When you go in, appraise the office environment. Is it neat and attractive? Do workers appear to be busy? How are you greeted? Chemistry between you and the service is important if you are to have a good working relationship. Be comfortable with the people and your surroundings.
Hint: If you live in suburbia, with easy access to a large metropolitan area, you may want to visit temp services in both locations. Big-city pay rates are usually significantly higher than their suburban counterparts; but, of course, you will need to keep in mind the cost and length of the commute. It is also possible to work with a service that has offices in both locations. You can make yourself available to either location; and the hours you accrue will be cumulative, so you won't jeopardize any benefits. Some temps find this is a good way to blend the excitement and pace of the city with the convenience and relaxed atmosphere of the suburbs.
Hint: Consider registering for employment with both a national organization and a small, local, privately owned service. The national service may offer better benefits to its temps, but a smaller service may be more sensitive to local market conditions. The smaller service may also have a greater ability to be flexible about rates, and both clients and temps may find themselves treated with greater care. In other words, you may be more important to the local owner than to the national service. (They key word here is May; this is in no way a fact, but an observation.)
Be sure you are dressed professionally for your visit regardless of the area of temporary employment you are entering. This is an interview Dress conservatively. Women should wear a suit or a dress with a jacket; men should wear a suit or a jacket and tie. Don't stop in to investigate the service in casual clothes such as jeans. And go alone. This may sound like common sense, but too many potential temps show up with toddlers in tow.
The best time to visit a temp service is Monday at 10 a.m. or Friday at 3 P.M.
Why? These are the busiest hours for a temp service and offer a temp the best opportunity to get an assignment. If you arrive too early on a Monday, you will get lost in the confusion; but 10 a.m. is just about right. It is after the initial chaos but exactly the time when a service may still be trying to find a replacement for a temp who didn't show, and it is also the time when a service is trying to fill any open orders that have just come in for the day or week. If you happen to be dressed appropriately and your skills match a need, you may find yourself on an assignment immediately. Likewise, Friday is also a good day because a temp service is trying to fill its open orders for Monday.
Be prepared to spend time filling out an application and taking tests, Allow yourself up to an hour and a half per visit.
Some of this time will be spent filling out forms, taking tests, waiting to be seen, interviewing. Having a resume with you rarely precludes you from completing forms, or exempts you from test-taking. Have names and phone numbers of references with you.
Write legibly, and answer questions honestly. Don't balk at taking tests, even if you are insulted by their content. Tests may include a general aptitude assessment, English usage, mathematics, or exercises designed to test your knowledge in a special area, for example, a digesting test for paralegal temps or a hands-on equipment test for PC operators. The tests are likely to vary from service to service; but don't be surprised if some are the same, particularly those that assess office automation skills. There is an effort in the industry to standardize skill assessment, and some testing organizations have created sophisticated exercises to measure operator knowledge. These tests are being marketed and sold specifically to the temporary employment industry.
Remember, oblige the service and take its tests. The service is not trying to screen out as much as it is trying to assess your current skills and their ability to place you on varied assignments. A service must be able to keep quality control checks on its employees, especially since they cannot actually see your on-the-job performance on a daily basis the way most employers can. In addition, complete the employment application, even if you’ve brought a resume with you which provide all the information the service is asking for. A resume is an excellent outline to be used during your personal interview, but the service will use the employment application for permanent record keeping.
