Heather Thayer

Hiring in Florida’s IT market isn’t just about posting jobs — it’s about moving fast and offering flexibility. Here are 3 quick tips we’re sharing with companies across the state: 1️⃣ Simplify your interview process — top talent won’t wait 2️⃣ Offer hybrid/remote options when possible 3️⃣ Prioritize critical roles like data, cloud, and cybersecurity Companies that stay decisive are the ones landing the best hires. Are you seeing the same in your region?

13

1 Comment

Weekly inspiration for the staffing industry ISSUE #108 | November 8, 2025 New this Week: • Major staffing website fails • What's NEW at Haley Marketing • Special offer on lead gen solutions • Automated skill marketing (product demo) • Turn website clicks into clients (webinar) • Don't miss a SMART IDEA SMART IDEAS #108: Major staffing website fails David Searns | Co-CEO Have you looked at your website lately? I mean, really looked? Because if you haven’t, your prospects definitely have. And what they’re seeing might be turning them off before you even get a chance to talk. I just listened to the latest episode of our Insights Podcast. While I don’t usually repeat podcast content in SMART IDEAS Weekly, this one hit hard. The patterns our team uncovered were so universal, and the fixes so actionable, I knew I had to bring it here too. So, what’s the topic? The top 8 staffing website fails. Specifically, the mistakes we keep seeing—over and over—on staffing websites. In the past month, we audited 50+ sites, and guess what? Most have the same eight problems. These aren’t just cosmetic. They’re killing traffic, eroding trust, and costing you leads. Let’s fix that. Problem 1: Dated or misaligned content The problem: Your site reflects who you used to be, not who you are now. Homepages pushing dead verticals Messaging that no longer matches your brand Pages untouched since 2017 Content that confuses Google and your clients Quick Fixes: Do a deep dive on your messaging...does it still fit? Prune irrelevant service pages Refresh your homepage hero Add “Last updated” dates and new headlines to key pages 💡 Pro Move: Create a 1-page Positioning Manifesto that shows your value to your ICP…and then align all site copy (and images) to it. Seth Godin nailed it: "People like us buy things like this." Metric to Watch: % of pages updated in last 180 days BONUS RESOURCE: Staffing Website Strategy Guide – A deeper dive on aligning your site with modern staffing strategy. Problem 2: No clear path for your ICP The problem: Your homepage talks to everyone (which means it talks to no one). Quick Fixes: Add a hero split: "Hire Talent" vs. "Find Jobs" Include primary and secondary CTAs for employers and job seekers Build click paths tailored to each audience 💡 Pro Move: Design multiple variations of your home page (one (or more) for clients and one for candidates) and then swap out the home page content as market conditions change. Metric to Watch: Click-through rate from homepage to conversion pages. Problem 3: Lack of services pages The problem: One-line blurbs don’t rank. Neither do pages that try to describe everything you do in one pass. And they definitely don’t convert. Quick Fixes: Create a detailed page per service line Add FAQs pulled from real search data (answer the questions people are asking) 💡 Pro Move: Include "Who we’re best for / not for" on each page Metric to Watch: Top-10 rankings for service + city

1

Why pay $3,000 for one employee when you can hire five high-quality Virtual Assistants? Remote hiring is not just cheaper; it's a scaling strategy. Discover how multiplying your workforce instantly turns 40 hours of your time into 120 hours of effort, giving you a massive advantage with dedicated, highly-motivated people.

1

Many large staffing agencies are making a big push to transition into selling project-based "managed services" vs solely selling staff augmentation as their main value prop. This concept started being introduced over the past ~5+ years, but really started gaining momentum within the last 1-2 years as the staffing marketplace has undergone widespread changes. Before I got into recruitment, I worked for a consulting firm so I understand why staffing firms want to morph from being a single-service "staff aug" firm to a full-service "managed services" provider. Big agencies with 10k+ account managers/recruiters can fairly easily adopt a "managed services" model since they have huge delivery/implementation teams in place to scale delivery for new service offerings ASAP. Although big agencies have the delivery infrastructure in place, they're still fighting an uphill battle in the marketplace to rebrand from being solely staff aug firms -> managed services consulting firms. Agency salespeople/AMs are handling these client convos, BUT many agencies haven't appropriately re-structured their comp plans to incentivize their salespeople to sell BOTH project-based managed services (that tend to have a longer sales cycle & require a different approach) AND basic staff aug services. Agencies that are morphing into "staff aug + consulting" firms have the HIGHEST odds of competing in the current marketplace, since providing a one-stop "managed services" package to clients is a proven path to become more competitive against ALL the firms entering the marketplace that used to ONLY be occupied by staffing agencies. However, there IS still tension around staffing salespeople's comp at many agencies since many agency account managers (staffing salespeople) are now tasked with selling staff aug AND managed services... BUT most agencies haven't appropriately adjusted their comp structures to reflect this requirement. Anytime salespeople are required to sell anything that benefits their COMPANY, but does NOT benefit their pocket - this is a big risk area. I've recruited full-desk recruiters & staffing salespeople for the past ~8 years - from my observation, their psychology is simple: They want to do the LEAST amount of work for the MOST amount of money with MINIMAL headaches. If an agency is frustrated that their salespeople aren't focused on fulfilling their # 1 priority, it is almost ALWAYS because their comp structure isn't set up to reflect their priorities. Incentives drive behaviors! When agencies diversify their offerings, they HAVE to update their comp plans to INCENTIVIZE salespeople to sell their new FULL suite. This seems like common sense, but nowadays it's a popular move for agencies to CUT their sales/recruiting comp plans, while expecting ppl to bill MORE! This approach almost never works out in agencies' favor. If you want salespeople to sell X, pay them more $ to sell X. It's not that hard LOL.

11

Latest findings from Staffing Industry Analysts "Workforce Solutions Buyer Survey 2025": * 5% of Organizations have switched to an in-house MSP (Managed Service Provider) and 10% more plan on doing the same in the next several years *21% of Orgs now manage staffing in house * 34% of Orgs have "no limit" on assignment term limits (45% have limits up to 23 months). * Just 24% of Orgs feel their overall practices for contingent workforce are "leading edge". * 37% of Orgs are experiencing challenges with candidate validation and fraud.

6

2 Comments

You don't need to get out of staffing, you need to get out of sales! I talk to IT staffing salespeople who want to transition to selling tech, whether hardware, software, AI, etc. ALL THE TIME. And usually their thoughts are something along these lines. I'm tired of staffing. People are unreliable, and I'm tired of that having such an impact on my business and commission. I nod, say mmmmm hmmmm, and then respond with, "Can I ask you a question?" Whether you're selling software, hardware, AI, whatever, don't you think you're going to have the same issues? No, I'll be selling a product. Yes, you will. But what was that product built by? People. Who installs that product? People. Who maintains that product? People. Who updates that product? People. My thought/advice as someone who's been recruiting salespeople for close to 10 years. If you're tired of the unreliability and inconsistency of people impacting your business... it's not time to get out of staffing. It's time to get out of sales altogether. Even if you sell something as stable and boring as a tire. You're still selling to an inconsistent, unreliable person... Just a thought. #RaiseTheRoose

20

5 Comments