Partners vs. Vendors

(Originally posted on LinkedIn)

Partners versus vendors: what is the difference and how does that impact you? It’s fairly easy to identify whether a staffing firm is trying to partner with you or just sell to you. In the increasingly competitive and commoditized world of staffing, it is important for your firm to deliver as expected while committing to quality and always keeping you informed.

How to Tell If You Have a Partner or Are Working with a Vendor?

Every organization that you work with might look the same. They likely have the same value prop, service, pricing model, etc. Once you dive deeper, it becomes much easier to differentiate a real partner or just a counterfeit.

One of the easiest ways to tell is how often you have to ask for updates. Keeping you informed on efforts should be the number two focus, right behind number one which is the service they actually sold you. If you have to ask the status on any open recruiting efforts or forget the name of the firm you're working with, they are likely just a vendor.

One of the easiest ways to tell you have a partner is you think of them first when a new role opens. You know they are reliable and will put you first and they always keep you up to date so that you are never questioning when or if you will ever get the candidate you need.

What is the Impact?

More often than not, a vendor will deliver less effectively because they are looking for revenue as their main focus instead putting you first. Not only that, but you will likely find yourself wasting time with trying to get updates from them. Beyond just trying to track them down, the largest waste of time is spent on candidates that do not align with the hard and soft skills you requested from the beginning. All of this becomes a snowball effect where your lack of trust in the vendor impacts your ability to focus on your job because you are focused on their inability to deliver.

A Partner, on the other hand, will deliver what you need quicker because they've taken the time to get to know you and exactly what you are looking for. Instead of interviewing 10 candidates for one role, you may only need one or two because you know every person that comes from them will be top tier. You will have weekly updates on the status of their recruiting efforts and will always know they have your best interest in mind.

Trust

The biggest differentiator of Partners and Vendors is trust. Can you trust your firm to be honest with a candidate's information, with any short comings, or with the hard to face realities? Can you trust them to always put you first and provide accurate timelines? Will they allow their contractors convert to FTE's? These are the types of questions you should ask yourself. Anyone that falls in the vendor side might not be worth your time and it is likely time to find a Partner.

Ultimately, a Partner is an organization that does their best to reflect who you are and your organizations culture. They try to reflect the effort you would put into finding the right candidates and understand what is most important to you. Lastly, they put you first and truly want only the best for you and your organization