Summertime is right around the corner, and many companies will be looking for seasonal workers to take on increased streams of orders, do additional work, or to help in seasonal trades like yard maintenance or summer camp. No matter your business, if seasonal work is an essential part of your year, you don’t have time to re-hire or replace seasonal employees.
Five Attributes
With summer break coming, your main pool of seasonal workers will likely be students who need to pay off loans or who are working to pay for housing during the next semester. Many of these students won’t come with experience at their backs, which makes the hiring process harder than usual.
We’re here to help! Here are five attributes you should look for when interviewing seasonal – and full-time – employees:
- Sincerity
Seek sincerity in your potential hire. One of the simplest ways of visually seeing sincerity is by taking a look at where your interviewee is focusing. They may look straight at you, which is usually a good sign – or they may stare right behind or above you, or refuse to look at you at all. Often, making some sustained, non-aggressive eye contact indicates that a person is sincere.
- Interest
Your new hire isn’t going to be with your company for long, so it’s important that he or she is interested in the work they will be doing. As you have probably experienced, working with someone who is bored out of their mind does not make for a productive day. So, establish whether or not the interviewee is interested in the functions of the job, has future goals in your field or is interested in business in general.
A person who is only interested in the job because they’d like to have a job is not likely to learn quickly or sustain the attention needed to do well in your employ.
- Communication
Good communicators are invaluable to any business. Talk to your interviewee casually and find out if he or she can speak on different topics than the usual interview questions. If the interviewee can not only have a pleasant chat but also listen and acknowledge what you have to say, they will likely make a great employee.
- Focus
When a potential employee has no employment background, it can be difficult to ascertain if they will be a good fit for your company. Conducting a short test in aptitude or intelligence will give you a good idea of whether they can focus on their work for a sustained period.
- Familiarity
It’s always a good idea to check if the person is familiar with the field in which they will be working. You might be surprised at how many people of all ages know someone who has worked in your area. Having some idea of your company and an understanding of the work ahead lets you know that this individual cares enough to prepare for the job and has enough interest in it to study up.
While it can be difficult to find the right summer employees for your company, you can do it! These five attributes can help you discover an excited – even passionate – temporary employee who throws him or herself into the work.
Are you having staffing difficulties or don’t know where to start? Contact us today! Business Success Consulting Group has the tools to help you create the right team for your company.
