I am sure that most of the owners at Staffing agency have received an email marketing letter from offshore companies in India/Philippines outlining their services and how they could be game changer. There are bunch of such companies out there but it’s really difficult to find one good company. Some of these companies die within months of incorporation and others stay for some time until they are shown the door.  

I worked with 25 plus such offshore companies to determine what they provide and how effective they could be.  Lessons Learned.

• Communication is the real big problem. “Communication” being the most important thing in the outsourcing business is neglected by almost all of them. You have to chase things on your own.
• Not all firms are professional.
• Not all firms have the ability to do what they say.
• Not all firms have enough/good resources. Some of the even don’t have basic Linkedin account and that is terrible.
• Being offshore helps them to make big claim and lie to the extent that doesn’t make sense. Some of those companies claim to employ hundred plus Researchers and won’t be able to deliver you a list of Sales Manager for a week. Even if they do, you will see that if you have asked for Industrial Sales people list, they turned up with some other stuff.

Below are the companies by ranking and the reason to hire them.

• Virtual Cyber Technology – VCT is real gem amongst all of them. VCT is in the business since more than ten years (this is the time I have been working with them) and it is family run and most of the employee/ researcher are relatives. I have been working with them on ad-hoc projects and find them professional and experienced team. Some of the time, they could not be on the track but provided the feedback and more input from you will help them understand the job better. Communication is quick and there is a rare chance of not getting a reply within 24 hrs. Most importantly they understand what it takes to “find passive candidates”. There keywords are bang on, they master Boolean keywords. They have unique approach and a strategy for each search. They really hunt down the hard to find passive candidates.

• BPS - They are one of the first provider I met and were very good when we started with them. They are organized and have a great team. You will see all the dedication, honesty and the team work. However, they are expensive and it doesn’t feel that you have outsourced to cut the cost.  

• RecruitSherpa – They are young company. I have worked with them on couple of assignments and feel they are really getting bigger and better. They are very small at the time with only 2 employees and that being the reason the turnaround time can take a back seat. However, the quality is too good and can be hired for not so urgent projects.

I will be adding few more upon evaluation.