As you start your process of becoming a professional technical temp you will probably have contact with a staffing service through the Internet and by phone. Once you get to the application stage, you will be interviewed in person by someone at the service. It is important that you conduct yourself in a professional manner from the very first time you make contact with the staffing service by e mail to in person communication. You want to establish a good working relationship with everyone you meet at the service, because they will know before you do what temp jobs are available. The nicer you are to them, the better your chances are of getting the best temp jobs. This goes for everyone you meet at the service, from the receptionist to the interviewer to the placement counselor to the bookkeeper.
Be Nice to the Receptionist
A crucial rule to remember is always to be nice to the receptionist. That person who answers the phone or greets you at the front door could very well be the person who has read and edited your e mail for the placement office. Some staffing services are so small that the receptionist is part of the staff that will interview you and make the decision whether to place you on a job.
Consider what happened to Joyce. She went to We Care Staffing Service to get a professional technical temp job. We Care Staffing were a small company, and the staff took turns covering the front desk each day so that the receptionist could go to lunch. Joyce came in for an appointment at 11:30 A.M. at We Care Staffing Service, and the person covering the front desk was trying to answer three phone lines, all ringing.
Joyce was very rude to the person at the front desk as she started to complete her application. The full time receptionist came back from lunch. The person who had originally greeted Joyce, and to whom she had been so rude, turned out to be the person who was responsible for placing her on high paying professional technical temporary jobs.
The first impression Joyce made with We Care Staffing was that the service would always have to counsel her on her manners when it sent her out on temp jobs. As a result, she missed out on several high paying temp jobs from We Care Staffing Service, because no one wanted to risk sending her to a job where her bad manners could cost the service a client. If only Joyce had taken the time to be pleasant to the "receptionist," her manners would not have been cause for concern.
Another reason to be nice to the receptionist, other than that it is just plain common sense and good manners, is that the placement staff of the service may ask the receptionist for his or her impression of you. When I placed people on jobs, I often asked the receptionist for an impression of the person I was trying to place. I did not try very hard to help a person who was not nice to the receptionist. Rude behavior is never acceptable; good manners will help you get the job you want. Oftentimes you may be on the phone with the receptionist first, and later you may be alone in the lobby with that person, who will have time to form an opinion of you. The next time the receptionist calls the interviewer or person who can offer you temp jobs, the interviewer may ask the receptionist on the phone what impression has been formed of you so far. This is a common practice in the staffing industry.
The receptionist could turn out to be a very important ally for you. The receptionist can tell you what the best temp jobs are and how to make a good impression with the rest of the service staff. The receptionist may also make sure your phone calls to the service go to the person who can help you get the job you want and in which you will make the most money.
It is important to make a good impression, because this person can either make or break you in the temporary world. The first impression that you make with this person can have a lasting effect on your success as a temp.
