I work for a temp agency, but they haven’t gotten me a job for two weeks as of tomorrow, and I signed up with another agency. I gather that it’s ok that I work for more than one agency at once, as long as you keep them both updated on your availability, but I don’t know a lot about the business. Any insights?
My wife temps. She always has at least two agencies.
Just, when you get a job from one, let the other one know that you are not available.
Other than that, try to develop a good relationship with your ‘agent’.
When I temp, I always sign up with at least two agencies. One just doesn’t seem to be enough to keep me working steady. I don’t bother informing them of my availability unless they actually phone me for an assignment - then I let them know I’m busy, and for how long.
If you’re new to the temp world, you probably still think the ladies at the agency are your friends. Please, do yourself a favour and forget that idea. They will use you and drop you in any way that makes the most money for them. If you have an assignment that goes very badly, don’t hesitate to call them and tell them what’s going on. If it is seriously bad and you need to leave the assignment early, you can do that, and don’t let the agency browbeat you or threaten you into staying (and they will try to). If they can fire you in a heartbeat over anything or nothing, then you don’t have to stay at assignments that are not healthy for you.
You may have a very enjoyable experience temping. I always get along just fine with the agency until I try to assert myself to do what’s best for me, then they’re not so friendly.
Yeah, I’ve noticed that not so friendly thing. I told them, sorry, I will not do a six month data entry job. I’m sorry, that’s not my thing. I’d go mad. They haven’t called me since, other than because someone requested me. The first assignment they sent me on, after the owner got a little wacko and fired me, then they told me that that woman had been problematic before… I wasn’t amused.
I do recommend signing up with multiple agencies - definitely! I also recommend being proactive about notifying them when you are occupied with another agency. This gives you a chance to stay in touch and emphasize in their mind that you are employable. The alternative is them calling you and finding out you’re not available, at which point they think of you as someone who doesn’t mind wasting their time and is not proactive about staying in touch.
If you are getting really good service with an agency, then consider loyalty, but definitely not before that.
I ran into the not so friendly thing as well. I was 18 looking for some summer work, and really hadn’t had a job before. My first assignment I tabulated employee survey results. Everything went fine, I got a good review, and got called for an assignment right away. I asked what I would be doing, the woman said I would just be typing form letters and putting them in envelopes. That sounded easy enough, so I told her I’d take it. When I got to the job it turned out that I was filling in for this manager’s “administrative assistant”/secretary. I had no idea what was going on, or how things worked. I called the agency and said that it wasn’t what I thought (read: what they told me), so I’d be leaving. Never heard from them again.
I juggled three at once for a short time. But I’ve been lucky. I’ve been temping for six years, and my current position is a 2+ year spot. I also had one for 18 months. I like the longer ones, if the work doesn’t suck.
I may also be the only temp on earth that got a $4K raise. How do you like THEM apples!?
I’ll see you and raise you, Kalhoun. At the beginning of last year, when things were tight and I’d been out of work for too long, I was signed up with four, only one of whom was actually doing anything for me. When I have been temping, I’ve also routinely signed on with more than one agency, and it’s never been a problem.
One piece of advice, Lynne_kilii. You don’t have to tell them why you’re unavailable, and there are reasons you could be unavailable other than that you’re on assignment. I should know – in addition to not being able to take on a job because I had a job interview, I once poured my heart out about a car accident to a woman who turned out to be from one of the temp agencies I was dealing with. All I can say is my brains were still somewhat scrambled, and I thought she was Scotticher who had said she’d call! :o
If you’re looking for work, be it temporary or permanent, full or part time, your interests come first, at least as far as your concerned. Do what you need to do, and realize it’s probably what the agencies expect. If you’re worth it, they’ll take you.
CJ
I rotated in and out of that for light industrial and secretarial work.
For LI, it was a bit harder, and most of the workers had multiple agencies. I recall one showing up with us from company A, deciding she didn’t like the job and leaving, then showing up again two weeks later, same assignment, company B (highger rate of pay, too).
Secretarial was a bit easier; I had a black blazer I wore all the time with a nice pin on it and a (yes) gold name tag.
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Always write down your hours in a book you keep on you all the time.
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Always make a copy of your time card.
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Always be ready to head out the door on a last minute assignment.
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Take the time to study for/pass the typing and competency exams.
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Always write down your instructions and duties.
Other tips for temps:
- Never take anything to work that you would care about losing. You never know when you’re going to be kicked out of an assignment.
-Bring a book.
-Bring a water bottle. I’ve worked lots of assignments where the only breaks I got other than lunch were pee breaks.
-Learn how to nod and smile when people are giving you complicated instructions for the future and you know you’re only going to be there another two days. I don’t know why people feel the need to try to train a very short-term employee in such depth. I say “Whatever.” in my head an awful lot.
-Don’t answer your phone at home if you want a couple of days off. They’ll find someone else if you don’t call them back until the end of the day, and you don’t have to try to explain to them that you just need a couple of days of downtime (which they don’t seem to understand - you’re at their beck and call, aren’t you?)
Is it common (or even standard procedure) for the agency to call you on the very day you’d like to work?
I ask because I temped throughout all of February, didn’t hear a peep from the agency in March, and then at 9:15 on the morning of April 9 (Good Friday), the agency called to ask if I could take a job that day. Of course I said no, and I was more than a little annoyed by the absence of advanced warning. Haven’t heard back from them since then.
If they do that to me again, should I tell them I need more than, what, 15 minutes’ notice(!) thankyouverymuch, or would that be fruitless and possibly piss them off?
Uh, the last bit of the first sentence should read, “on the very day they’d like you to work.”
Yeah, actually it is SOP for the agency to call you with no warning. And then they act a little huffy when you say you need time for a shower and breakfast before you can make it to an assignment. “Well, they need you there as soon as you can get there. Are you sure you can’t get there before 10?” Yeah, I’m sure. It’s 9:00 now, you loon. Ah, the wonderful world of the disposable employee.