How many days does the job last? Is it for one day, one week, one month, or a year, or is it an indefinite assignment? Every temp job is different. Do not assume that because you want to work Monday through Friday that every temp job you accept will meet your needs.
Be sure to ask the person from the service who offers you a temp job how long the job will last. Many times the service will not know the length of the temp job it offers you because the business that has requested a temp does not know how long it will need someone to work. Often, the length of the job depends on how long it takes a temp to finish the work given to him or her to do.
If you are filling in for someone who is out sick, you will be there until the person you are filling in for is well. That could be one day or two months.
If you are working a temp job that is open because there is a job vacancy, you could be asked to temp until someone is hired full-time for the job. You may like the job and do such a good job that you will be the person hired for the job full-time.
Write down on your calendar whatever the service tells you is the length of the job. If you are a successful professional, the staffing services will have numerous client jobs for you, and your calendar will fill rapidly. Make sure you can be there the days you have committed to work. If the service asks you to work two weeks and you are available only one week, tell the service immediately. The service may ask you to go on the job for one week and then replace you with another temp in the second week, or the service may find a job that is exactly the length you say you are available to work.
The reason you have chosen to work temp is to earn money while you enjoy the flexibility of temporary jobs. If you are available only Monday and Wednesday of one week, do not accept a job that would require you to work Tuesday and Thursday also.
Meg had been working temp through National Staffing Service for four months. She had developed a good working relationship with National Staffing Service and had made the service look good at various places where she temped for them. Meg had set aside a Wednesday to go to the dentist, get a checkup with her doctor, and have her car serviced. Meg told the staffing service she could work on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday for them because she needed Wednesday off, and she also planned to take Friday off so she could leave town for a long weekend.
The service found Meg a job that was for Monday and Tuesday only that week. The service called her Thursday morning and sent her out to a job that day as well. By communicating what her schedule was, Meg was able to work with the service to find her jobs on the days she was available to work.
Brian, on the other hand, was not honest with his service about when he was really available for temp work. Brian had been doing a good job with Contemporary Staffing Service. The service asked him to work Monday through Friday for a business, and Brian agreed to do so without telling the service he needed Friday off to go out of town. The service called Brian on Thursday afternoon to offer him another temp job starting the following Monday. Brian accepted the job.
The following morning, Friday, Brian called the service and told them he was sick and would not be able to complete the job. The service sounded sympathetic and sent another temp in to finish out the week of the job Brian was on. Brian left town.
People from the service tried to call Brian on Friday afternoon and over the weekend. When they did not hear from Brian, they left word on his answering machine that they assumed he was too sick to work on Monday, since he had not returned any of the service's phone calls, and the service was replacing him with another temp. If Brian had been honest and told the service he could only work through Thursday, it would have worked with his schedule. By not being direct with the service, he lost out on a good temp job that had the chance of going permanent and that started the following Monday.
Communication Is Important!
Some one-day jobs end up lasting much longer. Be sure to communicate with your service if a business asks you to stay longer than the service has scheduled you to work there. That way the service knows exactly what days you are working and can continue to offer you jobs on the days you are available to work. If you do not communicate with the service, you will miss being offered jobs where you can make money and potentially find full-time work.
Mark was sent by a service to work for two days at a college that needed an administrator to help with an unexpectedly large number of admission applications. The college had requested a temp for two days to help finish this special project. During the afternoon of the second day Mark was on the temp job, the college staff realized the project would take longer than they had expected and decided they would need to keep a temp for more than two days.
The college called the service to see if it could extend Mark's assignment. When the service had sent Mark to work for the college, he had been uncertain about his future availability for temp work. He told the service he did not think he could work any longer than two days and did not know when he would be available for any temp work in the near future.
The service did not try to call Mark to see if he wanted to continue past two days for the college where he was working. Mark did not call the service at the end of the second day to see if the service had another job for him.
The service offered the administrative job to another temp. Mark was disappointed because he liked the work. The college staff were disappointed because they wanted to keep Mark. The service should have called Mark first and at least told him that the college really liked his performance and wanted him to continue his temp job.
The lesson is always to take the initiative about your availability by calling the service and making sure your temp assignment is ending on the day the service tells you it is going to end. The more you communicate with the staffing service, the more frequently you will work.
Hours
When are you to report to work? Make sure you know the hours you are expected to be on the job so that you can be on time.
If you need to work day hours, ask the service to offer you those hours. If you already have another job, ask the service to help you with jobs that will allow you to keep your first job.
Supervisor on the Job
Whom do you report to at the business where you will temp? Get a name and phone number in case you get lost or need directions. This information will also be helpful for your family in case of emergency and if your family needs to reach you.
Supervisor from the Staffing Service
Make sure you know who your contact is at the staffing service. That person should be your point of reference when you need help. If you have any questions about your job assignment, your pay, or any benefits, make sure you know whom to call. Keep that person's phone number with you. Many staffing services that place professional technical employees have answering services. Do not hesitate to call the staffing service, at any hour of the day, should you need help. Remember, the staffing service will make money only when you go to work. The staffing service should want to keep you happy so that you will continue to work and make money for it.
