Anyone here work for a temp agency before? (1 Viewer)

[Calvin_Su]

So heres the deal. I just graduated college with a psych degree, and I lack work experience. I had planned on pursuing either clinical psych or teaching, but since last year I have decided I want to avoid it if possible.

From what I've read so far, temp agencies are a good idea for people who lack work experience, mainly because it gives you exposure to a variety of work environments, positions, and companies without the commitment that it would normally take. And this way, you can actually get a better perspective of different work environments rather than just reading or talking about them.

However, I understand that a lot of your luck in temp work depends on the temp agency you register with.

Has anyone here used a temp agency before? Which agency, and how was your experience?

PS - please no bashing. I don't want this thread to turn into a discussion of how stupid I am for not getting work experience or internships during my college years. I had my reasons, and other issues to deal with.

 

[drobbins]

Currently we have about 30 temps that I track in a manufacturing facility. I have not found much difference between agencies. Some do a little more testing and others are stricter on attendance. Whether a temp is good or not depends on the individual rather than the company. I would more classify the temp workers into groups:

• Temps that have no skill or work ethic. They usually don’t last a week here.
• Temps that have some skills but can’t get out of bed every day, therefore they can not keep a “real” job. They last a bit longer or are used for 1 – 3 week assignments where attendance is not an issue.
• Retired workers looking for a little extra income.
• Temps that don’t know how to bite their tongue and get fired a lot.
• Temps that speak limited English. If I can get past the communicating issue, they usually work their tail off.
• The temps that are starting out and are looking for that break.

Unfortunately the last group usually gets the same reputation and treatment as the first groups. We have been open here for 5 years with a revolving door of temps. Out of the hundreds that have worked here, I would guess we hired 10-20 full time.
Keep in mind that I am working with positions that require little or no IQ. You have finished college, so your potential employer will be looking for a higher caliber of worker. Many companies like “temp to hire” positions so they can do a “test drive” before they make a commitment.

 

[Bob Graz]

My son graduated a year ago with degrees in biology and chemistry. In his job search, he posted his resume on Monster.com. Through this he was approached by a number of temp agencies in our area and actually talked to several.

Temp agencies vary in types of assignments and in benefits. It would pay to sit down with 2 or 3 and have them looking for you. He did get one temp position offered to him but turned it down because it was an hour away and not really in his field. Ah, also forgot to mention, that many small companies use Temp agencies as their main avenue to hiring. They rely on the temp agency to screen prospective employees and use the 6 months or so as a way to determine if they are interested in you for a permanent position.

He ended up getting a good job at the university he graduated from in a lab. He got this through recommendations from the prof, who he did undergraduate research with. There were over 100 applicants. Bio degrees are a dime a dozen, his chemistry degree was more helpful.

So, my guidance would to be to use as many routes as possible in your job search. Temp agencies, career office at your university, professional organizations, etc. Finding a job these days requires very active searching. From my son's experience I was surprised at how difficult it was and he had two science degrees from a very good university. Good luck.

 

[Justin Lane]

My only experience with temp agency's was Kelly Services which tends to service industrial/manufacturing/life science type companies. This was right up my alley during college when I was looking for a part time job which had some relevancy with my major (engineering). I also had (3) 6 month co-ops during college which were a great help in finding work as well.

Just be warned that temp agencies don't give you much in the way of benefits or company support. Once you are onsite, you kind of operate as an island, and the only interaction you will have with the agency is sending in time sheets and receiving a pay check every couple of weeks.

Good luck with your job search. Availability of work (and salaries) is supply and demand driven.

J

 

[rbgrn]

The problem with working for temp agencies IMO is that you are overworked, underpaid (someone above you is taking a cut of your pay) and have no chance for promotion. I think that if you're going to take that route, you may as well start full time somewhere doing lower-skill level work and work your way up in the company a bit. At least that way you have a chance to prove some worth to superiors and advance in position and pay a bit.

 

[Calvin_Su]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I forgot to mention. I'm more interested in temp-to-hire positions then simply temp assignments.

 

[Justin Lane]

Calvin,

If you are looking for a temp to hire positiion, these tend to be longer term assignments. My only recommendation would be for you to look for a job which may prove interesting to you, or you may end up miserable for a long time (3-6 months). It sounds like right now you do not have a clear path as to what job you want to do, so good luck in your search.

J

 

[finalfrontier]

Only work for your self, as TEMP orarily as poss

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

What line of work are you looking for?

I worked for a temp agency after graduating and it's a good way to fill the gaps in the resume while you look for a permanent job. Even if you're not getting assignments you at least have that you belonged to the temp agency during the time period in question. Anything is better than a resume gap--it sends up red flags to anyone reading your resume.

Also, don't be afraid to pester the temp agency for jobs and don't be too picky. They stop calling you if you keep saying no. Get lots of exposure to different lines of work, make contacts, talk to people, and eventually something will happen.

You'll either find something you love doing, or find out what you don't like doing--both are equally useful things to know. You will have a long-term advantage over people who come straight out of college and immediately get a permanent job, then five years later they wonder why they stumbled down a dead-end career path.

 

[Calvin_Su]

Nothing in particular. I am open to any non-technical(engineering, accounting, computers) position, mainly because I don't have the qualifications and training for those.

I was interested in trying out a human resources position, but the recruiters I've spoken with so far have told me that it will be hard to get an HR position with the limited experience I have right now.

It looks like with my limited experience, I am looking at the "administrative assistant" type positions.