Building a great temporary desk.


Here are the top 8 tips for building a great temp desk.

1. Successful temp consultants measure their statistics. The old adage of you can’t fix what you can’t measure stands true. My belief is and always has been that key performance indicators are in place to help me be successful. If you don’t complete KPI reports for your manager, then create your own. You should be tracking the following:

Dials: Connects if this one blows out, you probably need to address getting past the gatekeeper or revisit your prospect list to ascertain if the account is really worth your time chasing.

Connects: Visits if you are getting through to the decision maker but not getting a visit, then you need to review your call structure, how you overcome objections and how you close.

Visits: jobs on if you are getting quality visits but not converting them to opportunities then you need to look at your visit structure and also review how you close – do you ask for the business?

Jobs on: jobs filled if you are not filling every temp role you get, then you need to look at how you are taking in the temp job. Do you know whether or not you are competing? Are you missing out because you are not quick enough? If this is the case then you need to look at your temp availables list. How up to date is it?


2. Great temp consultants fill the job over the phone. Your client has a problem, that’s why he or she has called you. If you immediately solve that problem then your client has no reason to call anyone else. There is no reason to send resumes (it’s just an objection). You are the expert and your client should trust you to provide the “right” person. Don’t assume that the client wants or needs to see resumes for a temp role. If it’s an immediate need then there is the opportunity to fill it immediately.


3. Great temp consultants know who is available. To be able to fill a role over the phone, you must know who is available. Train your candidates to keep you updated via text or e-mail regarding their availability and then update your availables list daily. That way you will be in a position to fill the role over the phone.


4. Great temp consultants are expert time managers. Running a temp desk is mainly reactionary – that is you are reacting to what is coming your way (temp jobs to fill). Having said that, it is essential that you block out time for important activities such as business development and candidate generation. 50% of your time should be spent in business development activities and 50% on candidate generation.

5. Great temp consultants understand the importance of covering their finishers every week. One of the most effective ways to build a high revenue temp desk is to cover your finishers each week and then add two new starters. To do this you need to be in control of what is happening on your desk. You will also need to be in contact with your clients and worker temps each and every week, regardless of how long their assignment is for. I used to devote every Wednesday to calling. In the morning I would call my worker temps to see how they were doing and in the afternoon I would call my clients for ongoing references. By the end of Wednesday I knew how many finishers I have this week. On Thursday I would get to work reverse marketing those finishers until I had jobs for them starting on Monday. I would be pretty confident that I would get at least two jobs phoned in per week so once my finishers were covered, anything else was a bonus.

6. Great temp consultants believe their own story! Having a strong self belief is essential to being successful. If you don’t believe your own story with all your heart, then it will be pretty difficult to convince your clients and candidates to believe it. You must believe that you are worth every cent that you charge and that you are an expert at providing quality temporaries.

7. Great temp consultants know their competition. Knowledge is power in our industry. Ask clients and candidates about your competition. Know who is good and not so good. Learn about their strengths and weaknesses. Stay ahead of the competition!

8. Great temp consultants understand the importance of self development. One of the traits that successful people share is their thirst for self development and to be the best that they can be. Watch those in your office, learn from experienced consultants, attend training, listen to CD’s and read books.


If you have attend any of my training sessions you will know that my belief is that it doesn’t take much to be outstanding in the recruitment industry. Focus on becoming the best that you can be and success will follow. Implement some of the points mentioned in this article and you will be well on the way. Good luck!