How Hiring Temps Helps You Go Beyond Resumes

For many companies, resumes are the name of the game when it comes to hiring. Resumes set first impressions and the foundation for whether a job applicant lands an interview. However, many applicants “embellish” on their resumes; a CareerBuilder survey encompassing more than 2,500 hiring managers indicates that 56 percent have caught job candidates in resume lies. Applicants exaggerate their skills and past responsibilities, and many claim to have worked for businesses that they actually never did work for.

Passion Matters
Since you can never be sure a resume is accurate, it’s worth looking at the value someone offers beyond a resume. Perhaps you have experience with resumes that didn’t overly impress you, but when you set up interviews, a candidate’s passion blew you away. That’s what temps can do for you—bring passion. Chances are that passion is critical to your company, as it is for many.

Room to Grow
A passionate temp who might lack some skills frequently proves a better employee than a job candidate who claims to meet all qualifications but approaches work more or less robotically. Quantifiable, hard skills can be taught, while the case isn’t exactly the same with soft skills. Many companies have realized this and chosen to emphasize soft skills rather than hard skills. In fact, passion and soft skills are critical when you’re having a hard time finding someone for a specific position. Maybe there have been lies on resumes, or applicants just don’t seem skilled enough. It’s critical to remember that you can teach hard skills.

Trial Period
A trial period is much like a probationary period except that it ends a lot more smoothly if the opportunity doesn’t work out. Take advantage of temp trial periods to better assess a temp’s passion, ability to learn and grow, and his level of fit with your company. Look at soft skills such as communication, conflict resolution, teamwork, adaptability and critical thinking.