As the job market heats up, employers are struggling to find high quality candidates. Today’s fast-paced market requires a swift hiring process—something companies are struggling to implement. Between posting jobs, screening resumes, and multiple interview rounds, it is easy to miss out on great candidates when time is of the essence. This is where implementing a temp to hire strategy can help.

What is a temp to hire strategy?

A temp to hire strategy gives employers the flexibility to utilize temporary staff until they find the right full-time hire. With this approach, you can fill the role quickly with highly skilled talent. This can take some of the pressure off of you and your team as you evaluate whether the candidate is the right long-term fit or if you should search for more candidates.

In a candidate-driven job market, this type of hiring solution can give an employer several benefits even when there is a shortage of talent. Here’s why:

Get a qualified employee right away

Between sourcing candidates, interview rounds, and salary negotiations, finding the right fit can be a challenge. When the work is piling up, this can put a larger burden on your already lean team.

When you use a temp to hire approach, you’re able to get top talent off the market right away. Not only is this likely to ensure that the quality of the candidate is higher, but this strategy ensures the new hire will be able to hit the ground running. This is especially true when you work with an established staffing firm. Since they’re always on the lookout for skilled talent, they’ll have a pipeline of vetted candidates available to start almost immediately.

Read also: Hiring? FAQs About Working With A Recruitment Firm

“Try before you buy”

With a temp to hire strategy, you’re able to assess the candidate’s qualifications on the job. Rather than dissecting a resume or asking pointed interview questions, you can simply see if you are satisfied with the candidate’s quality of work.

Read also: 6 Tips for Improving Your Vetting Process

More importantly, this hiring strategy allows you to really assess the candidate’s personality, values, and how they work with the rest of the team. If a candidate does not work out, there is no harm done, and you’re able to simply move on. Meanwhile, you can continue looking for a candidate who not only understands the demands of the role, but also fits within the culture.

Reduce turnover costs

When you take the extra time to ensure that your next hire is the right fit, there are long-term benefits for your turnover and employee satisfaction rates. By ensuring work performance and cultural fit before making a long-term hiring commitment, employers can avoid many of the costs associated with making the wrong decision—from spending more time and money on the hiring process and taking a hit to overall employee morale.

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And it’s important to remember that a temp to hire approach goes both ways—this is the candidate’s opportunity to assess you as an employer as well. As a result, once you find a great potential hire, the candidate who accepts your offer is also more likely to stay long-term.

Reduce employee burnout

When a position goes unfilled, other members of your staff are often left to keep the ship afloat. While this can work for a short period of time, it is not sustainable in the long run. As an employer, it’s critical to ensure that you don’t leave your team hanging while you look for a replacement.

With a temp to hire strategy, you can have someone on staff to help cover the extra workload until you find the right fit. By easing the burden off of other team members, you can increase their job satisfaction and help prevent burnout.

Read also: How To Welcome A New Temporary Employee To Your Team