Merry-Go-Round Day II

[katekat]

I did manage to wake up on time.  Despite the fact that, new bed or not, my body adjusted to the "4am/5am to bed + 12 noon to rise" and wasn't going to adjust back so easily.

Two temporary agencies later, and I realize I should probably not schedule two agencies in the same day like that ever again.  Not really because it's tiring (although it is), but because deficiencies in the one are glaringly pointed out by the practices of the other. 

Take, for example, my afternoon interview.  It was (including the oh-so-magnificent Power Point "Introduction to the Company" that had slides for both the US and Canada - so we skipped every 4th slide) about an hour long.  And that included my typing test, waiting 15 minutes for the guy to get off the phone, my 15 minute or so interview with the OTHER guy, since guy one was too busy and had double booked me and another woman at the same time.  OH, and did they mention any opportunities they might have for me right now?  Nope.  Not a one.

Now, compare it to the discussion I had at 9am this morning.  Maybe it's something about people taking time in the morning, but I spent a full hour with one single recruiter discussing my work experience, my past abilities, my future interests -- everything from A to Z.  There were no tests (since they have you do them online).  There was much scribbling on my resume.  There was a closed office door, so the guy wasn't distracted by answering telephones or random passers by.  Instead there was focused attention, the discussion of two (filled) job positions that would have been right for me, implying, of course, that there will be others in the future that match the same criteria that I will be perfect for!  There was lots and lots of eye contact and laughter and discussion of the blunter facts of temporary placement.

Blunter facts?  Just two.  Things like it's not worth it for a temp agency to place you anywhere for less than $10 an hour - they just don't make money on anything less than that.  (And just as an aside - if you didn't know it, the mark up they put on you usually means they're charging the client company $16/hr for your services)  On the fact that they'd like to get people trained in certain areas, so they can place them in more highly compensated positions, and then stick other, newer, cheaper people in those empty spaces ... like a virus that expands its way through a company.

That being said, it wasn't so bad.  And now I've hit CraigsList with all my might and met my 10 application quota for the day.

And I'm off to the Buffy-Sing-A-Long again tonight as a reward. 

Comments

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

We obviously do not go to the same sort of temp agencies. My experiences with them have been much more like the first, only even naked so it's what I'm used to. And $10 an hour? Hah. That would be amazing money for a temp agency in this area. I've never made more than $7 an hour while living here.

Man. I suddenly miss Oregon. :p

..sorry for the inadvertant employment-related-spamming. I'm not sure if this is sounding bitter to you or not but I'm suddenly concerned it might be and it's not. Good luck to you. :)

[that_mireille]

Yeah, here $8 is about the max for a temp job, but then again, wages are low across the board here.

[katekat]

Yeah, I think Austin's actually one of those cities where there is a slightly higher median salary...

[that_mireille]

On the other hand, I can get a 1-bedroom apartment for $350/month, more like $300 if I'm willing to live in oen of the towns 5-10 miles from here, so the cost of living is also low.

[katekat]

*cleans up the drool* yeah. That is ... well, reasonable considering, but still, very cool.

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

I was looking at apartments a couple days ago and I found a few studios that were furnished or included full utilities for about that price here and when I lived in Oregon, my first apartment had two bedrooms and one and a half baths on the main road in town for $470.

There are definite trade-offs.

[that_mireille]

Downside, of course, is that I'm 75 miles from the nearest bookstore and 150 miles away from sushi. *g*

[katekat]

LOL - well, I am looking at semi-professional staffing agencies, and Austin, while less than California, is one of those towns that has a pretty decent economy. I was actually a little surprised myself, but hey, I'm not going to knock it.

And don't worry - it didn't sound totally bitter - just a little nostalgic!

[that_mireille]

(And just as an aside - if you didn't know it, the mark up they put on you usually means they're charging the client company $16/hr for your services)

My last full-time corporate job (in Minneapolis, pre-divorce) was a job I temped at, and then got hired full-time. While *I* saw my income rise sharply, my boss said I cost him less money as a full-time employee, even with having to pay benefits. That's how much money the temp agency got.

[katekat]

The same exact thing happened to me! Well, actually, my boss asked me if I could quit the temp agency so that he could hire me on separately because their "buy out clause" of my contract meant he had to pay them something insane like 15% of my first year's wages so that I could go permanent. Although temp agencies can help in the short term, they are making money HAND OVER FIST.

[that_mireille]

Oh yeah. Of course, if I'm working clerical again (which I probably will be for the next couple of years), I'm going the temp route, because I *liked* temping. (Okay, no benefits, but most of the jobs I'd be getting around here while I get my MN teaching license won't have benefits either....)

[dara-starscream.livejournal.com]

Yeah I know . . . makes me wonder yet again at the sense of having temp employees for just long enough to learn what they're doing and then letting them go.

Partly it depends on where the agency chooses to invest their time. Some agencies invest their time in marketing themselves to potential clients, which obviously brings in revenue. Others invest time in choosing good employees, meaning they can charge higher rates. Obviously as an employee, it's better to fall in with the latter sort of outfit. Kill fees are individual to companies; not everybody charges them. Some outfits make it a point of pride that their employees tend to get hired in at their assignments; others frown on it strenuously on the grounds of someone else profiting off of their investment in a specific employee (they say it costs money to train me, I say that I've never actually been trained at a temp agency for anything).

Interviewing time depends; some places are satisfied with an application and a brief interview and others want to mortgage half the damn day. Most places will tell you if asked if they're going to hit you with computer tests/orientation safety video (which don't apply to clerical employees but must be screened anyway)/slide shows/etc.

With someone of your education and background and all around awesomeness, they're going to want to get good assignments for you. Anything less would be a waste of time -- theirs and yours.

And if they write "NFU" anywhere on your paperwork, rip the pen out of their hands and stab them through the eyeball. NFU = Not For Us.
-BJ