Which one should I choose?
Part of the H-2A/H-2B Academy (TM) series
One of the many enormous questions that employers face on a regular basis is whether to do the hiring in-house using their own HR staff or to outsource this heavy task to an external company.
As we will see, both options have many advantages and disadvantages, and the answer is not clear; nor is there a single recipe to make it work across industries and based on your specific needs.
Consider a farm that wants to hire 200 H-2A laborers, or a landscaping or hospitality company that wants to expand its team by bringing in 50 H-2B workers. You have the following options:
Your team is in charge of hiring (in house)
Pros
You have complete control over the entire process, from prospecting to onboarding.
You are in charge of the interviews (if any).
You decide which phone calls/emails to return and which to ignore.
Less expense for the employer.
Cons
You consume the time of at least two members of your staff.
For candidates to apply, you must publish a phone number and/or email address. As a result, voicemail and email inboxes were overflowing.
Endless phone calls and emails to return, if you ever have the time.
Despite their best efforts and intentions, your employees may not be trained HR professionals and/or interviewers (if you conduct interviews at all).
Another party makes the hiring (external)
Pros
Your internal staff can concentrate on your main business at any time.
There aren't a ton of emails or calls that need answering.
A list of potential prospects is provided to you.
The interviews are conducted by someone else using your recruiting criteria (you could also sit on the interviews, too).
You just select your final candidates and hire them.
Cons
You need to make more investments.
Some companies feel they have lost "control" of the process.
Employees who have previously carried out this work could feel "displaced" or “replaced”.
You might come up against some resistance from within your ranks.
Yes, some employers enjoy conducting interviews and participating in the selection process. Others are less motivated to do this or simply need "a warm body that can be trained in 2 or 3 weeks."
Naturally, you, as the employer, retain the choice of whom to recruit regardless of the path you take.
Conclusion
There is no conclusion to be drawn. The choice you pick is influenced by a lot of variables, like your activity, industry, the amount of employees you plan to hire, the budget and time you have available, the number of team members you can dedicate to this, etc.
Book an informational session (not sales) if you decide that we can help with your H-2A and H-2B worker recruiting needs. Or give us a call 917-725-0747.
For H-2A/H-2B workers, we offer the traditional hiring package, the "We handle the hiring for you" package, and the white glove "Point and Hire" TM package.