A Guide to Temporary Recruitment

A consequence of the recent global recession is high unemployment. With intense competition for jobs, different strategies for securing employment are under scrutiny. One strategy commonly used to secure employment is to deal with a recruiting agency. Recruiting agencies and employment agencies are mistakenly thought of as the same. However, there is a key difference between the two. Employment agencies serve to hire a person for a position in a company and pay the individual’s wages. On the other hand, a recruitment agency serves to find a candidate who is the best fit for a position that an employer is seeking to fill. A recruitment agency earns money from successfully placing a job seeker.

Definition. Temporary recruitment involves matching a candidate to a position that is not long term. A candidate should generally not have to pay for helpful services such as advice on improving a curriculum vitae (C.V.) or interview preparation. There are a number of reasons why employers use recruitment agencies. A major reason is a shortage of staff to assist with recruitment. Another reason a recruitment agency may be used is a lack of experience by the employer in recruiting for a particular role. In the case of temporary recruitment the employer is usually searching for a candidate who will fill a role for a certain time frame. The process involves the candidate submitting a cover letter and a copy of a CV to the recruitment agency. There are a number of advantages to this arrangement as well as some drawbacks.

Advantages. A big advantage for the employer is that an agency invests the time to find a candidate to fill a short-term position. For the candidate a major advantage of temporary recruitment is the fact that it is a means of exposure to new and diverse careers. These short term assignments can direct someone to a permanent role. The fact that temporary agencies work with a diverse clientele may also give the candidate a wide variety of flexibility. Attic Recruitment features a diverse array of positions ranging from cooks, office managers and medical secretaries. Some individuals have actually found their career niche after working in a temporary position. Another instance where this arrangement may be helpful is for an individual working full time. Consultants in the recruitment agency do work to help find opportunities. These agencies are usually up to date with what skills employers are seeking. Having worked in matching job seekers with employers, they may be able to give advice about CV preparation as well as advice on applying to different jobs. Additionally, if an individual is looking to relocate these agencies may help in securing employment prior to arriving at the new location.

Disadvantages. There are a number of disadvantages to this arrangement. Some job seekers claim that they do not hear anything from agencies after submitting their CV. Other candidates are sometimes matched to positions that they think are not suitable. Furthermore, some complain about not receiving constructive comments about an interview. For the employer there are also disadvantages. The agency has to be paid to recruit the worker. It is also more difficult to build a cohesive team when the employee is not going to be at that organisation for a long period. Employees hired are sometimes not invested in their work with the knowledge that it is temporary. There are also instances where the recruiting agency does not adequately vet the candidate. This can sometimes cause problems for the employer.