I’ve never worked as a temp before but I think it would be good for me, to gain more working experience in general and because I am not sure how long I will be at my current location. Also I am not concerned about benefits because I am still covered by my parents’ policy. I called up the local Kelly Services, a major temp agency, I think, and they me to email resume and they’d get in touch. So what can I expect working as a temp? Should I sign up with multiple agencies? Are some better than others? I’d appreciate any responses, even if you post horror stories about your temp days.
It’s a mixed bag. You get a lot of freedom, but in return you get to be the office whipping boy. But even that is highly variable. It all depends on where you get assigned.
I worked for one agency that promised 2 weeks vacation pay if you worked 1500 hours in a calendar year. 51 weeks in, and at about 1499 hours, suddenly the work load dried up to nothing. At 53 weeks, it picked up again. My loyalty was rewarded with nothing. I bitched and moaned and threatened all the way up to the VP. I finally got my check.
I’m not welcome back. 
I temped on and off for more than ten years, so I can offer a bit of advice on the subject.
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I have worked for Kelly. I’d rank them as the best service I contracted with. They paid well, respected my schedule requirements, and appreciated my good work. Going with a good agency makes a big difference, but it really depends on your local market. Some agencies have long standing contracts with a small pool of employers (warehouses, data entry farms, etc.), and tend to send all of their temps on longer-term assigments to those few places. Other agencies recruit people with higher skill sets and send them on a wider variety of assignments. I’d say that if you don’t feel that they expect much from you in an interview, you’re likely not to like working for them.
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Expect to be assigned as a receptionist at least 80% of the time. If you’re not comfortable on the phone, and with learning phone systems quickly, temping is likely to bother you.
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Expect not to be taken very seriously by the “regulars” at the place where you get assigned until you demonstrate some intelligence and people skills.
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Expect to become your agency’s favorite employee if you consistently show up on time, professionally dressed, in a good mood, and ready to do whatever is thrown at you quickly and well.
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Expect not to get many calls from you agency if the items in #3 are a problem for you.
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Expect to get hit on a lot, regardless of your gender and relative hotness. People love the allure of a new person who won’t be around to tell stories about them next week.
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Expect a great deal of boredom. Most temp assignments are for jobs that don’t come with heavy workloads - thus the employer’s willingness to fill it with an unknown person for a brief time. You’ll have to get a sense of each employer’s comfort level with amusement activities, like internet browsing, reading, etc. I would advise against assuming those things are ok.
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Expect every now and then to get an assigment that works you to the bone.
I temped on and off for a long time; most recently for about six years, and I loved it. I tend to get a little bored after a few years, so the opportunity to switch environments appeals to me every now and then. I made good money, had mostly long-term assignments, learned a lot, made some great friends, and landed two permanent positions in the process.
Definitely sign up with more than one agency if you want to stay busy. Also, feel free to tell them what kind of assignments you’re interested in; long- or short-term. They get plenty of both. A long term assignment usually means they may consider hiring you if you work out well.
Many good agencies will also offer training in their office. You can go in and sit down at say, an excel tutorial program and learn (or improve) your skills if you want.
Good luck and have fun!
Certainly, although there are exceptions. One place I worked, within 3 months I had seniority over all of my peers.
I was a temp for years and years. YMMV, of course: my experience didn’t lead anywhere (although the flexibility was very useful as I travelled and studied), but I know that many temp jobs lead to permanent ones. So this is the perspective of the jaded temp.
Pros:
- Flexibility. You don’t have to stick around if you don’t want to, and you don’t get weighed down with the hopeless “I hate my job and I’m here for life” generalized anxiety that so often plagues full-timers - the value of this cannot be overstated.
- Exposure to a variety of industries and organizations. I have worked a wide variety of jobs, in a huge diversity of industries, among an unimaginable diversity of officemates. This taught me about what what I like and what I didn’t, and what to expect from a permanent job. (The main thing I learned: every office, everywhere, is obsessed with food. It always manifests in a different way, but everyone is always a little self-consious about it. Don’t worry, people. EVERY office takes its food very, very seriously. You are not the only one.)
- Accountability: none. As they never give you anything important to do, and there is usually no reward for great performance, usually there’s not much to do and no reason to break a sweat doing it. And seeing as they can fire you on the spot if they don’t like your nose (which they can, and do), your good work may well go unrewarded. You just need to be there when you say you’ll be there, and do the minimum of what is asked of you.
Cons:
- Few-to-none training and advancement opportunities. Sometimes temping can actually work against you: for instance, if you work for the government here, as a temp admin assistant (which is a very common thing to temp as), you will instantly and forever be branded as ADMIN and therefore unable to do anything other than be an admin assistant if you want to put your government experience on your resume.
