TEMPING 101: TEN HOT TIPS

TEMPORARY WORKERS are among the fastest growing sector of the American workforce. The advent of the technological revolution in the 1980's paved the way for new skills, flexible work arrangements and a new way to access employment via the hidden job market (making inroads to permanent employment as a temporary employee). Today, in New York City alone, more than 50,000 individuals start their day as temporary employees heading off to assignments as varied as Internet content developer, word processing document specialist, registered nurse or paralegal. Many people now choose temporary work as a daily lifestyle, and have opted to be "career temps" because of the freedom, flexibility and perks once associated only with full-time, traditional employment.

So, how do you survive life in the Big Apple or any sizeable city as a temporary employee? If you are currently employed as a temporary employee, or are contemplating a stint as one, these tips will familiarize you with what's ahead and how to maximize temporary employment opportunities to your greatest advantage.

GET ON THE INTERNET

Viewing a potential service on the Web can be the next best thing to visiting their offices in person, especially to gain a sense of who they are as a company. Most firms have fully developed Internet sites, which detail typical assignments, the categories of workers they are seeking and the benefits they can offer such as medical, dental, 401K, paid vacations and more. Best of all, in many cases you can apply on line, cutting down on time used for completing paperwork in person.

MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOUR SERVICE

Get to know the staffing coordinator who will send you out on assignment. Treat him or her like your manager. In today's tight recruitment marketplace, a staffing service wants to send you out, don't give them reason not to. Smile, dress professionally, exude flexibility and leave your attitude at home. A staffing firm lives and breathes last minute emergencies - tell them you'll take calls as late as 10:30 p. m. and as early as 6 a. m. Pick up your checks in person once in a while just to establish face-to-face contact. They should associate your name with a person, not just a telephone number. And if you want to get your service on your side, don't accept any assignment you know you can't complete.

VISIT A NICHE SERVICE IF YOU HAVE A SPECIAL SKILL

A new trend in temporary employment is the proliferation of specialized services catering to a specific skill or industry. Niche market services exist in healthcare, web/IT technology, graphic arts and so on. This is an ideal way to stay current in your marketplace while in between jobs or when relocating to a new city. The NYATS Web site addresses specialization and provides the names of staffing firms in the Metro Area which concentrate on different disciplines. Visit them at: www.natss.org/ny/

EXPECT SOME SOCIAL ISOLATION AND DEAL WITH IT

Temporary work can make it difficult to develop friendships with co-workers unless you are frequently assigned back to the same company or your assignment is considered long-term. Because many companies use temporaries with considerable frequency, many permanent workers simply won't make the effort to get to know their changing co-workers. On the plus side however, many temporary employees report that there is great camaraderie among temps (from the same or even different services). Sort of like seeking out people from the same country when traveling in foreign lands. One seasoned temp says the absolute best way to make friends on any assignment is to bring a box of donut holes and leave them open on your desk; it generally guarantees visitors and usually a smile or two. (Warning: be sure the employer's policy allows food to be consumed at workstations!)

	KNOW YOUR SERVICE'S BENEFITS PLAN
	More and more services now offer complete employee benefits packages, but don't assume your service will monitor these perks for you. Be sure you fully understand what constitutes vacation or holiday pay and how many hours you need to work to keep your plan active. This means you should retain your paycheck stubs and time sheet copies so that you can verify and track your time worked.

JAM YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR

Simply put, it may be easier to get your big break in advertising or publishing by getting your feet wet in the right environment. You can ask your service to consider you first when your skill set matches those of a client company in a particular field. A lot of employers use a "temp-to-hire" strategy to bring good people on board, and being in the right place at the right time can get you hired permanently. And, if you really want a specific industry, it helps to build credible references for your resume and let future interviewers know that you've concentrated your temporary employment in a specific field. Temporary employment is also a good way to bridge the gap between a good job and a great job. You can and should exercise the same options as employers and use your work experience to size up a company, department or potential supervisor, prior to making a permanent commitment to employment.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Keeping pace with changing workplace needs has forced many staffing companies to offer some sort of skills training for their workers, most of it targeting software proficiency. Find out what is available to you (often for free if you work a specific number of hours) and take as many courses or tutorials as allowed. This increases your software expertise, shows the service you have initiative and may even build your hourly pay rate.

GET SOFTWARE SAVVY

The greatest number of temporary job opportunities continues to fall in the office services sector. These are positions that require some degree of software expertise. To command the highest pay rates and best selection of assignments you should have a minimum of three software packages under your belt. Although new software applications come on the market almost daily, some of the best skills to possess these days are: for PC/Windows user - MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, HTML and JavaScript; and for Macintosh enthusiasts - Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and QuarkXPress.

	ACCEPT COMPLIMENTS
	If you click with a particular department head or on-the-assignment supervisor, ask him or her to pass their praise on to your service. Temporary employees who earn favorable reviews on their performance often land the choicest assignments. And consider asking the supervisor if you may use him or her as a reference if you are seeking full-time employment.

FINALLY, THINK OUT OF THE BOX!

Because temporary help has become such a constant business, the list of job categories filled by temporary employes has broadened extensively. The business community has come to realize that there are not very many categories of workers that the temporary help industry cannot provide. Find out what's available, consider your options and give temping a try…it's a great employment lifestyle if you need flexibility, a sense of freedom and enjoy exploring new work environments on a regular basis.

Nancy Schuman
Lloyd Staffing