Tired of the Job Hunt...Find a Temp Agency

So this is the story of how I landed my current job at a HR consulting firm and how a temp agency helped me get here. Let me first start by saying I used to think temp agencies were for people who had little skills and education but I was sure wrong. But moving on, about 9 months ago I stumbled upon a job posting on one of the multitude of job sites out there. It was for a marketing assistant position at a medical devices company . I received my degree in political science but since a job in that field proved hard to find I was willing to take anything, and I figured my writing and critical thinking skills would be enough. Anyway, I clicked on the submit my resume button and I was off. The weird thing was I had to create a profile and submit my resume through another website called Office Team. I needed a job, so I didn't think twice about it. A day later, a woman from Office Team called and wanted to set up an interview. I thought great I'm on my way to a new job at a medical devices company. Not the case. Turns out they were a temp agency and I had to go to their regional office for an interview and an office skills test. (Just an FYI if you just graduated, that kind of test will come easy since its things  you use every day.) Now you are probably thinking that's a whole lot of extra work to not be guaranteed a job. Its worth it, trust me. And here's why



This is how my former temp agency worked and I'm guessing this is how most work. They interview you and assess your skills and if they like you and they think you are valuable, they bring you on board. You actually become an employee of the agency, well sorta. You become more like a valuable commodity. The agency receives requests from employers looking for temporary help and they in turn match the appropriate commodity to the employer. You as the commodity bring your skills to the employer and the temp agency pays you to do that. Ok, so what's in it for the agency?

Money of course. The employer pays a fee to the agency to use their commodity. So why do employers use these agencies? Reduced costs. It costs employers valuable time and money to find the right employees. TIe and money are things they don't always have extra of. Further, the recession forced many businesses to lay employee's off without reducing the workload on all the employees that were left. Temp agencies allow businesses to borrow extra help when a big project comes up and then send the help back when the project is done. Also the business does not have to offer the temp benefits of any kind because the agency offers them, further saving the business money. So how does this help you out?

It helps you in three ways. First, you are making money. Always a good thing. Second, it takes some of the work and pressure off you for finding a job. The agencies business is based on you getting work. Third and most important. A position can be temp to hire. This means an employer can basically try out a temp and if they like them enough they can them from the agency, for lack of a better term. So for someone looking for a job this is amazing. Not only do you get an interview but you get a chance to prove how valuable you are.

Ok, now to end my story. The agency bumped me around to a few different jobs, an oil recycling plant was one to remember (FYI work at the agency isn't always steady which is a drawback in addition to constantly feeling like the new guy).  Finally I ended up at the place I am at now. I worked here for 3 months through the agency until I was finally brought on full-time to the company. And I really like my job so I'm happy. So if you are tired of sending out resume after resume and you are willing try to a few different jobs I highly suggest a temp agency. If you don't like the feeling of being a commodity then a temp agency isn't for you, but I would remind you that we are all commodities on the job market and the more visible something is on the market, the easier it is  to sell.