Try Before You Buy - How Companies Use Temp-to-Hire as a Strategic Recruiting Tool

Imagine this, you’re car shopping. You’ve heard good things about a few models but you’re not exactly sure what you want. After weeks of mulling it over you finally decide and the dealer lets you take a test drive. Good thing too, the car looks great at first, but as soon as you take it around the block you realize it’s a lemon.

Now take a moment to think about this scenario again—except this time, you’re shopping for a new employee. Wouldn’t it be nice to test drive job candidates to confirm their skills and fit before making a full-time commitment? Well many companies are doing just that through temp-to-hire services.

What is temp-to-hire?
In simple terms, temp-to-hire lets you try before you buy. It’s almost as if a candidate is given the opportunity to audition for a job.

Instead of hiring the candidate as a full-time employee right away, the employee is hired as a temporary through a staffing partner. During a probationary period usually lasting around 10 weeks, the employee is evaluated on his or her performance, and a decision is made on whether the employee should be hired full-time or let go.

What are the benefits of temp-to-hire?
It’s nearly impossible to get a 100% accurate representation of a candidate through their resume and a few interviews. Temp-to-hire gives employers the chance to bring in a candidate and test their skills through real-world experience.

Temp-to-hire lets you evaluate characteristics that can’t be observed through a traditional interview, including:

Ability to follow directions
General demeanor and attitude in the workplace
Ability to multi-task
Interpersonal skills and how they interact with co-workers
Quality of work
Teamwork
Work ethic
Ability to deal with tight deadlines

Temp-to-hire services also have many other advantages, that include:

Reduced hiring time:
When working with a staffing partner, the skills of all candidates have been pre-screened and qualified to match the needs of your opening. This reduces the time you’ll need to spend interviewing and gives you more time to focus on your other priorities.
Decreased legal exposure:
It’s become increasingly difficult to fire a full-time employee without some type of legal exposure. Through temp-to-hire services, if a new hire just isn’t working out or you foresee a problem arising in the future, you can end the assignment at any time. The candidate remains an employee of your staffing vendor throughout the assignment—limiting your company’s legal exposure.
Evaluating a new position:
When a new position is created you may not be 100% certain of the exact skills and education that will be needed. Temp-to-hire gives you the opportunity to evaluate the position and create a job description without the risk of hiring someone full-time.
Determining if a new hire is needed:
If you’re hiring to address recent growth or a newly created position, temp-to-hire gives you the time to verify that the position is needed. If the new hire provides a significant contribution and growth continues, they can be hired full-time.

Temp-to-Hire Offers You Flexibility and Security
Temp-to-hire provides your organization the flexibility of being able to address market fluctuation. It also provides the security of testing a worker in the field before making a full-time commitment and learning the candidate didn’t perform up to expectations.

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