Temp Staffing Agencies...
...temporary job placement services.
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Working with Temporary Staffing Agencies
You want to enjoy the outdoors – in one area of the country for part of
the year and in another area for the remainder…or maybe in one area for a few
weeks and then somewhere down the road for a few more weeks, followed by yet
another series of moves soon after that. While doing so, you need to be
gainfully employed for at least part of the time, maybe full-time. Is it
possible to move frequently and to be a responsible employee? Yes, and one way
to do it is by working with temporary staffing agencies.
The very nature of temporary positions makes them ideal for full-time RVers
and others who want to be in a particular area for only a limited time. A
practical way to locate short-term employment is to use the services of
temporary help companies. These businesses specialize in matching workers who
desire a brief work commitment with employers who have temporary work slots
open or are in need of contract workers. Freedom and flexibility are the most
frequently cited reasons for working as a temporary. Workers choose their
hours, days, vacations, and assignments. They choose what part of the country
to work in and what kinds of work to do. They can work as little or as much as
they like, accepting or rejecting offered assignments.
The temporary help industry has been bringing workers and companies together
since the turn of the century, but never as successfully as today. According to
several independent surveys, nine out of ten companies now use temporary help.
This demand for temp workers is fueled by several factors, including an
expanded need for a flexible workforce and the rising costs of permanent
position employees.
Temporary staffing agencies can place workers in virtually every work field.
Placements in the traditional office or clerical positions make up only part of
the temp workforce. A key area is the industrial segment, where temporaries may
work on assembly lines, shipping or receiving, or hauling goods. Technical
workers needed include engineers, computer specialists, writers, drafters, and
illustrators. There is a demand for accounting and legal professionals. Also
needed are sales and marketing staff for product demonstrators, promoters and
testers, hosts and hostesses for conventions, and interviewers. The medical
division supplies supplemental staffing to facilities such as hospitals and
nursing homes and for home health care. Two more areas that require many
workers are the construction and service industries, both of which need many
people for day-to-day workers as well as seasonal employees in all phases of
construction, food service, agriculture, domestic services, and tourism.
Some temporary staffing agencies recruit workers for a variety of employment
areas while others specialize in a particular field. Day labor, medical
professionals, office staff, and technical wizards all have agencies that are
actively seeking workers in their particular work fields. Registering with a
specialized temporary help company and requesting specific assignments will
help you target the area of work that interests you most.
Find prospective temporary staffing firms by looking in the Yellow Pages
under “Employment Contractors -Temporary Help” as well as under specific
service listings, such as “Nursing.” Also, look in the local newspaper
classified section. On the Internet, contact one of the companies or
associations listed at the end of this article, or do a search using
“temporary staffing.”
Registering with a temporary service is a simple procedure but must be done
prior to receiving an assignment. You will most likely need two forms of ID,
such as a state identification card (or driver’s license) and a social
security card. You will need to fill out an application and other forms to help
determine your job skills, abilities, limitations, and preferences. You may be
interviewed and asked to take tests that qualify you for specific jobs.
Once registered with a staffing company, it is likely that they can transfer
your registration to an affiliate office in another town. In such instances,
each time you relocate, you need only to stop in the office and have your file
updated – not complete the entire registration procedure. Assignments are
given depending on the ratio of jobs to people, your experience, and your
skills. Temporary staffing companies cannot guarantee your work schedule, but a
good service will give you a realistic assessment of what you can expect.
You can do several things to increase your chances of being offered
assignments. Register with more than one agency. Complete any training that is
available to you through the agency. (According to National Association of
Temporary and Staffing Services (NATSS) survey, 46% of temporary workers
reported that they received free skills training from the temporary help
company.) Although you have the option to reject any job assignment, the more
often you accept assignments the more often you are likely to be called with
future offers. And, perhaps it doesn’t need to be said, but when you do
accept a position, full-fill the obligation you accept by showing up on time,
doing the work proficiently, and being a pleasant and trustworthy employee.
