Classification of Temps According To Industry

The sooner a temp can translate classroom theory to office applications, the quicker he or she will master the skill.

When you visit with several temporary services, ask them about their training programs before you register for employment. In addition;

1. Learn what the expected pay difference can be once you've completed training.
   
   
   
   
2. Ask if training is free, or if there is any employment commitment on your part in order to participate.
   
   
3. Find out exactly what kind of training is offered and compare that with the number of advertisements you see for this skill.
   
   
4. Ask to see where instruction is provided and in what form it is given-classroom, one-on-one, self-taught.

Marketing Temps

Before we discuss the other three major areas of the temporary marketplace, we would like to call your attention to a classification of employees who, while they are not necessarily office temps, are generally provided by services in the office market or one of their divisions or subsidiaries. These temps perform marketing responsibilities. This is a very broad field and encompasses such occupations as:

• Sales Staff
  
  
• Telemarketers
  
  
• Pollsters
  
  
• Product Demonstrators
  
  
• Comparison Shoppers
  
  
• Convention Hosts and Hostesses
  
  
• Trade Show Support Staff, such as models, booth assistants, and registration aides
  
  
• Specialty Characters (i.e. Santa Claus, trademark figure)

Western Temporary Services of California is another of the major national temporary services. Western has several specialty divisions beyond the usual clerical and light industrial, one of which is Western Marketing Services. Western's versatile marketing team has hosted a trade show exhibit in London, portrayed costumed characters in a twenty-one-city toy promotion, made door-to-door surveys in twenty-five southern cities, introduced a ballpoint pen throughout Australia, distributed 350,000 coupon books a day in northern California supermarkets, and canvassed 2,000 video stores in four major cities to provide a new home video release. You could even work as a fragrance or cosmetic model for Western Marketing Services.

Sound interesting? This may be a particularly good temporary employment choice for individuals who lack specific office skills but possess a friendly, outgoing demeanor, excellent communications skills, a good fashion image, and pleasant phone voice.

Jenny Zink, vice-president, national marketing division of Western Temporary Services, says this area of temping is equally popular with both men and women. "We look for sales-oriented individuals capable of working with the public." Zink stresses the importance of personality and grooming, and reports that her marketing temps go through required classroom training developed by Western. For example, Western has practically cornered the market on Santa Glaus. They have a Santa Division which annually sends out 3,000 temporary Santas, each of whom has gone to Western s University of Santa Glaus.

A Santa temp is given a thorough background check, views a video training program, and attends four hours of classroom lectures which include role-playing and a list of do s and don'ts regarding statements to children. Zink says that Western even maintains a wardrobe of 500 Santa suits, complete with wigs, beards, and belts. Santa temps are found at malls, building lobbies, retail stores, and office parties; they can expect to earn between $5.50 and $6.50 per hour.

According to Zink, Western s marketing clients range from retailer to manufacturer and even ad agencies, depending on the size of the promotion or campaign. She told us of a recent order. She had to fill a spot for a costumed character for a tour across the United States. "We had real tight specifications. The temp had to be four feet eleven inches with a size six shoe, and would be required to perform before an audience of children." Zink said the screening process can be more intense for marketing temps, and in some cases, it is "almost like an audition." She added, "Unlike an office temp, whom you can replace fairly easily, it is difficult to replace a marketing temp, especially if you have restrictions in size and so on and you need the person immediately."

So, if you can convincingly ho-ho-ho, or would like to handle an in-store demonstration of a new product, you might explore this aspect of tempting. Says Zink, "If you like working with people, it can be an interesting and often find route to take." Zink does caution that not every temp service handles such assignments, and advises that it is most popular within large metropolitan areas.

Industrial Temps

The biggest users of industrial temps are manufacturers. Little, if any, work experience is usually necessary for the many jobs in this market, which may include maintenance, warehousing, inventory taking, machine operating, collating, wrapping, packing, shipping, and trucking. Unfortunately, unskilled temporary laborers frequently receive much lower pay rates than regular employees in the same kinds of jobs. This is because the temporary service must cover the high costs of turnover prevalent among industrial temps. One assembly-line worker told us he had twenty-four jobs in three months.

Firms that utilize industrial temps frequently bring in this form of labor because their full-time workers burn out and become complacent about their repetitive jobs. An interesting study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that when an employee reports to work, he or she is considered to be 100 percent productive, and the probability for error is 0 percent. During the day, the percentage of productivity dechnes: At the end of an eight-hour day, the employee is 50 percent productive and his or her probability for error is 40 percent.