Cathy A. Reilly, Author at Job-Hunt

Be the “Temp” Everyone Wants to Work With

Cathy A. Reilly — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:43 +0000

Temporary employment is a three-sided work relationship:

1 – The client company where the “temps” perform their work.

2 – The staffing service which has client companies where temps are placed to work.

3 – The temporary employee.

As a temp, you are always going to be linked to your staffing service and to the potential client companies where you perform your work assignments.

This means you have two employment partners who will assess your skills, abilities, and performance.

These two partners are the pipeline for your work:

Impress either, and you’ll stack the odds in your favor for continuing work assignments.
Impress them enormously, and you could receive an offer for a full-time position.

The good news is that as a temp, you are actually in the business of You, Inc. This means you are your own product.

No one but you can bring the exact same formula to your temp assignments. Because of this, you have the ability to stand out and make yourself memorable and desirable as an employee.

As a temporary employee, it pays to realize that many client companies are impressed by temps who treat their temporary work assignments like a full-time job. This can result in a “temp-to-perm” transition.

Assuming skill and experience levels can be met, demonstrate basic good business practices such as being on time, dressing appropriately, making a great first impression, demonstrating a positive attitude, being respectful and considerate of others.

These are the steps you can take, for each of your employment partners, to become the temp everyone wants to work with:

From the Client Company’s perspective:

Understand the company’s culture.

In a word, a company’s culture is their “personality”. For a temp, (or any employee for that matter), being able to relate well to that personality is extremely important.

It means fitting in with the norms and behaviors of a company’s policies, practices, employees, and management. Not being able to mesh well can really be a problem.

When starting, keep your eyes open, observe, and learn!
Be easy to train.

Take notes, and refer to them. Engage in training by asking relevant questions, expressing understanding of concepts and details.

Know who you can go to for help on the job and where to find information on your own so you can be as self-sufficient as possible.
Know how to build rapport.

Understand how to be friendly without the need to “make friends” on work assignments with both employees and managers.

Don’t ask prying or personal questions of those you work with. By the same token, don’t reveal too much about your own personal life or work situation.

Keep things light and general, after all… it is a work environment.
Don’t get too familiar too fast.

Being new at a company you need to respect boundaries (both physically and socially) within the workspace.

Some examples are: not helping yourself to supplies, snacks, or coffee without invitation, and not passing judgments on the client’s processes, practices, employees, or management.

While temps need to be comfortable on assignments, there is a line not to be crossed that shows respect for the client employer rather than a sense of entitlement or the right to make criticisms.
Be adaptable and flexible.

Develop a “go with the flow” attitude and be ready for constant changes. Change is the nature of temporary work, so be a capable chameleon.

From the Staffing Service’s perspective:

The staffing service is your real employer — the ones that issue your paycheck. You want them to be happy with your work, too.

Here’s what they need from you:

Stay in touch.

Keep the staffing service updated on your assignment status and how things are going. Don’t let them be caught unaware or with surprises.

Ask them how you can be helpful to them and the practices you can follow that would make their job easier.
Provide insight.

Temps are a valuable source of information about the client company to their staffing service because they have a bird’s eye view and real-world experience.

Help the staffing service develop an even greater knowledge about how things really tick inside their client’s company. With this advantage, the staffing service can provide even better service and place temps who can be very effective.
Don’t be high maintenance or needy.

Be easy to reach, responsive, and self-sufficient. Know how to figure things out on your own so you don’t have to be spoon-fed every step of the way.

Keep things simple and streamlined on your end.
Be a fine representative.

Remember, temps are the face of the staffing service in front of a client, so represent the staffing service with the highest of professionalism.

Client companies certainly notice a temp’s behavior, attitude, and protocols. Give them cause to look at you as one of their own future representatives!

The Bottom Line:

Consider your temporary work as an opportunity to stay up-to-date, perhaps learning some new skills, while you earn an income, expand your network, and perhaps garner some good recommendations for that next permanent job (if a permanent job is what you want). Temping does also provide you with the opportunity to “audition” for a permanent job – read “Temporary Work Can Be a Job Audition” for more information.

