Temping: Ur Doing it Wrong
September 8, 2012 10:36 AM Subscribe
What are the best practices for getting steady temp work through an agency? What can I be doing now to get more consistent and varied jobs?
I moved in February without a job, and immediately signed up for several temp agencies. Since I'm still drifting a bit and trying to pinpoint exactly what fields I'm interested in, I figured temping would be a good way to explore different possibilities.
Of the five agencies I signed up with, only one has been able to give me any work. One of their gigs was interesting; doing set-up and registration work at a continuing medical education conference. But that was just a one day thing. Mostly they've sent me on a couple separate occasions to another referral agency to do cold calls for job recruitment. I hate this placement, but I'll go back if asked to stay in the agency's good graces. The gigs I've gotten are also very spaced-out time wise; I end up going for stretches of several weeks, sometime more than a month, without working. I call in to this agency every Monday morning on weeks where I know I'll be free every day.
Three of the other agencies I applied with initially considered for longer-term positions but then chose other applicants. I regularly update my online availability forms and periodically check in by phone with them, but no gigs. The recruiter at the fourth agency instantly rubbed me the wrong way when, upon confirming my address, he asked me "What's a nice girl like you doing in [my neighborhood]?" I've checked in with them a few times since, but not as often as the others.
I have no problem at all with repetitive admin work: give me your filing, your scanning, your data entry, your envelope stuffing, and I will gladly do it. This is what temp agencies are supposed to be good for, right? But all of what I can get seems to be cold-calling, and not very often at that.
So the questions:
-Is my current work pattern of a few days on/several weeks off typical of temping? (I've heard of people being able to get short-term gigs every day consistently for weeks, but that may have been under better economic conditions, or in different fields.)
-Are there any best practices and approaches to temping that I'm missing here?
-Is there such a thing as calling in too often or being too persistent?
-Is it okay to explicitly ask for more varied jobs? I wouldn't frame the issue as 'Please don't send me back to the cold-calling place, it drives me batshit,' more like 'administrative jobs are more in line with my long-term career interests.'
-What strategies have you used to get temp jobs more consistently, or angle your way towards a temp-to-hire or permanent position?
I'm in Philadelphia, if anyone has any area-specific suggestions. I also don't have a car. That's definitely been a limiting factor thus far--I've hard to turn down a few potential positions in suburban places I just can't get to--but I frankly can't see myself being able to afford car ownership anytime soon at the rate I'm going.
I moved in February without a job, and immediately signed up for several temp agencies. Since I'm still drifting a bit and trying to pinpoint exactly what fields I'm interested in, I figured temping would be a good way to explore different possibilities.
Of the five agencies I signed up with, only one has been able to give me any work. One of their gigs was interesting; doing set-up and registration work at a continuing medical education conference. But that was just a one day thing. Mostly they've sent me on a couple separate occasions to another referral agency to do cold calls for job recruitment. I hate this placement, but I'll go back if asked to stay in the agency's good graces. The gigs I've gotten are also very spaced-out time wise; I end up going for stretches of several weeks, sometime more than a month, without working. I call in to this agency every Monday morning on weeks where I know I'll be free every day.
Three of the other agencies I applied with initially considered for longer-term positions but then chose other applicants. I regularly update my online availability forms and periodically check in by phone with them, but no gigs. The recruiter at the fourth agency instantly rubbed me the wrong way when, upon confirming my address, he asked me "What's a nice girl like you doing in [my neighborhood]?" I've checked in with them a few times since, but not as often as the others.
I have no problem at all with repetitive admin work: give me your filing, your scanning, your data entry, your envelope stuffing, and I will gladly do it. This is what temp agencies are supposed to be good for, right? But all of what I can get seems to be cold-calling, and not very often at that.
So the questions:
-Is my current work pattern of a few days on/several weeks off typical of temping? (I've heard of people being able to get short-term gigs every day consistently for weeks, but that may have been under better economic conditions, or in different fields.)
-Are there any best practices and approaches to temping that I'm missing here?
-Is there such a thing as calling in too often or being too persistent?
-Is it okay to explicitly ask for more varied jobs? I wouldn't frame the issue as 'Please don't send me back to the cold-calling place, it drives me batshit,' more like 'administrative jobs are more in line with my long-term career interests.'
-What strategies have you used to get temp jobs more consistently, or angle your way towards a temp-to-hire or permanent position?
I'm in Philadelphia, if anyone has any area-specific suggestions. I also don't have a car. That's definitely been a limiting factor thus far--I've hard to turn down a few potential positions in suburban places I just can't get to--but I frankly can't see myself being able to afford car ownership anytime soon at the rate I'm going.