- Unlike any other worker/employer relationship you have almost no rights. They can fire you on the spot if they want to. (This has happened to me twice: on both occasions they could not point to any problems with my work, and no notice was given.) The agency can and most likely will try to pay you far less than what you are worth, and you are in a very weak bargaining position, because whoever gets placed in what job is totally and completely up to the discretion of your agent. So they can be as nasty as they want to be to you and you still have to suck up.
- More agency aggrivation: you know you are getting paid way less than what the agency is getting paid for you; you have to fill in time sheets every week; agencies have been known to be unscrupulous with their tactics
- Office whipping-boy status - you will always get the shit jobs that nobody else wants, and you don’t have any leverage to complain about it.
Could be either, depending on your taste:
- You will never feel like part of the office “family” - if you do get invited to lunch, you will feel left out and have nothing to talk about.
General tips -
- The agency will always try to give you the worst job they have. Don’t take their shit, but remember that if you’re too unflexible they may not call you. Know your market value and demand it from them (I’d even recommend overshooting it a bit - i.e. if you know your skills are worth $15/hour, say $17 and see what happens).
- yes, sign up with as many agencies as possible. One significant benefit of this is that it will put you in a much better position to ask for better jobs or better pay - i.e. if Kelly’s calls you up and offers you something awful, you can tell them you’ve just been offered something by Manpower and can they make you a better offer? This happens ALL THE TIME and you need to work it.
- Be specific about what you want and what skills you have, and be honest about jobs you really don’t want. You do risk coming across as inflexible but nobody wins if you’re in a job you hate.
- When on assignment take ANY and ALL opportunities to do things that demonstrate your skills or develop new ones. You may have to seek them out. They are not often offered.
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- this is the most important thing to remember - You have to be really active to make sure the agency keeps you at the front of mind. If you send your resume and wait for them to call, they only will if they happen to have a job opening at the same time as they happen to have your resume. Call to follow up and ask for an interview; you will put on your suit and they will make you do all these stupid computer tests. [Part of what they are looking for here is what “class” of job you want - Kelly’s basically told me that hose-and-heels jobs started $4-5/hour more than “office casual” jobs. So if you are willing to put on a suit and blowdry your hair every day, you up your value.] Your main goal for the interview is (a) to meet them and make an impression, so they think of you when they get an appropriate job opening, and (b) to find out how and how often they want you to call - every morning? Once a week? Etc. Remember, you need to suck up to them so follow their instructions EXACTLY.
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I’ve temped on and off for about ten years, too, and it really is a mixed bag. I tend to change jobs every two years, so temping works well for me (I’m also working on my own business now, but I still need some cash, so that works well for me, too). You don’t need to take receptionist jobs; in my ten years of temping, my criterion for accepting a job was if it could be done without a phone on my desk. I have mostly done accounting temping in the last five or so years; that’s where my strengths are. If you don’t take receptionist jobs, you probably will need more than one agency, but that’s not a problem. Just register with one, wait a bit, then register for another if you don’t get called.
One thing you need to know going in is that the temp agencies will try to treat you like you need them more than they need you, but don’t believe it. You can be let go on a moment’s notice for any reason or no reason, but you can also quit a temp job if you need to. They make no money if you don’t work; it’s a symbiotic relationship.
I agree absolutely with Figaro - simple skills like showing up consistently on time and working without needing someone to watch you every minute of the day will make you a star in the temp world. Most of the jobs temps get are the jobs that regular employees don’t want to do, so know that going in, too, but you don’t have to do soul-sucking work, either - the jobs you get as an office temp should be valid office type work, not “whatever the boss can think of to get you to do to fill your hours.”
The best way to register with temp agencies is still to drop off your resume in person, dressed so you could go for an assignment right away. You’ll probably get a call for an interview with them the next day if you do that, if they don’t bring you in right away while you’re there. They want to see what you look like - that you would fit in in an office environment. Oh yeah, they’ll probably test you on Word, Excel, and typing speed as well.
Just for kicks, here are some of the “oddball” jobs I was given as a temp:
-Aluminum siding salesman
-Subsidized Housing Photographer
-Microfilm inspector
-Assistant to the President of a major university (!)
-Airshow bookkeeper
Good memories, all of them.
I forgot to say before: Good luck!
I see cowgirl snuck in on me - the pro of no accountability is a HUGE one. It’s funny and kind of pathetic to see permanent employees getting so stressed out over their TPS report cover sheets, and you just do your job and go home. If you don’t need benefits and you don’t care about stability, temping can be very liberating.
