Temp Agency
 

okay, so it has been almost three months since i graduated and havent gotten a full time job yet. I would love to stay with the company i currently work for, but i havent found a full time job that is either wanting to hire me, or me interested in them.

So, this morning i went and registered at a temp agency. So many people have told me to do that, but I didnt think I needed it.

Hopefully this was a good step for me. I just dont want to give my two weeks notice where I am at now to go and work somewhere where it might end up only being a temporary job. The recruiter told me that only about 10% of the people dont get a permanent job from it. You just have to do your job right.


any thoughts?

Re: Temp Agency
 

What is your degree in and what kind of job are you looking for? Where have you been looking and what methods are you using to look? Have you been going to networking events, going to your undergrad career center and talking to everyone about your goals? Or are you passively reading classifeds and sending in 100s of resumes?


But you run the risk of any job being a "temporary job." It's just a matter of taking an offer that feels right to you at the time. Weeks, months or years later, you and/or your employer may think otherwise.

Also, most temp work is clerical work-- secretary type work. Temp agencies usually aren't needed to place people in entry level jobs. Recruiting agencies will place high-demand fields (engineering, accounting, etc.) with this level staff or management level across various industries.

What is it you want to do for a living?

I think this was an excellent move. Also, be sure to register with their "permanent side"not just their temping side (most agencies have a temp side and a perm side)

A lot of employers today use agencies because they want to "try out" someone first, without fully committing to hiring you.

Also, employers use agencies do their recruiting function, so that they themselves to not have to read through 18, 327 resumes for one job posting.

My beef with temp agency is that they take your money. If you're making $10/hr, for example, the company you're working for is probably paying the temp agency $15/hr - the temp agency is keeping the $5/hr.

I know at my work seeing "XYZ Temp Agency" isn't nearly as impressive as seeing that the applicant spent the same amount of time elsewhere.

I don't think temping is a good idea if you're starting a career, intend to stay in the same city, etc. (I understand there are situations where this works - you HAVE to fill in the gap, money/employment wise, you're a pregnant woman and no one will hire you with benefits, etc.)

I hate temping
 

Temping sucks for the most part. The thing I hate the most about it is the contracter treats you like the worlds biggest idiot, and I can understand why. They probably get some tools in there. You should rent "Clockwatchers" it's all about temping.
It's good for those who don't want to make a committment, but keep in mind a few things. You have the right to tell your agent that you want X amount of money per hour and you are not budging. Usually they will agree. Also, if you don't like the assignment they give you, you have the right to leave and ask for a new placement. That is what they get the big bucks for. I temped once for a company for 1 year (it was a 3 weeks assignment). They eventually hired me and I stayed for an additional 8 months after that. However, I still did the "temp" jobs and everyone thought I was their own personal secretary.
Be strong, do it for awhile until you can get situated elsewhere. If you want more advice, PM me.

Re: Re: Temp Agency
 

NOT

I'm a financial analyst and I'm currently with a temp agency on assignment at a large technical, computer software company out here. And I know that they use temps (contingent staff as they call them) quite a bit. I also know people who have been here in contingent staff positions for years........

Do a little research on temp agencies.

I've worked for temp agencies before and have had both good and bad experiences. The best advice I heard was to call the companies you're most interested in working for, ask them which agencies they use to supply them with temporary employees, and then apply to those temp agencies and indicate you're interested in having assignments at those companies when possible.

I obtained the position I currently am at through a temp agency actually.

I had just graduated from school (December grad) and wasn't sure whether I wanted to go to grad school or not. If I did I wouldnt start until the fall.

Well I started temping and after a month of "proving" that I was smart and capable they placed me at a good company. I was actually working under the CFO. Good work if I was interested in working with finances. They will trying to hire someone for that position and offered the job to me, but I wanted to hold out for something in my major if I got an offer.

Well about a month later I started working where I work now. They had me come in actually for another position, but after only a week or two working there they hired for me project manager in construction.