It's been a while (2006 was my last temp job) so my experience may not count anymore, but here goes. Call every agency every morning that you're available and don't talk with just one recruiter (there's usually more than one). Talk with whomever answers the phone and let them know you're available for any and all office work. Whoever answers the phone will let you know what's available and you can say yea or nay. Move on to the next. Takes about ten minutes a morning and it keeps your name in their minds...
Take long term assignments and short term assignments. Work weekends. Work nights if the bus runs nights. Do things other than office work. Some agencies will let you do light industrial (no skill set needed) if you're up for it. Some agencies have promotional work (like handing out things at the supermarket). It's an interesting way to mix it up, and it lets them know you're flexible. It also keeps your name in their minds when something longer comes up.
Like I said though, it's been a while since I've done this, so YMMV. But, I did this on and off for decades (with and without a car) and kept myself in rent & necessities. I usually signed up with at least five temp agencies and called three regularly... I can't think that things have changed that much since I've been temping, but maybe they have. Still, thought I'd give you my two cent's worth.
posted by patheral at 12:26 PM on September 8, 2012
Take long term assignments and short term assignments. Work weekends. Work nights if the bus runs nights. Do things other than office work. Some agencies will let you do light industrial (no skill set needed) if you're up for it. Some agencies have promotional work (like handing out things at the supermarket). It's an interesting way to mix it up, and it lets them know you're flexible. It also keeps your name in their minds when something longer comes up.
Like I said though, it's been a while since I've done this, so YMMV. But, I did this on and off for decades (with and without a car) and kept myself in rent & necessities. I usually signed up with at least five temp agencies and called three regularly... I can't think that things have changed that much since I've been temping, but maybe they have. Still, thought I'd give you my two cent's worth.
posted by patheral at 12:26 PM on September 8, 2012
Is it okay to explicitly ask for more varied jobs? I wouldn't frame the issue as 'Please don't send me back to the cold-calling place, it drives me batshit,' more like 'administrative jobs are more in line with my long-term career interests.'
Forgot to answer this. It is absolutely okay to ask for more varied jobs, and to say that you will not work in cold calling (they don't want to send you places you don't want to work, it makes everyone miserable). I told all of my temp agencies I flat out refuse to work phones. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Not happening (I have a phone phobia, but I didn't tell them that). They were cool with it, and I still got jobs. So there's that.
However, if you're trying to fill in your time, more varied workplaces (as I mentioned before) will keep you in their minds when positions in your field open up. Taking jobs that aren't necessarily in your field, but that you think might be fun will keep your time-card full, show you're flexible, and let them know you're willing to work. Just keep that in mind when accepting and declining jobs.
As for temp-to-perm, that's just a waiting game. Some temp jobs turn into perm because a position opens up. Some temp jobs stay temp forever because it's easier to pay the temp company than it is to pay for benefits. Some temp-to-perm jobs just fall through because they hire someone else. It's all a waiting game, and I found it easier to treat every assignment as a temp assignment until someone hired me permanently. It was easier on my nerves. I liked temping better anyway. But that's just me.
posted by patheral at 12:36 PM on September 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
Forgot to answer this. It is absolutely okay to ask for more varied jobs, and to say that you will not work in cold calling (they don't want to send you places you don't want to work, it makes everyone miserable). I told all of my temp agencies I flat out refuse to work phones. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Not happening (I have a phone phobia, but I didn't tell them that). They were cool with it, and I still got jobs. So there's that.
However, if you're trying to fill in your time, more varied workplaces (as I mentioned before) will keep you in their minds when positions in your field open up. Taking jobs that aren't necessarily in your field, but that you think might be fun will keep your time-card full, show you're flexible, and let them know you're willing to work. Just keep that in mind when accepting and declining jobs.
As for temp-to-perm, that's just a waiting game. Some temp jobs turn into perm because a position opens up. Some temp jobs stay temp forever because it's easier to pay the temp company than it is to pay for benefits. Some temp-to-perm jobs just fall through because they hire someone else. It's all a waiting game, and I found it easier to treat every assignment as a temp assignment until someone hired me permanently. It was easier on my nerves. I liked temping better anyway. But that's just me.
posted by patheral at 12:36 PM on September 8, 2012 [1 favorite]
Have you taken all the tests that the temp agencies give you, the ones to prove your typing speed and your skills in programs like Word and Excel? If you're generally computer savvy, those are fairly easy. In fact, I took a few tests for programs I'd never used, and it was fairly easy to guess how to do some simple operations. I don't know if all places do this, but back in the early 00s, Manpower asked for this.
posted by slidell at 1:12 PM on September 8, 2012
posted by slidell at 1:12 PM on September 8, 2012
Make sure they have a list of all your skills on file, ring them semi regularly say once a fortnight or so, just to touch base. As you get to the last week of one job you want to ring them up and let them know you are about to be freed up to try and keep the flow of jobs happening.
