Finding a temporary employee to join your team can always be a struggle. You may worry that they won’t take their role as seriously as a full-time worker or perhaps they’ll leave before their contract ends if something more permanent comes along.
Seeking out temporary staff who are committed, passionate and capable of hitting the ground running can be a hard task for many business owners, particularly during busy seasons where your staff face high demand because of a surge in customers. However, there are plenty of ways you can skim the very best talent and keep them around for as long as you need them. Here’s our tips to finding hard working, trustworthy temporary staff that really add value to your business.
Do they understand your business?
Any candidate should show how serious they are about the position by researching the business they’re hoping to join. Whilst this may be difficult when it comes to smaller businesses that might not have much information out there for candidates to research, you should still be able to gauge whether an applicant is really keen on this position.
It seems like an obvious one, but plenty of us fail to see the warning signs of a candidate that isn’t the right fit. They might seem confident and willing, but a few weeks in they may find that they’ve made the wrong decision and you’ll be back to square one again. Make sure they really know what your business is about and what the role entails so that they can make a fully informed decision.
Do they have passion for the industry?
It’s no surprise to anyone that there is a growing ‘job hopping’ culture throughout the UK. Temporary positions have become somewhat of a breeding ground for those looking to get paid and get out. So how do you ensure you’re not attracting these people to your business?
Make sure you’re hosting your advertisements on an industry-specific website. There are plenty of job directories that source jobs from multiple industries, allowing anyone to apply based simply on how they fancy their chances. By advertising on a sector-specialised website, you’ll be sure to find people with a genuine interest in your field.
For example, whilst a kitchen porter role may not sound appealing to someone scouring a generic recruitment site, anyone with a genuine interest in the catering industry will more likely see it as a great way to make strides in this particular field. Using a specialised chef industry recruitment site you’ll be able to find someone who understands this role better than most.
It is important that you find someone with passion. Your candidate may be attracted to temporary roles in order to build up experience in your field and you could be offering the perfect opportunity for them.
Ask them what their future aims are.
As we mentioned before, some people may be looking for temporary recruitment in a bid to gain work experience in the industry. By asking questions about the candidate’s future, you get a better understanding of who they are and what they aim to achieve by working at your business.
You may also realise that qualities you may have previously disregarded as bad, turn out to be perfect for a temporary role. For example, if you were recruiting for a full-time role you may avoid candidates who aim to go off travelling or can’t seem to stay in one place. On the other hand this is perfect for a temporary position, they may seek out these opportunities to fund their next trip and since you’re only offering a short contract, there will be a mutual understanding that the candidate will not be part of your team forever.
What are you doing for them?
Above all, the job role needs to suit the candidate for the candidate to suit your team. Whilst a temporary role is a great opportunity for some, it’s also a last resort for others. That doesn’t mean your business isn’t desirable to work at, these candidates just want something more permanent.
To make your role more attractive to these applicants you could offer extra insights to assist them further in their career. Shadowing those above them or learning a new skill may not be the first thing on your mind to offer when trying to find temporary staff, but advantages such as this make your job stand out and you’ll eventually find a much more worthy candidate because of this.
Now that the January rush for new careers has started to die down, you can implement this recruitment strategy with ease. You won’t have missed the best of the bunch as people are always looking for their opportunity to jump on their desired career ladder.
Author: Tessa Hudson writes for www.ChefsJobsUK.com, a specialist recruitment site showcasing the best UK catering talent and opportunities.
