The Buzz

102, 2019

The Buzz: Serving Suppliers

By |February 1st, 2019|

For most large organizations, there comes a point when managing all the different staffing vendors on a national or global basis becomes too complex, tedious or both without the help of technology. It was for exactly this reason that vendor management systems rose in prominence, and today nearly all mature contingent workforce programs run their […]

1411, 2018

The Buzz: New Chapter

By |November 14th, 2018|

On Oct. 3, Upwork celebrated its debut as a public company. The firm’s shares, offered at $15, surged more than 50% on the first day of trading, eventually settling at about $21 a share, giving the firm a market capitalization north of $2 billion. The IPO may be the catalyst for a new chapter of growth […]

110, 2018

The Buzz: Let’s Do Lunch

By |October 1st, 2018|

Recruiting is, at its core, a business built on relationships. The best recruiters, particularly those recruiting tech talent, maintain a Rolodex of high-value candidates, actively trying to stay top of mind for when they might be ready to make a career change. In some cases, that may involve taking a candidate out to lunch, dinner […]

2208, 2018

The Buzz: By the Hour

By |August 22nd, 2018|

As most founders will attest, running a technology startup is notoriously hard.

One of the biggest challenges is hiring quality software developers affordably, because they are some of the highest-paid and sought-after talent in the country. And for cash-strapped startups, they often are cost-prohibitive.

Enter Turtle.ai, a New York-based platform that makes it easy and affordable for […]

2407, 2018

The Buzz: Analyzing SOW

By |July 24th, 2018|

Statement of work is big business.

According to Staffing Industry Analysts’ estimates, companies spend $458 billion per year on contingent work via SOW globally. Some staffing firms are adding solutions business to their portfolio to command higher margins and get a more strategic seat at the table. That said, perhaps too often, work performed under an […]

106, 2018

The Buzz: Cracking a Tough Nut

By |June 1st, 2018|

Some occupations lend themselves to online staffing, either because they can be performed remotely, are project-based or perhaps because the work itself is relatively “low risk” from a client perspective.

Others have been tougher nuts to crack. Accounting and finance has been surprisingly resistant to the broader trend of work moving online.

Enter Paro, a Chicago-based company […]

105, 2018

The Buzz: A Picture Is Worth …

By |May 1st, 2018|

Personality tests are as old as psychology.

One test in particular — known as the “big five” or “fivefactor model” — scores individuals along five dimensions: openness, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism. It is often used to predict performance and turnover in a work setting, but it can take up to two hours to administer and […]

2603, 2018

The Buzz: Fish in a Barrel

By |March 26th, 2018|

Great brands tend to attract great talent. Most companies, however, don’t leverage their brand toward their workforce the way they do toward their customers.

Enter TalentNet, an Ontario-based software company that helps large firms curate and deploy contractors they’ve already attracted. These contractors are already in the company’s database because they have either applied for a […]

1302, 2018

The Buzz: Before Day One

By |February 13th, 2018|

Starting a new job can feel overwhelming. On top of the nervousness and excitement typically associated with starting a new job, workers are often faced with figuring out their new firms’ facilities, culture and processes — on their own.

The experience can be even more intimidating for temporary employees, who might not know whom to ask […]

2011, 2017

The Buzz: Shark Tank — Gig Style

By |November 20th, 2017|

San Francisco-based Bunker was the winner of the Gig Economy Shark Tank Innovation Award, as voted by a panel of industry veterans and investors at Collaboration in the Gig Economy, while San Francisco-based Bonsai was voted “audience favorite.”

The session, modeled after the popular TV show “Shark Tank” on ABC, took place Sept. 14th in Dallas. […]