Life might have been easier had this line appeared in paragraph 1.
When temping, I never stopped looking on my own.
Yeah, I’ve learned alot about temping and agencies in general through my experience.
While I’m completely aware that I’m just part of their paycheck, it’s insulting how apparent these guys make it while trying to be subtle. Stuff like tirial’s post, and the time that they asked my ex-g/f if her mom would be coming back to work soon even though she’d just been diagnosed with cancer.
Part of the reason that I’ve stuck with these guys is that the reputation of the other agencies around here is much worse, and I don’t want to sit there and take a three hour typing/word/excel test (only a slight exaggeration) to demonstrate my proficiency. I don’t have three hours during the day to spare for another agency who’s just going to treat me exactly the same.
I unfortunately don’t have a college degree, which essentially makes me qualified for digging ditches in the minds of many employers. Forget the fact that my experience shows that I’m capable of doing the job, if I don’t have a $40k piece of paper saying I went to some classes I’m not worth hiring.
I’m not going to go off-topic too much here, but that’s another thing I hate; people who think they’re smarter than you just because they have a degree. I can’t keep track of the amount of people I’ve met who are utter morons but feel like they know more because they managed to fumble their way through four years of college. It’s inestimably rewarding when I best them in any sort of intellectual discussion. 
Anyway, I’ve got an inside connection at a job in my field, and he says they might have an opening so I’m touching up my resume and filling out the job app. Very difficult to do with crossed fingers!
Oh, and thanks to everyone for your input; even though I know I’m not alone in my experiences, it’s still nice to hear it!
I’ve worked in a number of agencies and, trust me, nobody in the office is that well-trained - not even in management. And one of my jobs was working for one of the biggest international staffing companies in an office quite close to corporate. They just don’t want people knowing how much of a cut they get, for the most part.
This is SO true! I would get so frustrated with people who would come crying to me when the job ended. Dude, you’re a temp - temporary - NOT permanent. Whose fault is it that you got your heart broken? Yours!
Really, I am on the side of temps, not agencies, but this is a peeve of mine.
Meanwhile, I got my job here through temping. I’ve been here 10 years and never expected to work at such an amazing place. All I did was show up on time and be nice on the phones and watch for postings.
My experience differs. I worked for four months at a temp agency in 2004 after I moved back to the US from Hungary. I had two assignment, both two months apiece. I was offered a permanent position at both jobs and turned them down, because the temp agency was exactly that for me – temporary employment. I was offered a third position at another company on a temp-to-hire track (which I believed was legit, since one of my friends ended up getting that job and getting hired), but I declined and decided I had enough money to get back on my feet and to my self-employed ways.
I actually had a lot of respect for my temp agency–they always treated me fairly and gave me work when I needed it. Now, I don’t think they were my friends or had my best interests at heart, but we both used each other to our own ends satisfactorily.
I think the thing is, you should **never **go into a temp assignment looking for a permanent job: most of the time, the reason you’re there is because they don’t have the budget for a permanent, year-round employee. Still I’ve been offered jobs (as in, ‘we’ll start the negotiations with your agency **today **if you’ll agree to work for us’) in several positions. Most of them were companies I didn’t want to settle at long-term, though - and besides, I didn’t *want *permanent work. The way I see it, if I wanted permanent work I’d be checking the Situations Vacant instead of doing assignments for three to twelve months.
I liked temping. I genuinely miss it. When you’re a temp you don’t have to deal with the office politics or the back-biting (because most bitchy co-workers don’t see ‘the temp’ as a threat to their jobs) and everyone is just so damn glad to get someone competent working for them that they make you feel like an answer to their prayers. Some days, I look at my current job*** and say ‘*What *was I *thinking *when I gave up temping for this?’. :smack: Don’t get me wrong: most of the time I love my job. But I’m definitely suffering from a serious case of itchy feet right now.
I had my share of crappy agencies, but I also had one very good one. It’s worthwhile putting your resume out to a bundle of them, because while you may have to sort through some shonks to find one that’s genuine, it really is worth the effort. The good one still keeps me unofficially on their books - meaning that when they have weekend work, a project I can do from home after-hours, or a one-day job (such as taking minutes), they offer it to me anyway in case it fits in with my schedule. The extra pocket money is always appreciated. 
*****Which, as mentioned above, came out of a temp contract. It was meant to be two weeks and went for 4 years. The fact I stayed that long shows I like the job and the people, since I’m really not one for being tied into a role for too long.