More About Temporary Work Options

About the author…

Cathy A. Reilly is the author of The Temp Factor: The Job Seeker’s Guide to Temporary Employment and The Temp Factor: The Complete Guide to Temporary Employment for Staffing Services, Clients, and Temps. For more information about temporary employment, read Cathy’s books, or email her at thetempfactor@aol.com. Follow Cathy on Twitter @cathyareilly, and connect with her on LinkedIn.
More about this author…

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Turn Temporary Work Challenges into Positives

Cathy A. Reilly — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:43 +0000

It’s a new year and a time when we seem to naturally develop a new attitude as we change our calendars.

Top 5 Temporary Work Challenges (and Solutions)

If you find yourself working on a temporary basis or considering it as a way to return to work in 2014, you will face some challenges that go with this territory. With the right information and attitude, there are ways to turn these around instead of being intimidated by them. Here’s the top five challenges that temps face, as I see them:

Challenge #1 (Pay Level)

This is probably the biggest challenge a temp faces. Discuss with your staffing service representative the hourly rate of pay for temps possessing your particular skills so you will know what your earning potential will be.

Sometimes temps can make more per hour than a full-timer at the same job.

This is because there are no benefits, payroll taxes, and insurance costs being paid by the organization where temps are assigned. These items are arranged and covered through the staffing service (your actual employer).

If you need to earn more per hour, ask the staffing service what you can do to increase your pay:

Are there more technical skills or certification that you need to make a difference in what you can get paid?
Can you pick up weekend or off-hour assignments that may pay differentials for these non-standard work hours?

Be sure to check with multiple staffing services on what they pay. Hourly rates may vary, but usually only slightly. In any event, you don’t want to find out later that the staffing service across the street pays more for the same job.

Challenge #2 (Lack of Benefits)

Remember, as a temp, the staffing service is your employer. Find out what the staffing service offers in the way of benefits to their temporary employees. Things have changed a lot over the past decade in this area.

It’s common now for a staffing service to require that temps work a certain number of consistent hours in order to become eligible for their benefit program. Benefits offered will vary by each staffing service. The benefits from some staffing services may include paid vacation or time off, participation in a 401(k) or health insurance plan.

The Affordable Care Act increases access to health insurance through employers or government-regulated exchanges beginning on January 1, 2014. Temporary employees will now need to be aware of their rights, obligations and opportunities under the ACA. Check out HealthCare.gov to learn.

Challenge #3 (Sporadic Work)

The fear of only working assignments that are few and far between can be handled through a few tactics:

Register with several staffing services (large/national and small/local) to increase your chances for work.
Ask your staffing service(s) about long-term temp assignments that are available.
Ask your staffing service(s) about any temp-to-perm (temporary to permanent) job assignments that are available.
Ask your staffing service(s) if they have any internal projects or positions available that you may fill.
Ask your staffing service(s) about any hard-to-fill work assignments they may be working on to see if you may be just the right person to handle the position.

Regularly check in about work assignments with any staffing services you are registered with, and make your availability known on an ongoing basis.

Make it a point to report back to your rep after every temp assignment, and give them feedback on the work you performed and what it was like to work on the assignment. This provides the staffing service with firsthand knowledge and is extremely valuable. It gives them practical, real world information about their clients, so they can better understand them.

Sharing this information helps the staffing service continue to grow their competitive edge and provide even more service to their clients – you may help them discover a need they weren’t even aware existed. It also aligns you as a staffing service “ambassador.” When you help make the staffing service look good, they will be more inclined to call you for future work.

Challenge #4 (Keeping Skills Current)

This is an area where you will need to stay self-motivated.

Observe what skills are being used on the job during your work assignments by others around you in your field. Talk to co-workers about what applications and what versions they are using. How are they staying current? What websites do they use for references and what are they reading on a regular basis for their information? Learn what the trends are while on the job.

Many staffing services offer online training and testing, so take advantage of any of these they provide. Depending on your particular job, do you need to be certified or take any advanced courses? Talk to the staffing service rep for their suggestions on keeping your skill level and knowledge level current. This is what they do, so tap into their expertise.

Challenge #5 (Reduced Colleague/Network Base)

You can feel like an island when you work as a temp. To counter that, develop your own set of colleagues and network partners.

First, your staffing service representative is one of your best networking partners, so be sure to develop and nurture that relationship. Work with your staffing service rep to introduce you to other temps at their service you can learn from and share information with.

Participate in any events sponsored by your staffing service.

