Are you looking to fill a temporary HR need? Perhaps for a planned or unexpected leave of absence or a short-term project that could benefit from expertise you don’t want or need to employ full time? The good news is there are lots of options available to you. The bad news is, there are lots of options. Where do you start? Full disclosure: We are one of the companies that provide HR temp staffing services. With that in mind we emphatically encourage you to find the right one for your organization, as it will save you time and grief down the road. You may want to start by reading the benefits of finding the right cultural fit and setting clear expectations. We’ve also put together a guide that includes the questions you should ask before hiring a staffing agency.
To further help with your HR temp agency selection process, we have put together more tips below. If you have questions or additional information regarding making a temp engagement successful, we’d love to hear from you! Please also stay tuned in the coming weeks for what a temp should look for in an agency.
First and foremost: the temp agency should be responsive, knowledgeable and honest. While sometimes taken for granted it is important to be mindful that the agency you choose to work with possesses these qualities, as they are critical to a successful engagement for all parties – you, the candidate and the agency. These attributes come in the form of many operational deliverables so define upfront what they mean to you (for example, returning emails and phone calls promptly, answering questions kindly and eagerly, making sure they are transparent when it comes to sharing and placing candidates with other clients and being attentive to your specific needs).
Here are the top three things (after the above is covered) we recommend you look for in an HR temp staffing firm:
- Did the agency ask you and the candidate the appropriate questions so that you are confident they know what you need and what the candidate can deliver on? Making sure your agency does the due diligence to determine the right fit for both your needs and the candidate’s skill set is essential. For instance you may have a need for a technical recruiter temp who already has an established network. Make sure the agency truly understands what you are looking for and be very specific with them so there is no room for interpretation regarding those needs. If you feel like they are not treating you or candidates as individuals and just filling a seat in your organization, run!
- Do they take care of all the administrative details (otherwise, what are the benefits of using their service?). From timecard processing to onboarding paperwork (W-4s, I-9s, confidentiality agreements, etc), the process should be turnkey so you can focus on providing your temp with the information they need to perform.
- Does the agency check in on a regular basis to make sure all is going well and that your needs are being met? From the start, the HR temp agency should have taken the time to get to know your needs but also be understanding when those needs change as your business landscape changes. Checking in on a regular basis on both you and the temp will ensure the engagement is successful and that tweaks and changes happen quickly when needed.
Do you have success stories (or not so successful stories) when it comes to hiring temps? We’d like to hear from you! Share your comments below.
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