People often ask me the difference between a Temp/Contract recruiter and a Permanent recruiter.

The truth is that the core skills, competencies, and attitudes are very similar. There are nuanced differences, but the most significant contrast comes in the core responsibility.

Here it is. Read it a few times. Please.

• A permanent recruiter’s job is to find candidates, shortlist, and present candidates to clients for interviews. Then, the client decides who gets the job.

• The job of a great temp recruiter is to find the candidates and present the candidates to the client—the same deal. But the big difference is that the Temp recruiter should decide who gets the job.

 
This shocks just about everybody in recruitment. Twenty-five years ago, it would have surprised nobody.

Unfortunately, the temporary placement process has increasingly come to resemble the permanent placement process, which includes shortlisting and interviews, all managed by the client.

I understand that there will likely be an interview if it’s an eight-month contract at a senior level. However, it makes no sense why clients ask for a shortlist, resumes and interviews for a two-week payroll job. Unfortunately, many recruiters go along with this farce, creating unnecessary work, delays, and lost candidates.

When you take a temp order, the first thing you need to do is understand the outcomes the client expects for that particular job. It is not the same as a permanent job, where we need to know whether the role creates a career path for the selected candidate. Even customised cultural fit is less critical. With a temp job, you must understand the tasks to execute and the competencies required. Most temp recruiters can do this, and they can also manage the logistics, like the length of the assignment and even the rate discussion.

It often falls down in gearing the client on what to expect in filling the temp job—the process.

Suppose it’s a short-term temporary role with obvious responsibilities and outcomes. In that case, you need to tell the client you have candidates that will suit this and that you will call them back in 30 minutes with the right candidate, clarification on the rate, and the start date. If the client asks for resumes and interviews, explain the temp market is fluid and dynamic, the candidate you have in mind will get other offers today, and you:

 “Stake your reputation that they will do the job well.”

Or

 “The professional temp I have in mind has completed multiple assignments for me”,

And

“If there is a problem with my temp, advise me within a day, and I will replace free of charge”.

Don’t agree to a quasi-perm process for a short-term temp job.

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Then, call back with one suitable candidate, sell them in, and agree on the rate and start date.

Yes, a resume can follow, but we are not providing a shortlist and interviews for short-term temp assignments.

This is in no one’s interest.

It is a first-class test of the temp recruiter’s ‘Recruitment Equity‘.

Of course, the temp recruiter needs to be skilled at matching and know the candidates’ capabilities, but once you have filled your first temp job this way and all has gone well, you will not need to debate the process with this client again.

I know there are situations where this cannot work—dealing with PSAs/PSLs, TAs, and on senior roles. I get it.

But the fact is that most temp recruiters default to resumes and interviews. They should default to owning the solution and backing their judgment by nominating the temp to do the job.

It is so much more fun, never mind anything else.

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