I have been here two years and now am about to leave to be a land use specialist.

So the job I have now got me to where I want to be. So going through a temp agency could work out.

Temp Agencies are excellent for getting your foot in the door with a company, just realize you may go on a few temporary assignments before you get a good one.

I have worked for several companies who hired most of their people after having them there as temps (including my current company). The management gets to know you, and gets to see how you work. At my company now I know a few managers that will start casual conversations with temps they like - asking what they're really interested in doing... If we have something like what they are looking for a lot of times we hire them.

Re: Re: Re: Temp Agency
 

I don't know about all areas, but in Charlotte, there are temp agencies who specialize in Medical (CEO used to, but there are others too), Finacial (mobius, and Addecco has a branch that's nothing but financial), Construction (Labor Finders, Tradesmen Intl), etc. or at the very least, most general temp agencies have accout reps that specialize in spesific areas.

Also, secretaries are pretty outdated. Anymore you have Receptionists - who pretty much do nothing but answer the phone (unless that person has other spesific jobs - one company I worked for, the Receptionist was also the accts payable person, but it was pretty much two seperate jobs and she happened to have both). Or you have Admin. Assistants, who do meanial tasks (memos, mail, etc), but unlike secretaries, ususally have some sort of management-type responsibility.

here is an update on my job search! i really need help!


okay this has nothing to do with the temp agency, i havent really gotten anything back from them except some weird emails from employers i dont know much about.

anyway- i would ultimately like to stay at the company i work for now. of course, not doing the same thing since right now i am a teller.

so- last month i interviewed for a credit investigator. it sounded SO interesting, it was close by and the money was good. this was still for the same company i work for. i found out they didnt hire me, but its a new department moving here and they will be hiring more people during the year. when i talked to the guy, he said i was a strong candidate and they are really looking at me to hire me on in july/august.

so this week i saw another job opening, but i wasnt sure about. it was for an administrative assistant...still with the same company. i went in for an interview yesterday and it was my longest interview so far- an hour! they didnt talk about salary because they said they dont handle that. they still had other interviews, but would make their decision by friday. well today at work, human resources called and offered me the job. They gave me a certain salary that i wasnt expecting. i wanted about 7,000 more. anyway, i told the guy and he said he would ask and call back. so he called back and said they would go up 2,000 more. he said they must have really seen something in me because most administrative assistants dont even get that now. So i told him i needed time to think about it and i would call him tomorrow with my decision. WELL, he calls me back and said he just got word from his mananger that they cannot give me the 2000 increase and would have to go back to what they initially told me. he even said that was very unprofessional but it does happen sometime. his reason was because the admins now dont even make that much and wouldnt be fair............EVEN THOUGH I HAVE 5 YEARS EXPERIENCE AS BEING AN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT AND HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE.



what should i do?!?!?! i know its not certain that the credit investigator position will go through, but i am not sure i want the admin. position. If i were to take it, i would deal with WAY MORE traffic, not what i want to REALLY do, and not the money i expected.

i just feel like i shouldnt accept WHATEVER job comes my way. I called the credit investigator guy and told him the truth. he said they are strongly considering me but he has no guarantees, which i understand.

of course, right now i am a part time teller, so this would be a step up, but not necessarily in the step i wanted to take.


HELP!:confused:

i would be interested in other responses too!!
 

i wouldnt take it because it sounds like its not even in your salary range and they reneged on an offer. the latter sounds very unprofessional to me.


i say hold out as long as you can.

regarding temp agencies. it is an interesting industry to say the least. i have worked with them for several years and have had mixed opinions. the best experiences i have had have been with those who took the time to listen to what my needs were and then found positions that were suitable to my skills, talents and goals. sometimes the money wasnt always what i wanted, but i appreciated the recruiters willingness to place me someplace that i could grow. i have also found that being extra-consciencious about the job that you do and maybe putting yourself in the recruiters shoes, you can build a great repoir and with each assignment you will get a better placement and they are willing to 'give' you more money.

the agencies that dont spend the time really getting to know you, to me are those that have no interest in you and will place you anywhere they need to fill a whole to make their quota.

this is just my experience. i live in the dc area where there are more agencies than you can shake a stick at.

just remain positive and take each assignment as it comes.

