Creek Honored as Stevie Finalist

The coveted Stevie (pictured at right) is awarded annually by the American Business Awards to the top companies in the USA competing in 40 different categories. In 2010 at the New York City Marriott Marquis, business executives will anticipate the announcement of category winners at the ABA's ceremonies on June 21st.

This year, Creek Systems has been named a finalist in two separate categories. Being recognized for their design crafting and technique, Creek is in the running for the Stevie as the best in Corporate Identity/Branding Design. Their second honor is as a finalist in the Website/Blog category for the best Business Services.

A global leader in Workforce Acquisition services, Talent and Vendor Management platforms, Creek Systems offers clients the ability to reduce time-to-fill cycles, while attracting, on-boarding and retaining the talent necessary for their organizations to thrive. Providing proprietary platforms like their Prizm™ VMS and their soon to be released SaaS Talent Acquisition and Management system, Creek streamlines the entire recruitment process, from job requisition to on-boarding, saving time and reducing recruiting expenditures.

 

Concerns with the 2010 Employment Outlook

According to the latest forecasts, the national US employment rate is expected to hit 9.7% by August 2010. What this prediction fails to consider is the percentage of under-employed, those individuals who have accepted part-time or temporary positions as a stop gap measure to their financial bleeding. When included with the unemployment figures, this means the actual rate of people not holding permanent positions in their chosen career field is well over 15%. Many HR professionals and business executives believe that this constitutes an “employer’s market” where available talent is at an all-time high. While mathematically true that there is a higher number of applicants in almost every demographic, one must consider if the increased quantity necessarily dictates an increase in the quality of the eligible applicants available to fill openings.


There are several important factors open for debate as to the validity of this belief. One must consider whether the increased numbers of individuals seeking employment can actually have a negative impact on recruiting efforts. An assessment of the following aspects must be analyzed to determine if the increase in available bodies actually translates to being beneficial for businesses.

• Applicant Quality

Typically, when determining reductions in their workforces, companies will retain their most qualified, high performing employees that have attained some longevity with the firm. This immediately implies that some of the individuals currently available in the employment market had not attained levels of skill or achieved a level of performance that would have salvaged their position with their previous employer. Although some highly talented individuals are in the eligible talent pool due to business closings or relocations outside the individual’s demographic, a large number of individuals seeking employment in a depressed economy do not lead their fields in expertise or performance attributes.

• Applicant Responses

One of the downfalls of a sluggish market results in overwhelming responses to posted openings. Most employers will readily acknowledge that when the unemployment rates increase significantly over previous years that applications received for announced openings multiply exponentially. To ensure consistent application of selection processes and maintain compliance under current regulations, this dictates an increase in the time spent by HR professionals and hiring managers in reviewing resume submissions. When received applications double and triple in volume, that means that in-house staff responsible for the task of reviewing and selection are not focused on strategic initiatives and accomplishing other priorities. In an economy where efficiency is a necessity, this increase in resume reviews does not align with company goals.

• Increased Time-to-Fill Cycles & Recruiting Costs

Due to the increased receipt of applications and the subsequent increase in time spent on review, the time-to-fill cycle for openings tends to increase when the unemployment rates rise dramatically. In addition to the actual review and selection process expanding timelines, many available applicants will accept placements they might not have considered previously, just to ensure they remain financially whole while continuing to search for a job they truly desire. In many instances, this results in placements that turn over in less than a year, increasing corporate recruiting and training costs.

One methodology to reverse the negative aspects of high unemployment rates that impact business enterprises is the utilization of a professional Workforce Acquisition vendor. These talent acquisition specialists have the ability to discover and attract highly-skilled, qualified applicants for companies across a broad spectrum of industries. They increase recruiting process efficiency, eliminating selection review tasks from overburdened HR departments while ensuring compliance with all hiring process regulatory requirements. Another added benefit is the decrease in time-to-fill cycles while actively integrating available talent into the availability pool. The recruiting experts that make up these talent acquisition teams enhance each client’s corporate image by efficiently and unilaterally providing a positive candidate experience. From initial position requisition through on-boarding and talent management, utilizing a professional work force acquisition team can limit recruitment expenditures, reduce timelines, increase recruiting efficiency and help maintain legal compliance.

VMS Tool Supplements RPO Services

Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) services are enhanced when the provider also has access to a superlative Vendor Management System (VMS) tool. Recently, Vitalent, a leader as a VMS provider, awarded a license to Creek Systems for utilization of their VMS tool as a component of the RPO services they offer their clients.

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Aliso Viejo, California (October 05, 2009) - In a brilliant move to expand the services they offer their clients, Creek Systems announced that they had engaged in negotiations with Vitalent to attain licensure for the Vitalent VMS tool. Vitalent granted the license, and now Creek Systems is able to provide complete Vendor Management System services to their clients. As one of the top RPO firms in the nation, the addition of VMS to Creek’s menu of services enables current and future clients to consolidate all aspects of recruitment process outsourcing, including various placement agencies, with a single provider.

CEO of Creek Systems, Kevin M. Daly states, “It was a logical move to be able to offer clients VMS services under our RPO umbrella. Our clients now benefit from the ability to track, organize and manage all aspects of the recruiting process via one source. Efficiency and the ability to visualize recruiting metrics on demand consistently results in an expedient filling of open positions and can reduce the costs of attracting and retaining talent. Vitalent’s VMS tool is not only one of the best available, but they provide a level of expertise and support for their systems which is unsurpassed. We are extremely pleased to be partnering with them.”

Daly went on further to expound the positive aspects of engaging a RPO service stating that HR departments often get “bogged down” with tracking the status of open positions placed with a myriad of recruiting agencies. Utilizing a Recruitment Process Outsourcing service that also has a Vendor Management System available can alleviate the burdens placed on HR, enabling the HR staff to focus on more strategic initiatives.

When HR departments are able to focus on compensation structures, employee benefits and HR risk mitigation instead of tracking recruitment sources, companies benefit. Labor and its associated costs (benefits, worker’s compensation, employer payroll taxes, etc.) are a major expense on any company’s balance sheet. When HR staff is unburdened of menial recruiting tasks, they are able to concentrate on business strategy and solutions that can help revitalize any organization.

The addition of VMS services greatly complements Creek System’s offerings to clients, both smaller entities and large corporations. In a slowly recovering economy, utilization of an RPO service provider may be a solution to assist many companies in rejuvenating their cash flow..

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About Creek Systems
Creek Systems (http://www.creeksystems.com) specializes in providing professional services and solutions to the nation’s most prestigious Fortune 1000 companies across a broad spectrum of industries. Headquartered in Orange County, California, Creek Systems support their clients nationwide through a network of offices in major metropolitan areas. Today, Creek Systems continues to be a driving force helping Enterprise clients take action on their resource needs and remains the trusted leader in the Work Force and Talent Acquisition, Executive Search, Recruitment Process Outsourcing and Consulting Services sector. Creek Systems embrace a “Talent Driving Technology” philosophy, and make a difference by helping people, clients and communities achieve their maximum potential.

For more information, please visit www.creeksystems.com