Really be clear about what you will and won’t do. I hate data entry and won’t do it, same with telemarketing. When I went for the original interview I told them. It was fine, that way they knew not to phone me.
If you have any kind of brain in your head, speak well and clearly and have a positive attitude the office will immediately love you. I always wondered what was wrong with the other temps that they seemed so impressed with everything I did.
You will get offered jobs - everywhere. I was constantly turning down employment because it wasn’t what I wanted.
Stand up for yourself. I was dismissed from a job due to reasons that were unclear. The woman said I had broken policy and I hadn’t. My agency sided with her, at first. I filed a complaint as I had been with the agency for some time (during my pregnancy) and felt it was unfair. The agency hired me back.
You can work for more than one at the same time, it was handy as I only wanted “short term” work - two weeks or less.
I temped for a short while. My third assignment offered me a permenant position which I took. Seems like there are quite a few companies that treat it like an audition. It works great if thats what you are looking for.
Wow, thanks for all the replies so far! It’s been really helpful.
I can do receptionist work, I just prefer not to only because people tend to say their own names quickly and I don’t always catch it if it’s not a common name. I hate asking people to repeat themselves or spell their names but I do it if I have to. I think the only job I’d really hate to take on is telemarketing, so thanks for mentioning that, Poysyn, it didn’t occur to me. I can handle being bored. I am also very reliable and not an idiot so it sounds like I can be a temp superstar, heh.
I have used Excel for various class assignments or office tasks but I’ve only learned what I needed to know to do the assignment. How familiar will they expect me to be with the program?
Ideally, I’d like to be placed in a fairly long-term position where I have an opportunity to do other things (I am vague on what) in addition to the typical data entry/receptionist duties.
I temped off and on for a while, mostly office-y reception-oriented positions. I don’t really enjoy working multi-line phones, so those assignments weren’t so fun for me. But I saw dozens and dozens of office environments, and so I learned to really be able to take a quick read of people working in an office and get a rough idea of what the culture/politics are like. This has come in very handy when interviewing for FT positions later.
I’ve had one temp job lead to a FT offer, and one lead to a career choice, so it was terrifically beneficial for me in some pretty direct ways. I also learned how much I don’t want to work in other fields, which is also good for someone like me who had a hard time picking a direction.
Overall, I liked it. There were some times that it was a drag–being let go without notice or even apparent reason has happened to everyone, I think. And there are plenty of places that will try to treat you like dirt because you’re “just a temp.” I was in one place that refused to call me by name and talked about “the temp” openly and to my face. Just remember that this says a lot about them and nothing about you. Another office wouldn’t give me bathroom breaks like they were supposed to. The great thing about temping–I just didn’t go back. No stress. I got a new assignment the next day. Buh-bye, crazy psycho ladies!
In general, I would stay away from places like Manpower or other industrial-type places, which tend to give factory-related assignments (unless you’re okay with that). But even that can work out: a friend of mine took a light industrial assignment at a pie factory out of desperation and wound up getting a FT offer and has now been there something like 8 years and is in the head office.
The hardest part for me was always starting over in a new place. The best parts were the freedom, the variety, and the chance to get a feel for the new city I was living in. I’ve gotten to do stuff like work in a flower shop, be a mock juror, and put up mall holiday displays, which are things I would never want to do full-time, but they were a hoot at the time. You’ll need to be cheerful and professional even when given weird things to do (I was once assigned as a receptionist and then asked to dust all day!), but like others have said, just having basic work skills will get you far in the temping world and before long you’ll have more work than you know what to do with.
One tip: if you’re working with the public, don’t be afraid to say that you’re temping–but say it with a smile on your face and an apology in your voice. People are much more willing to work with you and forgive mistakes if they know that you’re just filling in.
I temped for a couple summers during college and it was a good fit. I got full time work and could quit when school started and no one cared. I worked “light industrial” usually, basically, no- or low-skill work that was typically not physically challenging. Printing companies, maintenance departments, sweping, cleaning etc. I also tried temp work when I lost my job and got sent to a series of jobs that I found soul-crushing and just couldn’t do them. Note that this is a example of not following figaro’s #4. I quit one job at lunch time. I was given some good work initially but as my attitude deteriorated I got sent to crappier and crappier jobs until they eventually quit calling. I found a crappy full time job, but I really screwed up my relationship with the temp agency. Attitude is important cause the work might not be exciting.
I did some temping for a while back in the early 80s, for both Kelly and Manpower, and since I suck at “figuring out phone systems quickly”, all my jobs were of the filing-and-data-entry-make-100-copies-of-this-report sort. Which was okay with me, as I happen to excel at those.
