How Temping Actually Works

When you’re not working and need to pay some bills, the goal is usually to find a new full-time job as soon as possible. To bridge the gap, we tend to think of working in the gig economy – DoorDash, Uber, etc. – as the obvious solution. But there is also a time-tested, old-school variation: Temping.

Temping remains a huge part of today’s workforce — back in 2018, the temporary labor market was valued at almost half a trillion dollars . It offers several advantages over conventional operation:

• You don’t have to use your personal car or property to make money.
• You can try to find temporary work in the field you need.
• Temporary work can (sometimes) lead to full-time job offers.

Of course, there are downsides to temporary work. You usually do not receive any benefits because you are not officially employed by the company. Temps tend to get the worst assignments, and both the agency and the hiring company can treat temporary workers quite badly, as it’s clear they won’t last long. But if you need a quick injection of income, you should pay attention to temping. Just know what to expect.

How temping works

Starting a temporary job is quite simple: you contact a temporary agency (sometimes you actually talk to a recruiter, sometimes it’s all done online) and fill out a lot of forms listing your work experience, various skills, and what interests you. in / ready to do. Data verification is also often carried out. If you’re accepted, you’ll be logged into the agency’s system and they’ll start contacting you when your profile matches the client’s needs for temporary workers.

Temping is more than an office job

When you think of temporary work, you probably think of menial office work, and you’re not entirely wrong – 60% of temporary positions are classified as clerical . But the list of industries in which temporary workers are used is quite wide. When I retired in my day, most of the jobs I got were in a warehouse where I did manual labor for a day or two at a time.

In addition to various desk jobs, you can find temporary jobs working in many different areas, including:

• Skilled professions (electricians, plumbers, etc.)
• Construction
• Warehouse work
• hospitality
• Safety
• Drivers (especially people with CDL licenses )
• Retail
• Medical institutions and hospitals

Obviously, the temporary job you get will depend on the skills and certifications you bring with you. It is extremely important to make sure you list all your possible skill sets when you work for a temporary agency. Any experience or training you have could qualify you for a temporary position that is slightly more interesting and better paid than warehouse work or data entry.

This also means that you need to decide in advance if you are ready for physical labor. Most employment agencies will directly ask this, but even if they don’t, you need to know what you want and can do.

Be flexible

Like the rest of the business world, temporary agencies operate on a weekly schedule. After registering and registering, you will usually receive a call early Monday morning asking if you would like to apply for a job within the next few days or weeks. You will need to make a decision right here and now, but keep in mind that these positions fill up pretty quickly. If you’re not ready to jump on the offer, you’ll find that by Tuesday noon you won’t hear from the agency and you’ll have to take a less attractive job or wait until next week to get back to work. .

Of course, there are exceptions – temporary vacancies can open at any time when the company has a need. But often, if you’re not ready to get down to business on a Monday morning, you can take a week off.

You also need to be clear about how far you can travel. Depending on where you live, temporary agencies may want to know if you have a car and can travel to different locations. If you can’t, you will be much more limited as to the employers they can place you with.

Your experience will be different

The nature of temping means you will have a varied experience. You may like your temporary agency because it treats you well, but you have no idea what kind of work culture you will encounter during a temporary assignment. Some managers treat their temporary employees very well, and some jobs are friendly and fun. Some… no. But the bottom line is that your experience depends on where you work, not on the agency that manages you.

You can quit a temporary job, and that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll never get another one. But for the temporary agency you work with, you are the product. If you skip a task, you will end up at the very bottom of their list and become the last resort, which will hit your income pretty hard.

The biggest problem with temporary work is that there is simply no consistency to it. Every place you work will have its own culture and approach to time management. When I was doing tempo, I had managers who would treat us to lunch every day, and there were managers who acted like we were a burden.

Temporary employment agencies take a lot of money from the top

Finally, keep in mind that temporary agencies make money by charging your services – usually between 25% and 100% of a typical salary. So if you’re getting $15 an hour for clerical work or warehouse work, the agency might be getting $30 an hour. Also be aware that while some employers offer benefits to their temporary workers (especially if it’s a full-time, long-term job), most don’t. You get a meager salary, that’s all.

In practical terms, this means that you will never earn as much from a temporary job as from a full-time or part-time job with the same employer. Even if you are the type of person who likes the unpredictability and flexibility of a temporary regimen, this is an important reason why this is usually a short-term solution for people who need an income boost, not a lifestyle.