Sign up for newsletters, follow blogs about temporary employment to not only educate yourself on trends and issues but to know who the experts are and what they’re saying about temping. Communicate with blog article contributors, provide comments to bloggers, and ask for advice.

More About Temporary Work Options

About the author…

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3 Insider Tips for Getting More Temporary Work

Cathy A. Reilly — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:43 +0000

The cold reality of working as a temp is that you are usually dependent upon your staffing service to get you work. Staffing services are often the way to get back to work faster than waiting for a full-time job offer to surface.

Treat the Staffing Service as Your Employer

The staffing services have the clients who need people to fill their jobs, so the staffing services are the gatekeepers to your temporary employment (which may become permanent). Of course, this is assuming there is market demand for work in your field.

Although staffing services are the vehicle, you are the fuel that makes them go. And, believe me, they need YOU. But, just what kind of fuel are you?

So, focus on the positive, what YOU can do to help the process of finding temporary work, and remember you have two clients to please – the staffing service and their client, the employer.

Here are three tips on getting more work as a temp. (Note: these items will also carry you throughout your career in any status.)

1.Be qualified.

Have up-to-date knowledge and skills.

Make sure your job knowledge and technical skills are current and continually up-dated so you are qualified and will be considered.

If you are out of work now, entering or re-entering the job market, staffing agencies and employers are looking for people with first-rate skills. You must stay sharp. Finding employment, including temping, requires your best efforts.

Because being at a level of “qualified” might not be enough . . . read, read, read. Know what’s going on in your specialized industry or job area. Seek ways to increase your knowledge and become a mini-expert about your field so you can present yourself as uniquely well-informed. Obtain certifications if available.

Join your industry association (probably a fee charged to join, which may be prohibitive at the present time, but perhaps not in the future) or join a MeetUp group or groups (which are typically free) to build a network, make contacts, and continue your learning.

Take any relevant or helpful training offered by your staffing service once you get registered. Check out YouTube for training as well. There are thousands of “how to” videos that you can learn from, and many other online sources of additional training, from basic training at KhanAcademy.org to very advanced subjects at MIT OpenCourseware and many other sources at all levels of complexity.

Be prepared for a background check.

A qualified temp is also able to pass a background check by a staffing service or future employer. Make sure there are no issues that will prevent you from passing. Areas that are checked can vary by staffing service or job, but often include a check into your driver’s license, education, criminal and/or credit records. There may also be drug testing that is performed.

If you know there is an issue, be upfront and mention it before the background check/testing has begun. There are times that a conversation explaining the situation makes a difference. If you say nothing, and a problem is discovered, you will likely not even be considered further in the process because of your lack of disclosure.

2. Be a good “fit” with the staffing service.

Staffing services have many temp candidates to choose from for jobs, and they will always look for the best qualified who are an all-around joy to work with.

Be a pleasure to work with.

Being a pleasure to work with sounds simple enough, and most would immediately respond that they are.

But, you need to be brutally honest here. We all have our quirks and if any of yours show in an interview with a staffing service or while dealing with a staffing service or one of their clients, you may start to become less desirable to them.

Some of these less-desirable quirks can include:

Lateness
Inappropriate dress
Being unreliable
Being hard to reach
Turning down work too often.

The staffing service is going to be your advocate to their clients, so demonstrate that you are someone who will represent them well and will be partnered with them to support their mission.

Understand your customer (and their customer).

During your interview with the staffing service, ask what qualities they see as ideal in their temps, and what qualities their clients prefer. Then, do your best to demonstrate those qualities, and leverage that information to yield more work.

Staffing firms want temps who make them look good in front of their clients.

3. Perform and behave with excellence on the job.

Temps who produce high quality work, which is mistake-free, and who take initiative are going to be valued.

Those who provide that something extra are actions that are going to be noticed and remembered. For example:

“I arranged the list alphabetically by last name and also by date.”
“I made you 3 extra copies just in case you might need them.”
“I left a voicemail and followed up with an email”.

Displaying a strong work ethic, which includes on-time attendance (not only in the morning, but at lunchtime and breaks as well), dressing appropriately, positivity, being a generous team player, and adapting quickly to corporate cultures are going to encourage callbacks as well.