However, I found the lack of respect (read: overt contempt) from the regular employees to be off-putting.
“Who’s she?”
"Kelly Girl. :rolleyes: "
“Oh.”
It helps if you’re good at figuring out the various kinds of copy machines, because when you’re told to make 100 copies of this report, there won’t be anybody around who will be interested in helping you. Most office copiers nowadays have a manual tucked away in a special pocket in the back or side of the machine somewhere, which can be a lifesaver.
I’ve spent about 5 months (not consecutively; 2 months then 3 months, in different countries) temping. Things I’ve done:
-Data Entry. IME, this generally pays pretty decently because no one wants to do it. If you’re OK with running more or less on autopilot for hours at a time, it can be good work to get.
-General admin stuff. Photocopying (lots of photocopying; if you’re handed an assignment that’s clearly a lot of copying, find out where they keep the extra paper), filing, sorting incoming mail, sorting/franking/etc outgoing mail, etc. Personally I find this worse than data entry, as it doesn’t feel like you’re doing anything.
-Sending out mass mailings. Advertising letters, rent statements, whatever. Feels kind of like data entry: boring, but the pay is OK. Unless it’s a huge project, you’ll be sitting alone all day doing this. If you’re one of those people who doesn’t need ‘people time’, it’s great.
-PA’ing. Lasted only half a day through no fault of my own (something came up and he had to leave). Miserable, IMO, because there’s someone constantly telling you what to do.
-Reception type stuff. The one time I did this it was “Just in case someone comes by the office or calls”. No one did, so I got paid about eight bucks an hour to read a Stephen King novel and play games on my phone.
Always be sure to have a “survival kit” with you: Timesheet (obviously, important), your phone, contacts both at your agency and, if possible, your assignment. A bottle of water or such is nice; some places don’t have water coolers. Bring a book or something, because you may spend your day sitting alone at a reception desk with nothing to do but answer an occasional call. Unless you know the area you may want to pack a lunch; there might not be anyplace to buy something at lunch time.
Already said, but don’t hesitate to explain that you’re a temp. If someone calls and you need to put them on hold to get an answer, the caller might think you’re just incompetent. If you politely and apologetically explain that you’re a temp so you just want to check with someone first, chances are they’ll be nicer about it.
In addition to being clear on what you will or won’t do, be sure to tell your agency if you’re doing “different” work. They bill differently for different skills. If they’re getting more, you should probably be getting more as well. A lot of companies will ask for a receptionist and then start dumping other, more skilled tasks on you. That’s cheating.
Oh yeah, drink lots of water - your bathroom breaks will probably be your only breaks except for lunch. And always have a book with you - you’ll need it throughout your day, from the time they keep you waiting for an hour to start your day to the times when you are waiting for someone to show you your next duty. If you have an iPod, bring it with you. Most jobs will let you listen while you do data entry or filing, etc.
The lack of respect from regular employees can be hard to take, but I think that’s getting better as everybody is getting more mobile from job to job.
On edit, what kalhoun said - you get say, $12 per hour as a receptionist, but $15 per hour as an ap clerk - you shouldn’t be doing ap for them if they contracted for you as a receptionist. It really is cheating.
Everyone has made such good points, I won’t bother trying to say something useful.
Instead, I’ll tell you of a time the agency told me “when you start tomorrow. The manager says you should probably bring a book or something. You might get bored…” Two weeks reading books and magazines, and surfing the internet. Good times. 
I have a long anecdote that I might (or might not) share, but I’ll quickly share this bit of tid.
The bolded bit happened to me this past weekend. I enlisted for a 12:00noon to 12midnight spot; it wasn’t until after I got there, that I found out I would be the only Operator, and would be handling the coordination, logging, etc. (supervisory type stuff). They called over the phone and “walked” me through the parts I didn’t know. I told my agency and believe I will be getting higher rate. Also, when I got the phone walk-through, I was stroked by being told they asked for me because they knew how good I was, and that I could handle it; oh, and would I be interested in doing the same thing next weekend? No mention of higher rates, and I don’t think they really thought I had enough sense to call the agency and report them.
Although I know it loses me assignments, because of my experience, I hate doing tapes – dictaphone, tanks, you name it. And this is exactly the kind of work regulars won’t do and temps get called in for. I tell my agency up front but sometimes they forget or aren’t told either. You should see the look on peoples’ faces when they’re trying to give that work to me and I tell them, “I don’t do tapes; my agency knows this.” Rarely have I been asked to leave though, because they have to get someone else to do them, and they need me for what that person now won’t be doing.