and scale its activities in accordance with current needs.
Saving time and resources is an important detail
Unlike searching for candidates through service platforms, staff augmentation offers time and resource savings to companies since the hiring process falls on the shoulders of external professionals. This frees companies from bureaucracy associated with paperwork, sick leave and vacation payments. As a result, companies can focus on core tasks, and entrust the hiring and adaptation of employees to experts in the field of outstaffing.
The experience and skills of outstaffing specialists mean less banes for HR
Specialists working on outstaffing projects have extensive experience in their field and can quickly adapt to various tasks and conditions. This is due to the fact that outstaffing companies often work with many clients from different industries, which gives specialists the opportunity to face a variety of tasks and solve complex problems.
In addition, outstaffing specialists have a wide range of skills necessary to work successfully in a team. They know how to find a common ground with colleagues and customers, communicate effectively and solve emerging problems. Thanks to this, staff augmentation projects can be completed with high quality and on time, which is a key factor for success in modern business.
Unlike hiring full-time employees, staff augmentation allows companies to gain access to experienced and qualified specialists without having to spend time and resources on training them and adapting to new working conditions. It can be a more effective and cost-effective option for companies that are looking for a quick and high-quality solution to their IT tasks.
A limited selection of candidates is a clear disadvantage of platforms for hiring specialists
Employee search platforms are an important tool when searching for specialists in various fields. However, some companies may struggle with platform limitations, especially if they are looking for highly specialized employees with extensive experience in a particular area. Additionally, competition for talented candidates can make search and recruiting difficult and time-consuming tasks.
In contrast, outstaffing companies provide access to a wider range of specialists and can find the best candidates for a project using their own resources and network of contacts. This allows companies to find not only experienced professionals with the right skills, but also those who can additionally bring new ideas and ways of working.
A clear advantage is that outstaffing companies can provide additional services, such as employee training, project support and expert consulting. This can be especially useful for companies that want to hire specialists, but do not have enough experience or resources to ensure they work effectively, or when you just need an employee for a certain time.
Unlike platforms with their limitations, outstaffing provides a wider and simpler choice of specialists
Staff augmentation provides companies with a wide selection of highly qualified IT specialists, which is especially useful for more complex and specialized projects. Unlike recruitment services, where companies may be limited to selecting candidates locally, outstaffing companies have access to global talent pools. Moreover, these companies can provide a better selection of candidates, allowing companies to save time and resources that might be spent searching and selecting candidates themselves.
Adaptation and training costs
When hiring an employee through the platform, the company may face additional adaptation and training costs, as the newcomer may not be familiar with the job and the business processes involved, which will cause delays in completing tasks.
However, with outstaffing, the employee focuses on a specific project, eliminating the need to delve into the corporate culture. Also, outstaffing companies constantly train their experts, ensuring a high level of knowledge and skills throughout the entire project.
How to choose between outstaffing and hiring through platforms?
- Determine the company’s needs. If your company requires specialized expertise and flexibility in hiring, outstaffing may be more attractive. It offers access to a wide range of IT professionals with a variety of skills and experience, which is especially useful when searching for qualified experts
- Explore your options. Outstaffing offers flexibility in choosing specialists, quick adaptation to changes and saving time and resources. Unlike recruitment services, outstaffing companies provide a more flexible approach to finding talent, which is especially important in the global market. High-quality selection of candidates carried out by outstaffing companies also saves time and resources
- Make an informed decision. Considering all the advantages of outstaffing, such as flexibility, saving time and resources, adaptability to changes in the business environment and high quality candidate selection, this approach may be much more attractive for your business than using employee search platforms. Consider all the factors and choose the best option for hiring IT specialists.
Conclusion
IT outstaffing is the best choice for companies that want flexibility and access to a wide range of highly qualified IT specialists. When outstaffing, a company can be located in different geographical zones, which significantly expands the choice of specialists. In addition, the company does not waste time and resources on the process of hiring, training and personnel management, because these are all the responsibilities of the outstaffing company.
On the other hand, platforms have a huge selection of candidates and provide the opportunity to quickly hire an employee in the shortest possible time. However, for companies that are looking for candidates with specific skills and experience, such services may not be the best choice.
It is important to choose your approach to hiring IT professionals carefully, taking into account your needs, budget and goals. Developing risk reduction plans and considering the limitations of each approach are also important to successful hiring. Companies must analyze their needs and goals and choose the most effective approach for their business.
