Joy of Temping...

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lance
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Joy of Temping...

Post by lance » Feb 8th 2005, 1:48 am

Joy of Temping... or lack there of.

:D

This topic has been discussed elsewhere but I thought it might warrant its own thread.

Many of you have temped or contracted before. Got any stories you want to share? The good, the bad and the ugly.

Temping here in Vegas has shown me much work that I don't want to and some that might not be bad doing. I have also experienced the plus and minus of the occassionally 11 hour work week: plenty of free time but not much money. Temping has also allowed me to learn the many sidestreets of Vegas and how to get around in the Valley.

-LanceMan

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Natasha (candygirl)
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Post by Natasha (candygirl) » Feb 8th 2005, 2:11 am

I agree that temping definitely forces you to get the lay of the land, although sometimes in areas that you will never want to go back to!

It's funny that you brought this up today, because I was just reminiscing about my career as a temp earlier today with my mom.

I worked a variety of jobs at several different agencies. Once I worked at a convention dressed as a pirate. Most of my jobs were at offices though. The most important thing I learned as a temp was that even though the contract you sign at the temp agency says you will complete all assignments, you are well within your rights to (1) ask for more money if you are doing more than originally described (2) tell the temp agency you do not want to go back to a particular assignment if it really sucks.

I was once hired to be a relief receptionist for a few days but ended up doing accounting. That deserves a call to the agency for more money. I also was hired for an indefinite temp position, but they didn't tell me that when I showed up. After two months at that hell hole, I told them I'd had it. At least I had the courtesy to verbalize this. I have heard stories about temps who left to go on their 15 minute breaks and never came back.

The other important thing I learned about temping is to bring something to read. They don't always have jobs that require you to work the four hour minimum, so you might as well have something to read so that you aren't stuck staring off into space.

What I love about going to temp agencies is that if you are somewhat literate and have any sort of office skills, they begin drooling. They must get a lot of people who can't add or spell because every single test I have taken at a temp agency ended the same way: initial disbelief that I was done with the test and then even more disbelief that I scored so well. We're talking even on the really easy tests like "add this column of numbers" and "alphabetize this list." Once you tell them that you can use Excel, they are practically wetting their pants with excitement.
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starbug
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Post by starbug » Feb 8th 2005, 6:16 am

Aaaaaaah temping. The thing everyone does once in their life.

I used to temp all the time - I think the worst one was a 10-week stint I did in the basement post-room of the local council. These two old witches who worked there were slightly to the right of genghis khan, politically, and didn't mind telling everyone. One of them had proudly announced she was a racist etc. :shock: :shock:. Anyway, there was work to do between 8am and 9am, and then nothing until 3.30pm and 4.30pm. So basically they would sit around doing nothing, tidying the elastic band pile or whatever. I would get out my trusty book and start reading. I was glared at, which I couldn't understand, since there wasn't anything to do, and they were sitting there reading their Happy Housewife magazines or whatever. So I started reading magazines too, and they were fine with it. For some reason a book was unacceptable, as it turned out. The funniest thing about working there was the little grapevine that you had to become when you were out delivering the post... I'd get little messages to take back to the room, and they were things like 'just a bit of warning, superintendent X is coming down to visit your postroom today - look sharp!', and then the women would spring into action: 'Look busy, look busy! Look like there's work to do!' which was clearly pointless and wasn't fooling anybody.
In the end I couldn't take it any more, and quit, which both women took as a personal insult, and were really silent with me. it was like 'oh, bye then.'

I also temped stuffing envelopes - that was pretty low. The people I worked with were excellent though, which makes such a difference. This one guy used to go out at lunch and toke a few smokes of the good stuff. He'd come in after lunch and go into envelope overdrive - seriously, his pile would be 3 times as big as anyone else's, because he'd talk constantly and just be in some weird zone of lick and stick. 8) I don't think the employer ever figured out why.

I still think the worst I've heard is Mr. S's one day on a factory floor. They were sweeping up at the end of the day and the supervisor came over and exposed himself to Mr. S :!: Obviously he didn't go back.

candygirl wrote:What I love about going to temp agencies is that if you are somewhat literate and have any sort of office skills, they begin drooling. They must get a lot of people who can't add or spell because every single test I have taken at a temp agency ended the same way: initial disbelief that I was done with the test and then even more disbelief that I scored so well. We're talking even on the really easy tests like "add this column of numbers" and "alphabetize this list." Once you tell them that you can use Excel, they are practically wetting their pants with excitement.
Absolutely! I've done more of those little tests than is healthy and I am always equally amazed back at them: 'you mean there are people who

can't do this?'. On the receiving end of the temp now though, I can say it's like a temp lottery - 99% of them are below par, and then you get the one shining example who's leaving to go to college anyway, or actually has a career but is on a break etc.

