Tips for Hiring Temp Employees, Even When You Feel Like the New Hire Well Is Dry

Industry Tips for Hiring Top Temporary Employees

Companies are increasingly hiring temporary employees to serve specific, on-demand roles and inflate their bottom line. According to a new research report from CareerBuilder, temp jobs are expected to grow by 13% over the next five years. Nearly three million people are currently employed in temporary jobs in the United States. 

A company might choose a temporary employee for many reasons beyond increasing profits: a C-level executive may be looking to reduce overall workplace budgets and business owners often look for easy-to-readjust staffing levels by hiring part-time or temp help. 

Why is hiring temporary versus full-time employees becoming a commonality?

Health care reform:  Many small businesses and those that most commonly hire minimum-wage employees are cutting full-time staff to avoid having to pay for health care. Required healthcare coverage for full-time employees quickly gets expensive for a company, especially when you factor in training time, workers compensation insurance, maternity leave, overtime, and other occurrences that quickly rack up extra costs for the company.

John Goodman, President of the National Center for Policy Analysis, explains this concept in simple terms: “By hiring part-time workers who put in less than 30 hours per week, employers can avoid a mandate dictated by the new health reform law: either provide expensive health insurance or pay a fine equal to $2,000 per worker.” 

Freelance Workforce: As Silicon Valley start-ups grow and being an entrepreneur becomes a more lucrative career, we are beginning to see drastic changes in how employees are hired and work. Start-ups want to keep costs low and employees happy. They are doing this by hiring freelance specialists and for a multitude of reasons. What more could a start-up with low capital want than keeping costs low and morale up? Freelance workers are reported to have higher work morale, due to having freedom of choice of who they work with, where they work, and what tasks they take on.

Tips for Hiring Temporary Employees

• Be Bold — When you find the right candidate, don’t second guess or wait around just in case something better comes along. Before you realize it you will blink and that employee will have already moved on. When you find your candidate, take the necessary steps to get them started. Much like how you are interviewing multiple candidates, that employee is also interviewing multiple employers.
• Stay Focused —  In order to hire your perfect employee you will need to clearly spell out what the duties and job responsibilities will be for the position you are hiring. By doing this you are ensuring that the employee knows what is required of them. This will also help recruiters narrow down and weed out employees that do not meet your required job duties or restrictions.
• Value Precision — When utilizing a staffing agency make sure you are clear and concise when communicating your company’s needs. The staffing agency needs to hear your picture perfect candidate and what your expectations will be for that employee. Also, understand that if you want the ideal employee, you are going to need to pay for them. No one worth your money will be cheap.
• Share Everything — Let your agency know everything about your company and its culture. Share with them how your team is structured, your company vision, and what type of employee you wish to attract. By doing this they can not only use this to find you the right employee, but they can also sell your company to the right person. Keep in mind by sharing everything about your brand and its identity you are letting that recruiter in and they will better be able to represent your needs as a whole.
• State Your Uniqueness — If you are looking for a highly-qualified employee who is going to love working for you and will stick around, consider sharing with a staffing agency what makes your company different. What sets you apart from your competition? What does your company do to keep morale high? What fun events or perks do you have for your employees? Do you work like Google or Blizzard where you allow employees to work wherever they want at your facility? Do you have a bar they can enjoy or weekly lunch catering? Remember, if they are all you think they are – they probably have multiple offers on the table – give them more of a reason to work for you other than a higher salary.

Ready to hire a temp? Contact us to learn more.