Make sure you research the company. You can then discuss the company and leave a favorable impression.

Make sure, after you research the company, that you prepare questions that show you know about the company. I have received compliments from interviewers on my questions during interviews. Two of my favorites are What is your biggest problem right now?, and What brought you to this company and what keeps you here?

Of course, I ask questions on company specifics also.

http://rel” rel=”nofollow”> “…Yet despite these expensive tools, our clients struggle to get the best people…..

Last Friday, employment numbers came in and the number of individuals under the temporary-help service sector increased for the fifth straight month…..

Sorry for the long gap in posts – I have had a lot of travel lately which has left little time for writing…  But I am back now…..

Regardless, I agree completely that MSP’s, VMS’s or whatever the heck you call them ARE the client. Yet it is a very different experience from my perspective. Two Pro-Unlimited teams at different corporations will have a very different culture, needs and ways of interacting with vendors. Also their goals are very different from those of an internal HR or procurement team.

I have also seen several of my competitor’s lose out on opportunities because they disregarded the outsourced manager of the staffing program.

Good point – thanks for bringing it up.

1. VMS = Vendor Management SYSTEM. While this may seem trivial, it isn’t — a VMS is a software-ONLY solution. The fact of the matter is that people should *always* be involved with the recruiting / on-boarding process, so any client using a VMS solution still has to dedicate one or more resources (depending on their volumes) to the task of managing the contingent workforce. No system will ever replace the human-touch in that process.

2. If a client implements a Managed Services Provider (or Management Services Provider; an “MSP”) solution (usually with a VMS), the Supplier community’s “client” becomes the MSP. So, everything you said above is simply to say “Know that your ‘client’ is now the MSP, so you should do everything you can to make that client look good.” THAT is critical.

3. Finally, having a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with an MSP is critical to THEIR success with THEIR client (the actual client company), and YOUR success with YOUR client (the MSP) — if you want / need recognition, you should go to your client (the MSP) and ask for it. If you feel there are gaps or obstacles in the prescribed process, you should talk to your client about it.

Any VMS or MSP provider worth their salt should be listening to the Supplier community, and working with that community to ensure a smooth process, good communication flow and a viable candidate pool — and, therefore, success — for every client. The key to success for the Supplier community is knowing who your client *really* is.