Temping Agencies

[Left Phalange]

I've been told by people I know that signing up to a temping agency is a good idea for me at the moment as I'm not looking for a particular career yet (Planning on doing a distance learning course in my spare time). But I don't really know where to start!

I'm in Portsmouth (Don't know if that's important or not), but is anyone signed up to temping agencies or at least know how they work and could give me some advice on it to sort myself out? I'm free all the time, so I'd be able to temp quite happily in different places to get some money rolling in, I'm just not sure how to get on it.

Anything you know would be awesome :)

[rockaroni]

Hah, the Pompey temping agencies were all really rude to me when I went in. It's a bad time of year to go in really, because half the student population will be looking for temp work around about now.

I was with a temping agency on my gap year though, and they took my CV and what sort of hours/days I coudl work, what sort of jobs I'd do (factory, retail, catering, office) etc. and when a job came up, they gave me a call and asked if I wanted to take the position, and sent me some stuff if I did. All pretty simple stuff. Some have websites where you can look through jobs (temporary or permanent) and apply for them seperately. They are a good place to start if you're just sort of knocking about looking for some money really.

[Left Phalange]

Thanks. :) Yeah, hence why I thought of them :P I just don't really know any temping agencies around here or if I can register online or have to go in myself with my CV etc. etc.

Just need some money to tide me over while I do my course at home.

[rockaroni]

Going in is a better idea, because then you know someone if looking out for jobs for you. I think often registering online means people can look through your CV and contact you if they like you, but it's pretty flakey from what I gather. I'm sure a quick google will pop a few up, I remember there's a few just in the town centre area.

[Left Phalange]

Thanks very much :) I'll have a look round next time I'm in town.

[3nicky1]

I've worked with Office Angels and Interaction Recruitment (used to be called Kelly Services) doing longer term temping i.e. you work in the same place for 6 months or so rather than them calling you as and when work is about like is often the case with catering and healthcare agencies.

They were actually both quite rude when I first went in so might be worth steeling yourself for it, I think it was around this time of year and they were inundated however they did both get me work immediately (I ended up going back to Interaction again when i needed short term work.)

If it's an office temping place you'll probably have to do a typing test but it's straighforward (possibly a maths test too) and for both these agencies they do a check similar to a credit check to verify your identity. Interaction called this a credit check and I nearly wet myself cos my credit history is so shocking and shameful for various reasons but it really is just an identity check.

The temp work was pretty boring but I was always lucky to work in fun teams, I still hang out with some of the people I met.

I'd go an see them in person for reasons noted above but also cos you might discover more agencies in your town when you're looking cos they seem to be clustered together round here.

[Left Phalange]

Thank you for your imput, I'll prepare myself for meeting rude people, but I'm already on Jobseeker's, so I'm pretty used to that already ;) Haha, it'll be awesome if they could get me work straight away; even if it's office work at least I'll be getting some money in on the side until I complete my course and sort out what I actually want to do with my life :)

[The Hierophant]

Some Temping Agencies I've been with have found me work that day, I think one temp job i had i was only supposed to be there for 2 weeks and ended up there for a whole summer.
Not bad money either.

[Left Phalange]

Hope and pray for me xD Just get me off fuccking Jobseekers O_O

[3nicky1]

keep plugging away if you dont succeed straight away as lots of temping places have a high turnover of staff so they might snootiliy turn you away one day but welcome you with open arms the next.

[PrincessVegeta_x]

A year or so ago I used to do temp work for an agency called Adecco. They're pretty big around the world! They mostly want office temps or temps for catering/hospitality but they do have positions in other areas so that might be worth a go there?

http://www.adecco.co.uk

[random.swirls]

I temped with Adecco.

When I went in I was dressed quite smartly and had my C.V. passport and that kind of thing with me. I popped in before going to an Oxford meet not expecting anything to happen straight away but I had to do a number of computer tests (typing and a random one that asked how you would do xyz on the computer) I was thus very late for the aforementioned meet. So make sure you have time on your hands when you go in.

I didn't get offered a job straight away but every week I emailed the agent I had been assigned and rang her from time to time (not to much but enough to show willing!!) and randomly one day I got a phone call asking if I could get to Harvey Nichols in the next hour - luckily I could and through that I then got a couple of day's filing and shredding which I managed to turn into a very well paid job for just shy of two years.

I know Office Angels in Victoria used to do 'breakfast' where prospective candidates could go and wait for any phone in work and on the odd occasion we needed a temp at short notice we would often ring them as they were across the street and we would thus get someone ready to work within 20 mins. When we needed more long term cover my boss would alternate between office angels and adecco and when we would ring Office Angels often the C.V.'s we would be given were the girls who frequented the breakfast club!!