Temp Employment Agency Tips

A temp employment agency fills short term positions for employers. They provide staffing services in a wide range of industries, and the jobs available through a temporary placement agency could last anywhere from one day to several months. If you're looking for work, you might consider signing on with a few temporary employment agencies.

Benefits of working with a temp employment agency

• A temp job agency can help you to find a job quickly. If you need to get some income coming in quickly, working with a temporary placement agency could help you to find work faster than you might on your own.
  
• Some companies only hire their full time staff through a temp employment agency. Sometimes employers use temp agencies when they need to hire full time staff. Even though they may have a long term staffing need, they will hire a person on contract through an agency. Assuming that person proves to be a good fit for the company, the employer will then hire that person on a full time basis. Working through a temporary placement agency can be the only way to get hired full time at some companies.
  
• Temporary placement agencies get plenty of job leads that are not advertised. Working with a temp employment agency can open up a lot of job opportunities that will not be available to you if you choose not to work with an agency.
  
• If you are starting out in a new career or industry, doing a few contracts through a temp agency can help you to get related experience and make business contacts in a specific industry.

Things to remember when working with a temp employment agency

• You'll need to be very flexible with your schedule and available for work at a moment's notice. This requirement can be an issue if you have young children and need to arrange childcare. It will be important to think through and plan for your childcare needs ahead of time.
  
• Be honest about the hours you are available for work and the distance you are willing to commute. You can't turn down too many jobs or the staff at the agency will begin to think you are not serious about working and will stop calling you.
  
• Agencies are paid a percentage of your hourly wages by the employer. Sometimes the agency's cut is significant, making your wage quite low, while other agencies receive a smaller percentage, so you can make a fair hourly rate working as a temp.
  
• Temp agencies are paid by the employer, so they work for the employer, and the employer's needs are the first priority. I've actually seen a temp employment agency defined as a business that offers short term contract employment services to job seekers. That definition is completely backwards, actually temp agencies offer staffing services to employers who require staff on a short term basis. It's a very important distinction, because you must remember that the temp agency works for the employer, (not the job seeker) and meeting the employer's needs is the agency's first priority.
• Most temp agencies include a buyout clause in their contracts with employers. That means that if the employer wants to hire you on full time, they will have to pay the agency a fee. This buyout clause is fairly standard, so most employers who use an agency for their staffing needs and want to hire you on full time will not be surprised by this condition.

How to choose a temp agency

Like any other business, there are great temporary placement agencies and there are not so great temporary placement agencies. I've heard clients tell some wonderful stories about using temp agencies to find great, well paying jobs that lead to full time employment. Unfortunately, I've also heard some disappointing stories from clients who were not treated with respect at temp agencies.

Networking is the best way to find out which temp agencies are the best in your area. Try talking to friends who have used temp agencies, or if you have a local employment resource center, talk to staff and clients there to get recommendations on which temp agencies have the best reputation in your area.

There are plenty of temp job agencies out there. Some are general and fill positions in all kinds of industries, while others are more specific and are known for filling jobs in specific industries. If you're targeting a specific industry or type of job, it's smart to seek out agencies that specialize in that area. Because they are specialists, those agencies will have the best connections in your industry.

How to sign on with a temp agency

The process for signing on with a temp job agency varies; different agencies have different procedures. It's best to call the agency ahead of time or go in personally and ask about their procedure. Some agencies will simply ask you for a resume, some will ask you to fill out their application form, while others will want you to come in for an initial interview and skills testing.

People get nervous about going through this initial interview process with agencies, but it's actually a sign that you're with a good agency if they are interviewing you. If a temp employment agency requires some initial interviewing and testing before you sign on with them, it means they are taking the time to get to know you and your strengths so they can place you in an appropriate job.

It can be very beneficial to go through the testing offered by an agency because that testing will help you to quantify your skills when you are interviewing with all kinds of employers and assess whether your skills are in line with employers' expectations. For example, if your test results are low in a particular area, you'll be able to target areas for improvement and work on building those skills. Some temp agencies even have programs you can work through on your own to build specific skills. If your test results are strong, you will be able to quote them in any interview when an employer asks about those specific skills.

You can sign on with more than one temp employment agency. Some agencies will tell you that you must work exclusively for them, be very careful with these agencies. It is completely reasonable for you to sign on with more than one agency in order to have access to many job opportunities. Do be careful to find a balance and avoid signing on with too many agencies. If you're turning down work constantly from one agency because you're doing contracts for another agency, you will likely stop getting calls from the agency that you are turning down.

How to get called for a job through a temporary placement agency

Once you've signed on with an agency, it's important to keep in contact with the staff there on a regular basis so you are at the top of their minds when new job openings arise. Call about once a week just to check in, and do your best to speak with the same person each time. That way you'll build a relationship with someone at the agency who will think of your immediately when job leads arise.

Calling this often may feel a bit aggressive for some people, and it's true that you wouldn?t call any other employer this frequently. However, this level of assertiveness is acceptable when you are dealing with a temp employment agency; calling once a week to ask about job leads is necessary and completely appropriate.