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Do you have what it takes to work as a recruiter on a temp desk?

Working on a temp desk is slightly different than working on a permanent desk. So if you are just starting out on your career in recruitment, and a temp desk is being offered to you, here’s what you need to know:

1. It’s fast paced and you will have tight deadlines

With the nature of the temp market, you may get a call from a client on Monday needing someone to start the following day or by Friday.  That means you need to get on the phone and call all the candidates you have met recently that you think might be right for the job.  You need to make sure they have the right skill set for the role and have up to date references for them. You will also face rejection. It could be rejection from your temp as they have just called you to say they have found a perm job elsewhere and won’t be going back into work tomorrow.  You have to smile and keep your cool! The temp candidate may have been working for you for a long time and referred a lot of their friends to you. You need to have the resilience and tenacity to keep calling candidates to get the job filled again to keep your client (and your boss!) happy.

2. Friendly and positive attitude

Your temps are how you make money. Therefore, you need to build good relationships with them and for them to feel comfortable to approach you if they have any questions about timesheets, getting their contract extended or knowing that you are looking for a new job for them if their contract expires or end prematurely .

3. Multi-tasking skills

 A successful temp recruiter can have around 40 temps working for them at any one time. There is typically also a lot more paperwork involved in getting a temp on board than someone in a perm job. You have the paperwork from your firm so that your temp gets paid and then you will have the paperwork from the client where they are going to be working. Checklists and to-do lists will become your best friends!

4. Commercial awareness

You need a business plan – running a temp desk is all about numbers. Key questions to ask yourself and think about are:

• Where will I find leads about new jobs/new clients?
• If I have a list of clients, how do I organize them? Which ones should I give priority to?
• How many calls do I need to make to get a new client on board?
• What’s the average number of temps each client gives me?
• What’s the average length of time it takes to fill a job order?
• How many temps do I need temping each week to break even?
• What’s my margin – both % and $?
• How many leavers do I have each week and how many future job orders are confirmed to make that number up?
• What’s the average length of a temp assignment?
• What’s my % fill rate?

Once you have the answers to these questions, you can then work out how you need to prioritise your day and week to make sure that you are hitting your KPIs/revenue targets every month.

5. Target driven

Most people run for the hills when they hear about KPIs and targets. Some recruitment firms can be sticklers for you hitting the numbers, or have the targets set so high that they are unrealistic. At Morgan McKinley, we see them as guidelines. They are in place to help you give structure to your day/week/month/quarter. It helps you (and us) track to see how you are performing. KPI means key performance indicators for a reason.  You should see them a guide to help you to be successful. 

If this sounds appealing and you would like to know more, get in touch with a member of the Talent Acquisition team in your location.