Each day, thousands of global organizations recruit highly talented scientists to fill vacant positions.

Some organizations may hire top talent on their own, without any help from an outside firm. However, for all the organizations that hire employees without any outside assistance, there are just as many that partner with staffing companies to help them throughout the entire hiring process. By doing so, these organizations are able to recruit scientists with detailed skill sets and established career goals within the scientific community for a specific position.

Yet some organizations have preconceived notions about the candidates that staffing companies will find for their open contingent, contract, and directhire positions. As staffing companies strive to improve their clients’ hiring experiences, it is important to examine some common misunderstandings.

Perception – Candidates are not the “right fit.”

When organizations hire employees, they are not only interested in obtaining talent that will fulfill organizational goals, but in individuals who will also become high-performing team members. If candidates are not able to adapt to organizational cultures, communicate well with their fellow employees, and quickly understand their team members’ and company’s goals, they may not be able to reach their full potential.

In the past, many science organizations have hired candidates with the help of staffing companies only to find that their new employees did not have anything in common with the other members of their team. Such unsuccessful hires have led many organizational leaders to believe that candidates recruited by staffing companies will likely not be a successful fit within their organizations. Staffing companies and contingent employees are proving this theory wrong in today’s workplace.

Solution – Candidates adapt to organizational cultures and reach their full potential.

Many staffing specialists are investing their time and energy in gaining credibility within the scientific community. Through consistent organizational research, regular interviews with managers, and constant communication with science professionals, recruiters are more prepared now than ever before to find “right fit” scientists. Such research and communication efforts have helped recruiters not only understand the exact strategies and product directions that organizations have, but also identify scientists who will help companies meet their objectives.

At the same time, staffing companies regularly meet with clients to ensure that they completely understand the client’s organizational structure and culture in order to recruit and hire some of the most talented scientific professionals.

Ann Jagielski is an experienced research and development professional who has gained a variety of work experience within the coatings industry with the help of staffing companies. During her contract positions, she has been able to reach her full potential within each of the organizations for which she worked.

“In each of my three contract roles, the staffing company that recruited and hired me truly helped me adapt to organizational structures,” Jagielski said. “In addition, my fellow co-workers were always willing to assist as well, allowing me to not only feel comfortable in my role, but to pursue new opportunities once my contract position had ended.”

Perception – Candidates are not adequately prepared for the daily tasks of their jobs.

Some candidates’ areas of expertise may not be aligned with the requirements of the position for which they have been recruited. Without having the necessary soft skills, past work experience and appropriate, work-related educational backgrounds, many candidates are simply not prepared for the daily tasks of their positions. Therefore, staffing companies work closely with clients to understand their expectations of candidates.

Solution – Versatile candidates possess diverse skills and adapt to all employment situations.

Without a doubt, the most successful contingent and full-time scientists adapt easily to the ever-changing daily tasks of their current assignment; accept any new responsibilities they may be offered; and acclimate to organizational structural changes, especially as the global economy continues to fluctuate.

Multitalented scientists who possess diverse skills will be prepared to adapt to unique situations within their organizations. They will be well prepared for the tasks of their jobs, whether they work as contingent employees or accept full-time positions once their contract assignments have ended. To further improve candidates’ diverse skill sets, many staffing companies offer soft skills training opportunities to their employees free of charge.

“My staffing agency was able to prepare me for my position by ensuring I had the proper skills the client was looking for, well ahead of the beginning of my new role,” Jagielski said.

Such preparation leads to a long-lasting, successful relationship between the client and the candidate.

“Many recruiters have excellent relationships with their clients. As a result, they are able to visit particular companies and meet with the managers who candidates will work for,” Jagielski said. “This enables both the recruiter and the candidates to understand exactly what skill set will be needed for a specific job.”

Perception – Candidates do not understand the company’s culture.

Finally, many candidates might not be familiar with their company’s organizational culture, leading to a variety of issues within the workplace, including miscommunication; misunderstanding of social roles, and lack of knowledge regarding effective, historical business practices and philosophies.

Consequently, many scientific managers’ willingness to hire contingent and full-time scientists with help from staffing companies has diminished recently. Despite managers’ perceptions of candidates, many staffing companies have improved their screening capabilities in order to find the “best fits” for clients based on organizational cultures.

Solution – Top talent adapts to various organizational cultures.

So how have staffing companies begun to resolve this perception regarding candidates and organizational culture? In short, staffing specialists are currently recruiting top scientific talent through high-quality, timely screening mechanisms. Certainly, highly talented, dedicated scientists are versatile enough to adapt to numerous types of cultures, especially as workforces continue to attract an increasing number of contingent workers and the global scientific industry continues to evolve.

By matching such scientists to highly reputable organizations, staffing companies will begin to reduce managers’ perceptions regarding candidates and organizational culture, as candidates continue to use their talents and skill sets to positively impact global organizations during the coming years.