Employers across Southern Ontario are turning to temporary staffing solutions to ensure they have the right employees for every season and every job. Hiring temporary workers is a great way to avoid both over and under staffing, but how do you make sure that you hire the right people?
No matter the job, there are some skills that you should always look for when you are reviewing applications for temporary staff members. At Liberty Staffing Services, we consistently interview and hire great temporary workers, which means we know exactly what to look for.
Let’s review the essential skills you should be excited to see on your candidates’ resumes.
As a staffing agency with multiple locations across Southern Ontario, Liberty Staffing Services can help you with your short term projects. Reach out to us to get started. 
Great Communication Skills
Great communication is at the top of our list of skills because your temporary team members need to get brought up to speed quickly. This requires a strong understanding of written and spoken communication, and confidence to ask questions when things aren’t quite clear.
By seeking clarification, your temporary staff will make fewer mistakes based on misunderstandings.
Good communicators also build better relationships at work, pick up quickly on the nuances of your workplace culture, and listen carefully to their coworkers and supervisors. If they have to communicate with clients and customers, they will do so with professionalism and care.
Adaptability to New Situations
Temporary workers are especially skilled at adapting to new situations. Without a penchant for adapting, your temporary workers will probably be in over their heads in no time.
Adaptable workers are fast learners who don’t get flustered when faced with new challenges, responsibilities, processes, or technologies. Look for candidates who see challenges as opportunities rather than something to dread.
When interviewing candidates, ask questions about how they have stepped out of their comfort zones to solve problems, accomplish tasks, or adjust to new circumstances. That will help you identify applicants who know how to adjust to new situations and make the best of the unexpected.
Ability to Be a Team Player
Being a team player is important for any role, and that includes temporary ones. Ideally, your new temp hire will slide easily into your existing team without causing any hiccups or problems. Good team players understand that the success of the team is just as important as the success of any individual on that team.
Additional benefits are that collaborative people tend to be:
- More easygoing.
- Willing to share credit with people they worked with.
- Morale boosters to those around them.
There is an easy way to spot this kind of cooperative nature in people when you interview them. Ask them questions about their previous work experience, and pay attention to how much they say “we” instead of just “I.” When they describe problems faced, challenges overcome, and projects tackled by referring to a group of coworkers, you know they’re probably going to be a good team player.
Strong Problem Solving Skills
Everyone wants to hire employees who know how to think on their feet — especially without constant supervision from managers.
Good problem solvers approach challenges from an analytical point of view. They can break down complex scenarios into manageable parts and come up with effective solutions. Temporary workers may not have years of experience with a specific task that you have assigned them, but they likely know how to solve problems quickly. When they encounter something they are unsure about, they can find the answer fast.
Additional Soft Skills
You might have noticed that much of what we have described so far fits into the category of “soft skills.” Soft skills are skills that aren’t specifically related to the performance of job tasks. For example, knowing how to operate a forklift is a hard skill, but communicating clearly with your boss is a soft skill.
In addition to the soft skills we have already covered, find temporary employees who are:
- Reliable.
- Punctual.
- Good time managers.
- Positive attitude.
- Active listeners.
- Patient.
- Empathetic.
- Confident.
Job-Specific Experience, Training, or Credentials
Last but not least, some temporary positions require specific training or experience. You may need someone with a very precise set of hard skills to do the job.
Many temporary positions can be filled by team members who have minimal experience in your industry. It is the responsibility of the employer to recognize when that is not the case. You should always communicate your hiring needs to the staffing agency that is helping you find temporary labour.
Temporary staffing agencies have extensive experience with placing temp workers into great roles, and they have deep networks of both job applicants and employers. We know how to identify candidates’ skills and place them into the right positions. The more we know about the positions you need to fill, the better we can do with our matching.
Liberty Staffing: Your Best Option for Temporary Staffing in Southern Ontario
When businesses in Southern Ontario need temporary staff, they turn to Liberty Staffing. We are proud to be the region’s best staffing agency. We’re ready to take the stress of staffing off your hands so that you can run your business and we can keep you with the optimal number of employees.
Whether you’re looking for long term hires, temporary workers, full, or part time employees, we can solve your staffing needs.
Reach out to Liberty Staffing so that we can start solving your staffing needs today!
