Find out what a temp staffing agency can do for your company’s productivity, morale, and bottom line by learning about temp staffing agency basics. Once you understand how temp staffing agencies work and how they can keep you running smoothly, you’ll wonder how you functioned without them. In a nutshell, here are the basic services a temp staffing agency will provide for you.

Sourcing Candidates

Basically, sourcing refers to identifying and uncovering talent–the talent you need to run your business effectively. It’s not always simple or easy to figure out which candidates have the skills, education, and aptitude for particular tasks, but a good temp staffing agency makes sourcing candidates a major priority.

Some of the ways a temp staffing agency can source candidates is by reviewing candidates who have applied for positions, analyzing employee referrals, screening candidates at job fairs, networking with individuals in the appropriate industry, and searching through resume databases.

Pre-Screening

Temp agencies make it their business to pre-screen all workers before they ever show up for a job. This ensures that the candidates really do have the skills and education to handle the job they’ll be asked to perform. For an employer, turning pre-screening over to a temp staffing agency saves a lot of time. Temp agencies are expert in making sure each worker can handle their assigned jobs.

Sometimes, temp agencies use tests to confirm a worker’s skills. Sometimes, they simply follow up with previous employers to find out how well they perform their work. A good temp staffing agency will also ask appropriate questions of the worker to probe the depth of their knowledge about particular skills.

Interviewing

If you’re among the employers who dislike interviewing candidates, you’re not alone. Take comfort in the fact that a temp staffing agency knows all about interviewing and will handle this task for you.

When you work with an agency that knows your industry well, they’ll be able to use interviewing to find out how well workers will perform on the job. They also use the interview to get to know the candidate. Not all workers have the character traits and personalities to fit in well with your company’s unique culture. Once you have a good working relationship with a temp staffing agency, they’ll know what kinds of workers do best in your positions and be able to send them your way on a consistent basis.

Reference Checking

Is it necessary to check a worker’s references, especially if they will be filling a position at your company for just two days? We think it’s necessary, and here’s why. Each person who works for you, even if it’s just for an afternoon, represents your company. When customers walk through your doors, they don’t know whether your employees are one-day temps or lifelong, full-time employees. Your customers just associate the people wearing your uniform with your company’s reputation. So it’s unwise to take on a person who hasn’t been thoroughly referenced.

A temp staffing agency will follow up with a worker’s references, so only the most responsible workers will be sent to you. We think it’s important that you are fully informed of a worker’s background before you take the chance of allowing them access to your company.