There’s no question that the job market is extremely competitive for companies today. In fact, nearly three million fewer Americans participated in the labor force in 2022 compared to 2020.
But at emerging recruiting franchise CPG, a turn-key model provides a new way for businesses to hire and retain employees. By offering a 360º recruitment assessment and prioritizing excellent client service above all else, the brand aims to give its clients a new path to success.
“Once upon a time, there were a lot of employees for a small number of jobs,” said CPG founder and President Christian Saab. “You could easily get 100 applicants, and you could find the people that you needed. Now, it’s flipped. The last two years have changed the market. There are more job postings than people.”
This means that, when job seekers submit applications, they will likely have several interviews lined up in a matter of days, compared to having to wait upwards of several months to find a job in the past.
With that said, staffing solutions are more important than ever before. The market size of the employment and recruiting industry in the United States has grown to a whopping $32 billion in 2023 and has grown 3.6% per year on average since 2018. However, not all recruitment brands are getting it right.
Why Recruitment Departments Are Now Crucial
Saab noted that, with applicants having a short shelf life compared to years prior, it is important for businesses to stay on top of recruitment. However, many business owners are too busy to keep up with it fast enough. That’s where a recruitment company like CPG comes in.
“When businesses put up a job posting, they may not have time to look at the candidate for several days or weeks,” said Saab. “With us, when someone applies, I’m looking at their resume within minutes. And I’m probably the first company calling them, because we are that immediate and have our eyes on it.”
He added that unlike in the past, when it could be done for just a few hours per week, recruitment requires dedicated time — to the point of being a full time job. Because there are more jobs out there than there are people, people do not last long on the market.
“People are getting scooped up right away,” said Saab. “The companies that are doing well are ones that focus on recruitment full time, 40 hours a week, uninterrupted. Not a lot of companies could do that by hiring an employee to do that for them full time. So they use services like us.”
What Is Working in the Recruitment Industry — and What Is Not
Although the recruiting industry is certainly not short on competition, there are certain things that companies must do to be successful in today’s market.
At CPG, Saab says that something that makes the brand stand out above the rest is how it hires applicants for its clients. Instead of putting employees in temporary, contract positions, the company brings on full time employees to businesses.
“In the traditional staffing world, the employee never actually belongs to the employer,” he said. “They belong to the staffing company, and the staffing company bills by the hour. What's working for us is very simple. We come in, we solve your problem and you pay us after we solve your problem. And the problem is hiring great employees.”
On the flip side, what is not working is that traditional staffing model of billing by the hour, Saab says. The CEO pointed out that, when companies do mass layoffs, the first people to go are often the ones coming from a staffing company and are on contract.
“They're the easiest people to get rid of, because they're not your employees,” he noted. “They're the employees of the staffing company. So all they do is they call the staffing company and say, ‘I don't need these 100 people anymore.’”
How CPG Positions Clients for Success
Unlike other brands on the market, CPG specializes in finding and solving the root cause problems of recruiting, onboarding, training and employee retention for industry-leading businesses. The company offers a 360º approach for its clients. This includes not only finding the right people, but retaining them.
During onboarding, Saab says he finds out everything about the business, really gets a feel for the working environment and dives into current problems. “Then I jump into my own research — talking to recruiters, doing research, etc.,” he said. “We have all the tools that can tell us the likelihood of us filling a position. We are honest with clients about the timeline. People don’t want to be surprised. We don’t want to over-sell, and we guide the client every step of the way. We also don’t email. We call or text, because we want to highlight communication every step of the way.”
Each CPG location has only five employees, including owners/operators with recruitment experience or a deep passion for the relationship with their client. Saab emphasized that CPG does not have a corporate structure, and instead clients will be dealing with real humans who care.
“When we sit together, I am becoming the client — I am recruiting on your behalf. You are not paying me for the person you are getting, you are paying me for the work I am doing. If the first candidate didn’t work, I need to know why so I can send you someone better the second time. We are a consultant.”