Some employers want to hire temporary workers who are good, but are expected to fill the bill just until the need passes.
Others, however, want to find temps with the potential to grow with the position or with the company as a whole. They will eagerly embrace work and be proactive in seeking work and its solutions. They will offer ideas for implementation. They will do well in stretch assignments. They can help you staff your departments into the future.
How to do find temp employees who have the potential to grow?
Ask behavioral questions.
Behavioral questions are, as the term implies, designed to help suss out what people would do in certain situations (often based on what they have done in the past) and to understand their behavior.
Behavioral questions are open-ended (they can’t be answered with monosyllables like “yes” or “no”) and give you a sense of people’s growth potential.
Here are two of the most important behavioral questions to ask and why.
Why do you think it is important to grow with a company?
First, this question elicits a prospective temp’s attitude toward growth. You need to choose someone who looks positively upon growth, not someone who will be happy doing the same job for 20 years. The question screens out those who don’t view growth with a company as a positive.
Second, you will get a sense of how the person views a long-term commitment to a company. If they mention potential achievements, that’s a plus. They can be developed toward those achievements. If they mention increased salary and benefits, that’s good too. Most people work for those things, and they can be a good way to grow and retain good temp employees.
Third, you may elicit they think in long-term ways about a company. Do they mention new products, new overseas offices or new divisions? If so, they can be developed toward that as well.
Did you ever have a job you weren’t qualified for?
This one may seem counterintuitive. After all, you want qualified temps, not people who are unqualified for their jobs!
But this question can show a potential employee’s capacity to grow. Behavioral questions of this type can reveal what they did when thrown into a job that was too big, too advanced or too unfamiliar.
Were they proactive in finding answers? What methods did they use?
It will tell you a great deal about a temp employee to know they went to managers or co-workers for potential answers. Did they read up on it? Did they confess they were not qualified, or leave? Or did they make themselves qualified?
If You Need Qualified Temp Employees
Graham Staffing Services can help employers looking to fill positions by providing qualified temporary employees. Temps can help your company work at maximum productivity and grow for the future. Contact us at your convenience to discuss how we can help. And if you’re looking for work, apply with us today.
