Recruitment Blog

Attracting quality temp candidates: Building your temp talent pool

Sarah Linney
Content Marketing Manager at JobAdder
temp talent pool

In the world of temporary recruitment, attracting high-quality candidates can be a game-changer for your agency. 

By building a strong temp talent pool, you’ll be better equipped to quickly fill client needs and consistently provide the best possible service. 

In this blog post, we’ll share some tips and strategies that can help you attract top-tier temporary candidates and grow your candidate database.

Define your ideal candidate profiles

The first step in attracting quality temp candidates is to define your ideal candidate profiles. By understanding the specific skills, experience and attributes your clients are looking for, you can tailor your recruitment efforts accordingly. 

Create detailed descriptions of your target candidates, including their qualifications, work experience and soft skills. This will help you focus your search and identify the best candidates for your clients.

FREE WEBINAR: How to build a resilient temp business in 2023

Optimise your temp job ads

To attract the best candidates, you need to create compelling job ads. Ensure that your ads are well-written, clear and concise. Highlight the benefits of working for your clients, such as competitive pay and flexibility. 

Use industry-specific keywords and phrases to help your ads stand out and reach the right audience. Additionally, make use of social media, job boards and other relevant platforms to expand your reach and increase your chances of finding top talent.

These job ads can act as candidate magnets for you. Since you’ll be filling these roles on an ongoing basis, you can keep these ads running and build your temp talent pool. This means that while an applicant might not be successful this time, you can keep their details on file and source them from your database when you need them.

Proactively source temp talent

Beyond receiving applications from job ads, don’t forget that you can go out and source candidates yourself. 

Using JobAdder’s LinkedIn Recruiter and SEEK integrations, you can search for candidates that meet your ideal candidate profile and then add them to your JobAdder database or talent pool with one click.

Building this temp talent pool using proactive recruitment is crucial, as a strong and substantial temp talent pool means you can quickly fill temp roles with a simple search of your database. 

At the end of 2022, our agency users were seeing an average days to place of 4.8 days when filling temp roles using their JobAdder database, compared to 25.3 days when using external sources like job ads. That significant difference clearly shows the importance of searching your temp talent pool and utilising the talent already in your database.

Nurture relationships with candidates

Once you’ve started to build out your temp talent pool by adding candidates to it, you can’t just set and forget your talent pool, you need to nurture these relationships and communicate with your temp candidates. 

Regularly communicate with your candidates, providing updates on job opportunities, industry news and helpful resources. 

By fostering a sense of loyalty and trust, you’ll be able to build great relationships with candidates and place them in roles on an ongoing basis.

Leverage your network

Your existing network can be a goldmine for sourcing top talent. Reach out to former and current candidates, clients and industry contacts for referrals and recommendations. 

By tapping into your connections, you can increase your chances of finding highly skilled temporary candidates.

Streamline the application process

A lengthy or complicated application process can deter top candidates, especially in the fast-moving temp space. 

Make it easy for candidates to submit their applications by creating a user-friendly online portal or offering the option to apply via email or social media. Be responsive to inquiries and provide timely feedback to keep candidates engaged throughout the process.

By following these tips and strategies, you’ll be well on your way to attracting high-quality temporary candidates and building a strong temp talent pool. Whether you’re filling one teacher temp role that needs to start in two hours or filling 50 construction temp workers that need to start in two weeks, a diverse and robust temp talent pool will prove essential. 

Also, not to brag, but we have a range of clients who are smashing it in the large volume temp recruitment game from Adecco, Smaart Recruitment and Citrus Group, just to name a few. Check out their success stories now.

Want to discover more insights into how to build a strong and resilient temp business? Check out our free webinar! Or find out more about JobAdder’s temp solution here.

Ready to grow profits and resilience with a strong temp desk? Get expert insights now.



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