My opinion on temp work is that if you act like a "temp", you're going to be treated like a "temp". There is NOTHING wrong with working a temp job, expecially since a majority of big business utilize temp agencies as search engines for non-executive level talent. If you want to be treated like a professional, act like one. Show an interest in the company and think outside of the "box" of the temp position.

When I first got out of college, I went to a well known temp agency in Atlanta and was offered a 6 month position with a major corporation (think big time soda company). Although the pay was average, I was thrilled to get my foot in the door and not have to go on endless interviews and spend a small fortune on sending out resumes. When a permanent position opened, who was the first person they offered the job? Me. Had I never temped, I would have never gotten the HR position I had always wanted.

I don't know if it's just me, but it seems like there are a number of people (not saying anyone specifically) who have unrealistic thoughts of what they are owed. So you graduated from college? You and about 100 other candidates who are vying for the same job....many who are more qualified and attended better schools. Sometimes you have to take a smaller salary to gain experience. I just don't think that some recent graduates get that.

As for a temp agency taking a percentage of the pay, what's wrong with that? They are a business and they are able to get you a job where otherwise you are having no success (once again not calling out anyone specifically, but stating in general terms). Don't want to pay a fee? Go down to the state offices and try and find a job suited to your taste at the local job link with the rest of the underprivileged/unemployed. After one day there, I know you'd be singing a different tune about the temp agency getting a cut.

I think I would pass
 

I don't think I would take this position because you might get stuck there for a year (or more) before they will let you transfer to a new department depending on the company policy. You will not be happy with the AA position especially if the pay is low.

well said
 

you said exactly what i was feeling, but much more eloquently..lol

What is a reasonable entry-level salary (not including benefits) for some of the bigger corporate careers for people who have liberal arts type educations?

I'll list some and see if anyone has any thoughts. Of course, specify the area of the country!

Communication (e.g. publishing, news, radio, etc.)
Consulting
Financial Services (e.g. banking, tax stuff/like H&R Block, etc.)
Finance (e.g. Morgan Stanley)
Hospitality
Human Resources

Please feel free to add!! I know there are websites that give averages but they are JUST averages...and they don't seem very accurate. And, I also realize that many factors play into hiring.

.......
 

aside from websites like salary.com or the bureau of labors statistics (i think), going to the websites for each industry would be another good thing to look at. with all the numbers i would be able to pick a good range of what you could expect.

Mine doesn't take a cut of my pay. I get $X per hour, they charge the company I am at $Y per hour. You could probably consider that a cut, but I"m getting exactly what I was promised.

And it's kind of funny but I got an email last week from my agency telling me that I have the opportunity to upgrade my insurance (still at full cost paid by them) because I'm a long term employee.

April 1st marks 6 months....... :D

I think that going through a temporary agency is totally fine.

So many companies go through agencies because they dont have time to do things themselves and its much easier to have someone else do it for them.

I got my college degree, but have never found anything in my field open around here. You need like 5 or more years experience and coming out of college I had none so I have no chance. Its been 3 years so I am over it already.

Anyways, I couldnt find jobs so I went to a temp agency. I did the temp to hire and got a great job I loved. I worked there for over a year. Recently, there were some cuts so a lot of jobs were lost and one was mine so I am now back on the job search.

I have applied at all temp agencies in the area to help me. Its more of a tool for you. They do screw you with money because at my old job we hired temps for the secretary job and she made 10 a hour and the agency got 16 a hour for her, but in the long run it can help you.

You are out there looking for jobs and they are too. They find jobs you may not ever know about and most places want to help you. They are getting money if they place you so they want to find you something great. Its great because you can quit when you find exactly what you want or you may find what you want through them. You get paid every week and have money while you are searching. Its better than sitting around is how i look at it and you arent going broke if you are temping while searching.