Be open to anything for the first few jobs and work your ass off once they know you are reliable and you have some good feedback from people you've worked for you can weed out the shitty jobs a little, but do not be too fussy to start with. If some of your skills are a bit below par work on getting them up, data entry speed is usually a big one as is basic skill on Microsoft Office for any office type jobs. It's pretty easy to practice these if you have them at home, you can ask retake the tests if you think your skills have improved, some agencies can even help with suggestions for training and the like, talk to the people handling you to find out what skills they are short on.
posted by wwax at 5:11 PM on September 8, 2012
Be open to anything for the first few jobs and work your ass off once they know you are reliable and you have some good feedback from people you've worked for you can weed out the shitty jobs a little, but do not be too fussy to start with. If some of your skills are a bit below par work on getting them up, data entry speed is usually a big one as is basic skill on Microsoft Office for any office type jobs. It's pretty easy to practice these if you have them at home, you can ask retake the tests if you think your skills have improved, some agencies can even help with suggestions for training and the like, talk to the people handling you to find out what skills they are short on.
posted by wwax at 5:11 PM on September 8, 2012
Since 2000, I've spent roughly eight of my working years temping. My answers below.
1. From my experience, your pattern isn't typical. My average assignment length was three months or longer. Have you asked your agency about their client roster and those clients' typical needs?
2. I don't know about best practices, per se, but visibility helps. Most agencies offer training on various computer programs. If they remember you as that person who has been spending their free time in the office learning Access or what have you, that may help.
3. There is no such thing as being too persistent. Not. At. All. I've always hated the adage "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" but it is so true in temping. Call every morning. If someone takes a message and you don't hear from them by around 2pm, call again. Also, updating your online profile is all well and good, but most agencies have only been working with online systems for a couple of years and sometimes forget they exist. I never bothered with applying for jobs online during my last temping run (Fall 2010 to Spring 2011, when I moved to a new city).
4. It's fine to say you don't want to take a certain job. It's also fine to say you want to focus on temp-to-hire.
5. Strategies: do a good job. Use the phrase "temp-to-hire" a lot. If they want to give you a job that lasts a few days, that's fine, but accept it and immediately follow up with a question about the availability of temp-to-hire positions when you complete it.
Two other things. Don't lie about not having a car. If you were to do so, the first time your alternate transportation (inevitably) fails you, you will be in hot water. Also, don't get discouraged. With this economy, more companies are using temps to fill employment gaps. Just push and push until someone lets you in.
posted by fairfax at 6:37 PM on September 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
1. From my experience, your pattern isn't typical. My average assignment length was three months or longer. Have you asked your agency about their client roster and those clients' typical needs?
2. I don't know about best practices, per se, but visibility helps. Most agencies offer training on various computer programs. If they remember you as that person who has been spending their free time in the office learning Access or what have you, that may help.
3. There is no such thing as being too persistent. Not. At. All. I've always hated the adage "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" but it is so true in temping. Call every morning. If someone takes a message and you don't hear from them by around 2pm, call again. Also, updating your online profile is all well and good, but most agencies have only been working with online systems for a couple of years and sometimes forget they exist. I never bothered with applying for jobs online during my last temping run (Fall 2010 to Spring 2011, when I moved to a new city).
4. It's fine to say you don't want to take a certain job. It's also fine to say you want to focus on temp-to-hire.
5. Strategies: do a good job. Use the phrase "temp-to-hire" a lot. If they want to give you a job that lasts a few days, that's fine, but accept it and immediately follow up with a question about the availability of temp-to-hire positions when you complete it.
Two other things. Don't lie about not having a car. If you were to do so, the first time your alternate transportation (inevitably) fails you, you will be in hot water. Also, don't get discouraged. With this economy, more companies are using temps to fill employment gaps. Just push and push until someone lets you in.
posted by fairfax at 6:37 PM on September 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
In my experience as a temp, the more you call, the more likely you are to get work. Call daily, keep the call short, but show that you're looking for work. You might fall into things like "oh no - somebody didn't show up at the client this morning so who can I get on short--wait, ActionPopulated is on the phone!" in the mornings, and 'oh no - the employer is unhappy with the person I sent today and it's 4:52 and how am I going to find somebody for tomor--oh, ActionPopulated is calling in!" at the end of the day. Don't be pushy or overly-anxious about getting work, just call up your 'agent' (not just the receptionist) and say, "Hi, this is ActionPopulated, just wondering if there's anything new that I could start working on for you?" , get their answer, and either work out job details, or say, "Thanks, I'll check back tomorrow." If they tell you the calls are too often, adjust accordingly.
