If Monster were to put together a test to qualify candidates for temporary assignments, this could be the first question:

What is the most important skill for an administrative assistant?
A. Microsoft Word
B. Excel
C. PowerPoint
D. Communications, multitasking and teamwork skills

The correct answer depends upon the agency and the specific employer's requirements. To put a finer point on what employers are looking for in temporary workers, we turned to Manpower and Kelly Services -- two giants in the temporary staffing industry.

Hard Skills

Proficiency with office software is sometimes king. "The first thing we're looking at is the software skills, primarily Word, Excel and PowerPoint," says Carrie Miller, a branch manager for Manpower. "We're looking for basic word-processing knowledge -- cutting, pasting, underlining and mail merge." Admins should be able to set up spreadsheets and use equations with Excel. Additionally, an administrative assistant should be able to take an executive's notes and put together a presentation using PowerPoint.

Kelly Services takes an analytical approach to matching admins with assignments, according to Steve Armstrong, a vice president for the staffing firm in Detroit. "We back into candidate selection based on testing," he says. Kelly investigates the documents an admin will be asked to produce on a job and which software versions the customer has in-house. "Sometimes an employer's requirements are so specific, we send an admin to do on-the-job shadowing." Kelly tests and trains temporary workers on about 60 different software products.

Even within the realm of hard skills, high-level capabilities are emphasised over basic competency. "For an executive secretary, typing speed is not as important as, for example, the ability to create proposals and presentations," Armstrong says. Manpower doesn't even test for typing speed these days, according to Miller.

Soft Skills

For those who have invested heavily in software skills, Armstrong has these jarring words: "The core competencies now are the soft skills. These qualifications are accented by hard skills." Most people can learn the hard skills, but communications-intensive soft skills are hard to teach. "The ability to multitask, to deal with external and internal customers -- those skills are incredibly difficult to find," says Armstrong. Good speech articulation and other language skills, polished public-relations abilities and a solid work ethic are also highly sought.

Miller places more emphasis on hard skills. But with today's economic conditions, she says Manpower's clients are more demanding for well-rounded temps. "Our clients are now looking for some of the soft skills and a stable work history showing a commitment to a company for a year or two," says Miller. Employers also seek good phone etiquette, customer service skills, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

Are employers willing to work with temporary workers who are strong in soft skills but possess only a rudimentary understanding of word processing and spreadsheets? They're not as eager to take on software newbies as they were just a couple of years ago, Miller says.

Before you approach an agency for administrative temp assignments, take some time to hone those hard skills, polish your image and smooth out your communications savvy. These improvements in your qualifications for temporary work will also yield a permanent increase in your marketability as a professional.

1. Thou Shall Accept Various Assignments

If you, like many university students and new graduates, are temping with the hope of learning about various companies and industries, you need to be flexible when considering assignments. Don't turn down an assignment unless you're absolutely convinced it will be a poor fit.

2. Thou Shall Keep in Mind Thy Reasons for Temping

Did you seek temporary work so you'd have one or two days a week to pursue the type of job you'd really like to have? If so, don't fall into the trap of accepting assignments five days a week. On the other hand, if you need the money to pay the bills, be sure to set aside enough days or hours during the week to earn the cash you need.

3. Thou Shall Go Above and Beyond the Call of Duty

Once you're in your temporary workplace, do more than what's expected of you. Simply being competent and completing the work you're assigned is enough to get you noticed in many companies. So if you show enthusiasm and do more than you're required to, you'll gain respect and the chance to do more than just answer phones.

4. Thou Shall Get to Know Many People and Departments

This is especially important if you're using temping as a stepping-stone to bigger, better and more permanent things. The more you can sense what's going on in the company and why, through simple casual conversations with your co-workers, the more opportunities you're likely to spot and the better the chances you'll know who to approach about those opportunities.

5. Thou Shall Seek Out Extra Assignments

You'll sometimes find yourself with little or no real work to do in temporary assignments. Don't cure your boredom by reading a magazine or surfing the Web. Instead, ask your supervisor or others in the company if there's anything you can help them with, especially if doing so will give you a chance to learn a new software programme or participate in an important project.

6. Thou Shall Promote Thy Skills

Your supervisor may have a copy of your CV, but it's likely he hasn't had the time or the inclination to look at it. Take a moment to write up a brief (half-page) memo describing the types of things you can do for the company. Often, your supervisor will be pleasantly surprised to discover you can take on unexpected tasks and assignments.

7. Thou Shall Ask Questions -- More than Once if Necessary

The short-term embarrassment you might suffer by asking what you perceive to be dumb questions won't compare to the embarrassment you'll experience by screwing up an assignment your supervisor thought you understood.

8. Thou Shall Always Keep a CV to Hand

You never know when your supervisor or someone else at the company is going to approach you about a full-time position. After all, as a successful temp you'll be a proven employee.

9. Thou Shall Prepare a "Mini Commercial"

If you do good work for the company and spend some time getting to know your co-workers, someone will likely ask you, "So what kind of job are you really looking for?" You need to be ready to respond with a 15-second "advertisement," so the person quickly understands what you want and what you might contribute, whether to his company or someone else's.

10. Thou Shall Stay Positive

It can be very difficult to hold your head high, especially when half of your co-workers refer to you as "the temp" instead of calling you by your real first name. But with a good attitude and a little grace under pressure, you'll likely earn the respect of your co-workers and bosses, have a good overall experience and possibly land a permanent position