Some companies have a difficult time finding talented clients who can fit specialized roles, while other companies have trouble filling positions in general. Staffing consultants are often hired in order to guide employers through the process of finding and hiring employees. These consultants are especially helpful for new employers and for companies that are changing.

Function

The staffing consultant helps employers find employees. This consultant must communicate with the employer and determine its staffing needs. The consultant helps the employers with the process in which they hired their talent. She gives the employer advice on the type of talent that the company needs, including a diversification of employee skill sets. The staffing consultant must also have a sense of the budget of the employer. She aids the employer in advertising for a position vacancy. When potential talent is found, the staffing consultant helps speed along the process of hiring. She is an expert in assessing candidate skills and behavior. She also helps the employer determine the salary range of the new hires and how these employees should be promoted, according to Genentech. Staffing consultants might have additional responsibilities when working with new employers, such as the legal implications of hiring an employee.

Conditions

Some travel is expected of staffing consultants, especially since they have to attend job networking events and professional conferences. These consultants are often temporary workers, which leads to them frequently needing to find new work. However, others might enjoy the flexibility. They usually work in office environments, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Skills

Staffing consultants must have good interpersonal skills since they have to work well both with the human resources department and with the potential talent, according to Genentech. They must be thoroughly aware of business operations in order to understand what employers will need. Negotiation skills are necessary since the staffing consultant must be able to get the best employees for salaries that employers can afford. Verbal, written and presentation skills are needed in order to help the employers understand what needs to be done to find a good candidate.

Outlook

Between 2008 and 2018, the need for employment services, such as staffing consultants, is expected to grow by 19 percent. Changes in human resources management will be driving this need, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, online job postings are causing this career to grow less rapidly than it would.

Wages

The median hourly wages for employment service workers were $15 in 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The highest-paid workers in this category are the employment, recruitment and placement specialists, who earn a median hourly wage of $20.52.