The temp agency is mostly about putting butts in seats, so much of the time their hiring practice is just knowing who's available and who they can get a positive acceptance from with the fewest phone calls. If they don't hear from you for a week and they haven't placed you in anything in a week, you're off their radar and figure that it'll be more work to track you down than the guy who calls in every other day. There are lots of people temping due to the economy, so you're a little fish in a big pond, you need to make yourself noticeable. This strategy might not get you the long-term skilled jobs you want, but it will keep paychecks coming in and it will prove your value as an employee.
Or, they may just place you just to stop the phone calls. Or, they may hear from more one-day gigs that you're industrious and skilled, and start thinking of you before you call to place you in longer or higher-paying positions. Or, somebody who hires you for a one-day thing might have something up on the bulletin board about a permanent position and you apply for it on your afternoon break. Waiting around the house for the phone to ring won't help these happen.
(Note: if you can't handle the cold-calling job, explicitly say, no, you can't do it -- it does limit where they can place you, but it will at least prevent stress on your part, or potentially placing you in a job that you won't do well in)
posted by AzraelBrown at 5:13 AM on September 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
The temp agency is mostly about putting butts in seats, so much of the time their hiring practice is just knowing who's available and who they can get a positive acceptance from with the fewest phone calls. If they don't hear from you for a week and they haven't placed you in anything in a week, you're off their radar and figure that it'll be more work to track you down than the guy who calls in every other day. There are lots of people temping due to the economy, so you're a little fish in a big pond, you need to make yourself noticeable. This strategy might not get you the long-term skilled jobs you want, but it will keep paychecks coming in and it will prove your value as an employee.
Or, they may just place you just to stop the phone calls. Or, they may hear from more one-day gigs that you're industrious and skilled, and start thinking of you before you call to place you in longer or higher-paying positions. Or, somebody who hires you for a one-day thing might have something up on the bulletin board about a permanent position and you apply for it on your afternoon break. Waiting around the house for the phone to ring won't help these happen.
(Note: if you can't handle the cold-calling job, explicitly say, no, you can't do it -- it does limit where they can place you, but it will at least prevent stress on your part, or potentially placing you in a job that you won't do well in)
posted by AzraelBrown at 5:13 AM on September 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
Are there any more agencies in town that you can try? I spent January - August this year temping and I was almost always working, mostly on assignments of 2 weeks or more. (But I was in Canada, in the province with the lowest unemployment at the moment.)
I signed up with two agencies. One got me a one-day gig and then nothing much, just calls about things that didn't work out; and the other had me working so consistently that by month 3, I called up the one-day-gig-agency and asked to be taken off their books because I was too busy. Different agencies also cover different geographical areas sometimes, so maybe you haven't hit the right agency for the area you can get to by public transit yet?
Take any excuse to go in to the office in person. Do their skills courses, and ask to take more tests. Or maybe you can spend your downtime on improving MS Office skills or whatever, and ask to retake those tests, if your scores were anything less than really good? The test scores do count.
Good luck!
posted by snorkmaiden at 4:08 PM on September 26, 2012
I signed up with two agencies. One got me a one-day gig and then nothing much, just calls about things that didn't work out; and the other had me working so consistently that by month 3, I called up the one-day-gig-agency and asked to be taken off their books because I was too busy. Different agencies also cover different geographical areas sometimes, so maybe you haven't hit the right agency for the area you can get to by public transit yet?
Take any excuse to go in to the office in person. Do their skills courses, and ask to take more tests. Or maybe you can spend your downtime on improving MS Office skills or whatever, and ask to retake those tests, if your scores were anything less than really good? The test scores do count.
Good luck!
posted by snorkmaiden at 4:08 PM on September 26, 2012
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You're right to devote time to the agency that's actually gotten you assignments -- I've always found that once I start getting work from an agency, I'm more likely to keep getting work from them. And good idea on how to ask for non-cold-calling work; I'd definitely try that. It's OK to try for different things -- the fact you've shown up to jobs that they know aren't all that pleasant and done well enough to be asked to do it again speaks well of you.
Got a great suit or two? Temp agencies are big on appearances, and it has never hurt me to go full-on business professional for first contact (even if it's casual Friday). It proves up front that you can fit into any office they put you in.
I wouldn't call more than weekly. One thing you might try is outright asking them if there's anything you can do to present your skills better to improve your chances for assignments. (Best done in context of intro interview, but reasonable anytime they don't sound like they want to stop talking to you five minutes ago.)
I always stress how much I like seeing new offices and meeting new people -- it is one of the nicer things about temping -- and they seem to like that sort of thing as a "why are you temping?" response better than "I'm desperate for rent money," even though we all know the truth.
I've had great experiences temping in the past, but have to say that the tight labor market makes it less lucrative than it used to be. Fewer placements, shorter placements, lower-paying placements. I don't think the agencies are making the same margins they used to, either (I open the mail at my current gig, so I know how much they're getting!)
In summary: tempin' ain't easy.
posted by asperity at 11:06 AM on September 8, 2012 [3 favorites]