Dont let them put you in a job you dont want though. Know what you want or what you are looking for. I once went on a job because they talked me into it and it was horrible. I told them though I wouldnt stay so they found me something else, and they want as much money for you so dont take the low amount, tell them you want more.

Administrative Assistants make so much less than what they are worth. Im looking for something like that now. I have a degree but everyone wants to pay you 10 a hour or something. Keep looking. I applied for one this week for 17 a hour, most Ive seen for a Admin, but Im sure everyone applied to that one. I was a Office Manager but those are hard jobs to find so now Im looking for anything. Just keep on searching, youll find something.

Agree on the jobs taking forever too. If you apply to something on Careerbuilder it could take 2 months before they call you. At my last jobs we posted on careerbuilder for a job and we got 400 resumes in a week. It takes forever to swift through them and decide who is best to call in. It took me 3 weeks to go through all those resume to just decide who to call to talk to. If its a small office or just one person looking at resumes it takes a while. A lot of places like to have you submit them by fax or mail, it weeds out a lot of people who just email resumes and they get more interested canidates.

Good Luck on your search.

I have a couple of questions.

Do you have to go through interviews and send resumes?

How often can you switch jobs, can you do it week to week?

Can you select your days and the hours you want to work?

If you're trying to do Temp-to-hire, generally you go through resume/interviews, but the Temp company takes care of sending them out. If it's a shorter job (a few days or weeks), usually there's no interview.

When you are given a temp assignment, you are given how long it will last (or at least a general idea). You are expected to complete the entire assignment. If you don't complete your assignment, normally the agency will throw you to the bottom of the candidate pool - they need people who can follow through.

You can tell your agency what hours you prefer to work, and they will try to find jobs that match those hours. They can and will, though call you at 3pm on Monday and ask if you would like to work at 9 am Tuesday thru Friday (that happened more then once to me). You have the right to turn down any assignment - and it generally should be without penalty to your "rank" on their list. Temps are usually "ranked" according to assignment completion, Client feedback, neatness/presentation, test scores when starting at the agency, etc... and those who are top ranked get offered the assignments first, and on down the list until someone accepts the assignment.

it doesn't sound to me like you put much effort into the temp agency situation. I think some companies aren't going to work out sometimes, so try another. Find out which ones the companies you would want to work for go through.

Yes, you do have experience as an administrative assistant and a college degree but thats the pay of the position you were applying for.. if you don't like the pay get a job in another area.
I think that you should apply for a position in the area you have a degree in.. take an entry level job in that field stressing the job experience skills you have gained.

I have to agree with floridatish.. so many people feel like just because they have a college degree they are entitled to a position and that employers will come to you. Its competitive out there.. and can take time.

If you don't like the position you are in.. set goals on where you want to be and figure out how to get there. Take more classes if need be, get the experience neccessary in that field, but dont sit back and wait for this dream job to be handed to you.

What is your degree in (did I miss that somewhere)?

ditto the previous post. You sound as though you expect a frankly entry level (or in some cases the final level) job such as a teller or a secretary to be a high paying one. I know many people who are tellers who do not have college degrees, and most of the admins, even the admins of senior level vp's here, do not have college degrees. If you are entering fields which require little to no skill set (i.e. you learn on the job) you cannot expect your college degree to make you more attractive, and you certainly face enourmous (and potentially lower salary) competition.

Its hard finding a job, but temp agencies can definately help you out.

Temporary jobs have helped me out when I was in those states that had a sluggish economy. Maybe you can temp for awhile save money and then maybe relocate to a better area fora job.
While temping I ran into people who said that their temp position eventually became permanent for them. Also, substitute teachers make a pretty good salary at least $100.00 or more a day depending upon what area of the country you may live in. Just some food for thought and advice from one whose been around the job game for awhile!;)