Temporary workers using a staffing service are employees of a temporary help
company. As such a worker, you are recruited, trained, assigned, and paid by
the temporary help company. The temporary staffing agency pays all payroll and
social security taxes for its temporary employees, as well as any other fringe
benefits, such as medical coverage, and in some cases vacation pay and 401K
plans.
Temporary work is not for everyone. “Extremely good permanent employees do
not necessarily make good temporaries and vice versa,” explains Samuel R.
Sacco, Executive Vice President of NATSS, “It’s all in the attitude. You
have to be flexible.” This is not always an easy task. Working as a temporary
means being able to come into a work environment and “hit the ground
running.” It can be difficult to catch on quickly to unfamiliar material,
work styles, and office procedures, but it is a critical aspect for success as
a temporary.
Before beginning work as a temporary, it is important to ask yourself if you
are the type of person who can learn quickly, adapt to different situations
well, and move on when necessary. The ability to be flexible will allow you to
reap the benefits of temporary work.
Pay rates are very competitive in the temporary help industry. Many
companies today offer lucrative benefits packages including paid lunch hours,
group medical insurance, housing and travel allowances, vacation days, and
retirement plans. Temporary workers may be paid a premium because they are
fulfilling a special need.
Some questions to ask the staffing service representative:
-
Do your qualifications match the types of jobs the firm
handles
-
How much work are you likely to be offered?
-
Does the firm call with an assignment offer, can you
call to check on job availability, or does the worker report to the agency
office to pick up assignments on a first come, first served basis?
-
How often are you paid? (Some agencies pay at the end
of each workday.)
-
Are you paid locally or are checks mailed from another
city? (This may affect the ready cashing of paychecks in a community in
which you do not have a bank account.)
-
What are the benefits? Paid vacations? Medical and
hospitalization insurance plan?
-
Does the company offer seniority bonuses and do hours
of seniority accumulate from year to year, office to office?
-
Do you get a bonus for referring other workers?
Temporary staffing agencies can assist you in finding work that meets your
needs, be it manual day labor or a “rocket scientist” technical position.
They can provide you with work options that allow you great flexibility, with
the opportunity to try various work settings.
For additional information on temporary staffing agencies, contact the
appropriate organization below:
National Association of Temporary and
Staffing Services (NATSS)
This organization represents more than 1,600 staffing companies that operate
approximately 13,000 offices throughout the United States. They have an
extensive website. From the NATSS website, you can do a search of their
membership directory to find staffing agencies within each state, grouped by
the type of services the agency offers and/or by the types of worker skills and
placement areas for which they specialize.
National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services
119 South Saint Asaph Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3119
Phone: 703-549-6287
Fax: 703-549-4808
E-mail: natss@natss.org
Website: http://www.natss.org
Contract Employment Weekly
Contract Employment Weekly is an excellent resource for finding engineering,
IT/IS, and technical jobs. In addition to the website, they offer a
subscription magazine, other printed resources, and services for job seekers in
the technical fields.
C.E. Publications, Inc.
P.O. Box 3006
Bothell, WA 98041-3006
Phone: 425-806-5200
Fax: 425-806-5585
E-mail: publisher@ceweekly.com
Website: http://www.ceweekly.com/index.html
Outside of the United States:
The Employment
and Staffing Services Association of Canada (ESSAC) is the only Canadian
organization representing providers of temporary and staffing services in
Canada.
ESSAC
191 The West Mall, Suite 1105
Etobicoke, ON M9C 5K8
Canada
Phone: 416-626-7130
Website: http://essac.org
The Confederation International des
Enterprises de Travail (CIETT) is an international organization of national
temporary and staffing services trade organizations.
Confederation International des Enterprises de Travail
142-144 Avenue de Tervuren
B-1150 Brussels
Belgium
Phone: 32 2 735 82 30
Fax: 32 2 735 44 12
Some of the information in this
article is complimentary of the National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services (NATSS) and
Contract Employment Weekly; contact information listed above.
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