One of the greatest benefits of hiring temp workers is that you don’t have to do the searching and hiring yourself. Instead of posting jobs, scouring job applications, and conducting interviews, you can stick with business as usual, knowing your personnel issues are managed by professionals.

How do you know, though, that your temp workers are qualified and thoroughly vetted? When you delegate the hiring of temp workers to a temp agency, can you be sure they’ll send you the best people for your work?

It’s important to understand that temp agencies have high standards for the employees they hire. Among the qualities that temporary placement agencies look for in temp workers are:

Flexibility

Temp workers are often called in during times of upheaval at a business. Perhaps someone just went on maternity leave early or a huge project fell into the company’s hands. At times like this, there may be critical jobs that need to be done, and a flexible temp worker is exactly what’s needed. Temp agencies look for workers who have been successful at many different kinds of work in the past.

When agencies get feedback from companies about how temp workers performed on the job, they make note of which workers were flexible enough to step out of their comfort zones and perform new tasks. Perhaps a worker trained in accounting helped out with the company’s blog or swept up the storage closet. Temp agencies look for workers who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and try new things.

They also are on the lookout for workers who can accommodate changing and variable work schedules. Not all temp work is necessarily done from 9-5 or from Monday to Friday.

Quality Work

Temporary agencies also hire temp workers who consistently produce quality work. These are the workers everyone wants, the ones who do their very best no matter what the job is or who it’s for. Temp agencies encourage their workers to ask questions if they’re not sure of how to proceed with a particular task, and they look for workers who consistently perform well.

Extra Effort

Temporary placement agencies look for temp workers who look around after they finish a job and say, “What else needs to be done?” Temp agencies know that you and your employees don’t have time to babysit the extra help, so they send workers who are self-directed, self-motivated, and go the extra mile. Temp agencies find these workers by following up with workers’ former employers and conducting evaluations after they complete temp jobs. Workers who notice little things that need to be done and take care of them without being asked after their regular assignments are done are treasures, and temp agencies cultivate relationships with these workers.

Pleasant Disposition

No one likes to work with a grouch or a cynic, so temporary agencies look for temp workers with pleasant, positive dispositions. Such people are nice to be around. They don’t cause any friction or tension; they just do their jobs and do them well, and they may even smooth out any wrinkles that have developed in a particular department. Temp agencies source workers with pleasant dispositions through the interviewing process, so you can have a positive addition to your workplace without having to conduct interviews yourself.

When your busy times hit, surely you’d welcome a flexible temp worker who produces quality work, goes the extra mile, and has a pleasant disposition. Such a person could make a real difference in the morale of your department when everyone is swamped with work and stressed out.

Rest assured that your chosen temp agency carefully selects temp workers with the above qualities. Your temp agency can be one of your most powerful allies, sending you qualified temporary help when you need it most.