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Natasha (candygirl)
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Post by Natasha (candygirl) » Feb 9th 2005, 3:34 am

One of the most boring temp jobs I had was one summer while I was in college. A car insurance company hired five temps to help them catch up on their filing. It took five of us over a month to stuff every piece of paper into those files. I learned to love bandaids and those little rubber finger covers because I was slicing my cuticles open every five minutes. It would have helped if the cheap-ass company would have been willing to spring for a few more file cabinets. As it was, every drawer was at the bursting point and near the end we accidentally ripped the tabs off of manila folders while trying to pull them out of the drawers. Tight drawers - <insert obligatory dirty joke here>
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You could have sex with me if you really want to help...I guess that's a "no"?

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Post by wicked » Feb 9th 2005, 10:33 am

hmmm I've never temped perse' but I have been a free lance data entry person for book permissions ... which is on about the same excitement level.
"So this is hell. I'd never have believed it. You remember all we were told about the torture-chambers, the fire and brimstone, the "burning marl." Old wive's tales! There's no need for red-hot pokers. HELL IS - OTHER PEOPLE!"

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Post by schris » Feb 9th 2005, 12:32 pm

I once went through a temp agency while looking for work. But it seemed that all they had were jobs cleaning up after concerts or event setup once a week for a few hours- like real manual labor. Im not against manual labor in any way but it just didn't seem worth it and I was looking for an office type job. They never had any available so I just spent my days searching for a job - and that eventually paid off!

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Post by SanDeE* » Feb 9th 2005, 1:57 pm

I've never had a temp job. My boyfriend did last summer in an insurance company, however. He said he had a ton of paperwork every day that just involved entering data from the paperwork into the computer. This data entry would take him maybe two hours, then he would have nothing to do for the rest of his workday, and they didn't have any more projects for him. He usually just dinked around the internet for the rest of his shift. He worked from 9am to 2pm M-Th, and 9am-12noon F, and for a while it was 7am - 5pm every day, which sucked even worse than the first schedule I mentioned! AND to make things even WORSE, he doesn't have a car so he had to wait for his mother to pick him up from work. Totally crappy.
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Post by lance » Feb 16th 2005, 8:57 pm

:shock:

I have worked several events over the past couple of weeks with several temps. These people are real "salt of the earth" types. These people were from Indiana, New Jersey and another ex-Cincinnatian. The had come to Vegas seeking opportunity and possible higher wages. They may still find the first but so far have not found the later.

They made $10 an hour back east and are making the same out here. Problem is though that Vegas has higher cost of living. I also met a temp who used to work in NYC where he did quite well, he plans on moving back soon.

I have also met several temps who married. The temps didn't want to be in Vegas but their hubbies were very well employed in the construction industry. I do believe the Nevada state bird is the construction crane. So if your in the biz its pretty close to lifetime employment.

-LanceMan

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Post by lance » Mar 8th 2005, 11:30 pm

:shock:

I don't know what exactly happened but all of a sudden temp agencies in Vegas decided to start paying more than $10.00 an hour for assignments.

:shock:

Woohooo!

This concludes my brief moment of joy.

-LanceMan

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Post by special_k » Mar 9th 2005, 12:55 am

((((((Lance))))))

There. Have another. ^__^
"Sometimes things happen between people that you don't really expect. And sometimes the things that are important are the ones that seem the weirdest or the most wrong, and those are the ones that change your life."

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Post by SanDeE* » Mar 9th 2005, 6:01 pm

All right Lance!!!

Hey - has anyone seen the movie Clockwatchers? My mother suggested it to me and said it was about these women temps... I don't really know, I haven't seen it yet! For sure one to put on the "must-see" list...
Um, in my room, one seam is a little off and I stare at it constantly. It's, like, destroying me.

~~Kristin~~

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Post by Nostradamus » Mar 20th 2005, 6:15 pm

I remember something like that, about this guy and his temp jobs, and how he keeps forgetting to send his boss's mail. Really funny, and now I can't think of the title!

:roll:
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