Bottom Line

Temps who come prepared to play by the rules and treat job assignments with the care they would extend to a full-time job are all winning approaches. It shows you are serious as a worker – providing a solution and a service, no matter your status (temp vs. permanent). Being a serious worker increases the chances that a company asks for you to return for future assignments, having a temp assignment extended, or having a company provide rave reviews about you to your staffing service.

Any of these will certainly make you more in demand as a temp.

All these items are things within your own control as a temp and set you up for more work through your staffing service. Remember, YOU are the fuel that makes the staffing service go, so make sure you’re offering Premium!

More About Temporary Work Options

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Find Seasonal Work (and Success!) Through a Staffing Service

Cathy A. Reilly — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:43 +0000

Seasonal jobs are increasing in popularity year after year and so is the competition for these jobs.

Workers in industries such as retail (clothing, appliance and computers), hospitality (hotels, restaurants), and event planning (host services, catering, entertainment) to name a few, are needed.

Workers have to be selected and trained in advance of the influx of shoppers. Job seekers looking for work through the year-end holidays need to be in high gear as early as September or October.[See the links at the bottom of the article for more information.]

Using a Staffing Service

One of the ideal ways for a job seeker to find a seasonal job is through a staffing service. Employers who need the extra help engage staffing services to ramp up their hiring.

Despite the sense of seasonal urgency to fill these jobs, be prepared that the staffing service will still follow their protocol of testing, interviewing and placing eligible job candidates with an employer.

This process is meant to move swiftly since timing is of the essence to fill seasonal jobs.

Here are seven tips for not only finding seasonal work through a staffing service, but turning it to a success:

1.Start online.

Search under “staffing services” or “temporary employment” and include your city name. Use the keyword “seasonal” or “holiday” in your search once you find a staffing service.

2.Go big.

For seasonal work, your best bet can be with one of the large to mid-sized staffing services who can effectively meet the volume staffing needed by the large companies that engage them for holiday help. [See a list of large firms at the bottom of this article.]

3.Apply early.

Don’t delay in applying for seasonal work. Many companies begin their holiday hiring cycle in early October. This is because they need to allow time for the hiring and training process to be completed before dispatching their seasonal workers “on the floor”.

4.Be ready.

Have your skills, resume, references and employment documentation in order and ready to go. You don’t want to stall the process in any way or be counted out because there are proficiency or administrative items pending.

5.Communicate your availability.

Let the staffing service know what days and times you’re available. If you can work weekends, evenings, or overtime be sure to make that readily known. Because these times tend to be less desirable amongst workers, this can put you ahead of the pack to standout (in a good way!).

6.Have flexibility.

Keep an open mind as to finding the perfect match between the type of job you are seeking and what may actually be available. The point is to secure seasonal work. Doing something outside your comfort zone may turn into a learning and rewarding experience. You may be surprised! Realize, it’s the people you work with that make or break a job.

7.Attitude counts.

Treat any seasonal work with the same attitude you would a full time job and you’ll impress any potential employer. Remember, this extends to any customers you assist while on the job. You never know who they are, and how they could turn around and help you (karma!).

Staffing Agencies Offering Temporary Jobs

Most staffing agencies focus on filling permanent positions, but these agencies are among the largest that either focus on providing temporary help or offer temporary staffing as one of the services they provide to their clients (employers). You are paid by the agency, so both the agency and the employer (who pays the agency for your work) are your clients.

In general, three kinds of jobs are available through agencies:

Temporary jobs – these jobs are short-term assignments, from a few days to a few months
Temp-to-perm jobs – these jobs are like “try-outs” for both sides. After starting the job as a temporary assignment, the employee may be offered a permanent job.
Permanent jobs – although, these days, no job is really “permanent,” these are hopefully long-term employer/employee relationships.

These large agencies can be good starting points. To find a temporary job, you may need to search using the term “temporary” or “contract” as one of your search criteria, or look for a job category like “flexible work options.”

Adecco – international; industrial, office/admin, accounting/finance jobs
Aerotek/Thingamajob – USA/Canada; industrial, office/admin jobs
Express Employment Professionals – USA; industrial, office/admin jobs
Kelly Services – international; industrial, office/admin jobs
Kforce – USA, Philippines; technology, office/admin jobs
Manpower – international; industrial, office/admin jobs
Randstad – international; technology, engineering, industrial, office/admin jobs
Robert Half – international; accounting/finance, office/admin jobs

Remember that their focus is usually on keeping their clients happy because their clients are the ones paying the bills.

