Temp agencies for investment banks?

January 19, 2013 7:34 AM

In the late nineties/early aughts I was an editor at an investment bank that everyone loves to hate. I was a part-time consultant and, while hired directly, paid through a temp agency. I was laid off in 2002. I'd like to get back into it, but I have no record of the name of the temp agency. How to hook up with a temp agency that staffs investment banks?

The bank doesn't reveal which temp agencies it uses--in any case there are probably a lot--and the temp agencies won't tell me who they staff either.

So what's my best strategy for getting back into editing at this or another investment bank? Sending resumes cold has gotten me nowhere. Should I just sign up with a dozen temp agencies at random and hope they can place me somewhere that can use my skills? (I don't really have standard admin assistant skills, so that would ding me for other kinds of jobs at these banks.) I've had no luck locating my former boss, who has a common name.

Thanks for your thoughts.

posted by anonymous to work & money (6 answers total)

Where are you located?
posted by three_red_balloons at 7:39 AM on January 19

Do you have your w2 from that year? Sounds like you were probably actually employed by the temp agency so their name should be on your w2.
posted by magnetsphere at 7:42 AM on January 19

I think most large banks worth with multiple temp agencies. Your best bet is to know someone who works there. I'd put out a facebook message that you're looking for a contact at XYZ bank and see what happens.

Alternatively - I wound up working at one big firm through a temp agency many years ago by applying for a job on monster. It doesn't seem that monster is the job search tool of choice these days, probably indeed or simplyhired are better, but if you apply for the jobs you want through the search engine you are likely to wind up talking to one of those temp agencies and then you can let them know what you are looking for and ask them to keep you in mind if the position you applied for does not work out.

Also try googling something like [staffing agencies banks YOURCITY] and see what comes up.
posted by bunderful at 7:46 AM on January 19

A couple of thoughts that you should consider. (I used to work at a bank in New York City and have had experience with some writers provided to us via temp agencies.)

1) Banking has changed a lot in the intervening decade.

2) A lot of roles such as editing (presumably of equity and/or credit research, though it is unclear if that is what you're referring to here) has been off-shored to places like India or else to cheaper locations within the United States. (It's not clear if you're located in NYC or somewhere where banks have consolidated back office operations.)

3) There are a lot of staffing agencies that work with banks, and I don't think they have an incentive to tell people with which banks they place their candidates.

4) The people you deal with on a day-to-day basis inside the bank likely have no idea which staffing agency you are paid through.
posted by dfriedman at 8:33 AM on January 19

When I was temping briefly in New York in 2010, I found a couple of positions at the Vampire Squid through Tiger Staffing.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 8:53 AM on January 19

Hi anonymous, if you send me a MeFi email with contact info, I'll pass it on to a colleague active as a managing editor at an investment bank.
posted by mfoight at 3:22 AM on January 22