TIARA Awards: As we look forward to the 2025 TIARA Staffing Awards US, what are you most excited about for this year’s awards?
Ray Culver: I am most excited about seeing what staffing firms, large and small, are doing within the markets these days. With so much uncertainty lately, staffing owner/operators have had to be scrappy and nimble, and I think this year’s TIARA Award entries will demonstrate just that.
TA: Are there any significant changes or new initiatives planned for the 2025 awards that participants should be aware of?
RC: This year I am excited to share that we will be combining the TIARA Staffing Awards with the TIARA Talent Solutions Awards which will bring together staffing leaders with MSP and RPO leaders from across the country. With staffing and talent solutions relying on one another so much, I think the energy and enthusiasm in the combined room will blow the roof off of the place!
TA: What tips would you give to organizations preparing their entries for the awards, especially those participating for the first time?
RC: Make sure you are answering the questions in front of you and tailoring them to the respective TIARA Award(s) category you are entering. Also, make sure to include as much data and numbers as possible to back up your entry. If possible, include a short video from your leadership, or a client, talking about your journey to get where you are today. Look at your entry through the lens of the judges – after they read it, will they know who you are as a company and why you deserve to WIN.
From talent shortages to bill rate compression to buyers having new ways of procuring talent and labor, the staffing industry has had, and will continue to have to, reinvent themselves.
TA: How do the TIARA Staffing Awards recognize and celebrate the diverse achievements within the staffing industry?
RC: With eight award categories to enter, the TIARA Staffing Awards offer opportunities across the spectrum of achievements. Also, the TIARA Awards make it possible, by design, for small firms to go toe to toe with large firms within the same award category.
TA: Can you elaborate on the judging criteria for the awards and what qualities the judges are particularly looking for in submissions?
RC: One unique and defining component of any TIARA Awards campaign is the independent panel of judges who review, score and choose the winners. The judges are industry experts from the staffing industry, or are experts within the talent tech space, who support and help to underpin and support the staffing industry. As the judges begin to review the award entries, they are looking for authenticity and are looking to be taken on a journey, to better understand who the entering firm is, and why they feel they are a winner in the respective category. As I mentioned earlier, the staffing firm who best answers the questions and provides supporting data, client testimonials, internal stories, will be the TIARA winner.
TA: What trends or challenges do you foresee impacting the staffing industry in 2025, and how can the awards help address these issues?
RC: The staffing industry has faced significant headwinds in 2024 and I don’t see that drastically changing in 2025. From talent shortages to bill rate compression to buyers having new ways of procuring talent and labor, the staffing industry has had, and will continue to have to, reinvent themselves. The TIARA Staffing Awards will help to highlight the innovative ways that staffing firms are doing just that, reinventing themselves and their businesses. The awards also offer opportunities for staffing firm owners and operators to meet their peers and discuss best practices and forge new partnerships. And for 2025, the awards will offer the opportunity to network with the best and brightest from the Talent Solutions sector.