More About Seasonal Jobs

More About Temporary Work Options

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Temporary Work Can Be a Job Audition

Cathy A. Reilly — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:43 +0000

Most job seekers are focused on obtaining full-time work and full-time work only.

In many cases, job seekers don’t consider temporary employment as a job search option because they either don’t know about it or don’t understand how it works.

Yet, temporary employment may be a way to get back to work faster.

Temping Can Be Better than an Interview

While temporary work may not be your ultimate employment goal, it can do something that a resume cannot: get you inside the doors of a potential employer and often in front of decision makers or hiring managers.

And while you’re there, you have the opportunity to show the value you bring, the skills you possess, and the positive impact you could have on their company.

That’s why it could be called a job audition.

With an interview you can only speak about what you can do. On the job as a temp, you can demonstrate it.

Process to Land a Temporary Job

You must realize though that temporary work is not just yours for the asking. You must prove your worth. You’ll have to meet with a staffing service, pass their testing and qualification screening, and successfully complete their interview process. If you do and they can match you up effectively with a job assignment, you’ll be sent out to any one of the small, medium, or large sized companies that they service.

Surprisingly, you may have been trying to get your foot in the door at these very same companies but to no avail until now, when you report to them as a temp.

Stand Out without Pitching

Working as a temp, your priority will be on performing to the best of your ability where you are assigned vs. pitching for a full-time job.

Most employers will be turned off if they think a temp is only there to try to get hired, unless the job was posted as a “temp-to-perm” position.

Employers are looking at temps as resources that will help them solve a staffing shortage and partner with them to keep the work in motion. Employers are looking at temps to be selfless troubleshooters.

But, and this is a big IF, if you do exceptional work and display an outstanding work ethic as a temp, most companies are going to be impressed enough to at least pay attention to who you are, request that you return, consider keeping you on longer term or even hiring you.

Temps who provide high quality work and show commitment to their assignments do stand out to employers. Those who perform their temporary work with the same excellence they would in a permanent position distinguish themselves just by the fact that no matter what the nature of the work, they still offer their best.

Bottom Line

If you are in the market for a new full-time job, do your research and consider working as a temp. It can be an unfolding opportunity. You may be surprised at the places it will take you, the contacts you can make, and the experience you can build from it. Like everything in life, it’s going to boil down to the energy you put into it and importantly, the attitude you keep while doing it.

More About Temporary Work Options

About the author…

The post Temporary Work Can Be a Job Audition appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Cathy A. Reilly, Author at Job-Hunt

Be the “Temp” Everyone Wants to Work With

From the Client Company’s perspective:

Understand the company’s culture.

Be easy to train.

Know how to build rapport.

Don’t get too familiar too fast.

Be adaptable and flexible.

From the Staffing Service’s perspective:

Stay in touch.

Provide insight.

Don’t be high maintenance or needy.

Be a fine representative.

The Bottom Line:

More About Temporary Work Options

Turn Temporary Work Challenges into Positives

Top 5 Temporary Work Challenges (and Solutions)

Challenge #1 (Pay Level)

Challenge #2 (Lack of Benefits)

Challenge #3 (Sporadic Work)

Challenge #4 (Keeping Skills Current)

Challenge #5 (Reduced Colleague/Network Base)

More About Temporary Work Options

3 Insider Tips for Getting More Temporary Work

Treat the Staffing Service as Your Employer

1.Be qualified.

Have up-to-date knowledge and skills.

Be prepared for a background check.

2. Be a good “fit” with the staffing service.

Be a pleasure to work with.

Understand your customer (and their customer).

3. Perform and behave with excellence on the job.

Bottom Line

More About Temporary Work Options

Find Seasonal Work (and Success!) Through a Staffing Service

Using a Staffing Service

1.Start online.

2.Go big.

3.Apply early.

4.Be ready.

5.Communicate your availability.

6.Have flexibility.

7.Attitude counts.

Staffing Agencies Offering Temporary Jobs

More About Seasonal Jobs

More About Temporary Work Options

Temporary Work Can Be a Job Audition

Temping Can Be Better than an Interview

Process to Land a Temporary Job

Stand Out without Pitching

Bottom Line

More About Temporary Work Options