Temp Agency or Not?

Definitely try it. There are a lot of them, so you can sign up with as many as you want to. You need to keep in touch with them weekly to stay on their radar, because while you are their candidate, you are NOT their client - you don't pay them to find a job, their clients pay them to find qualified employees. I've gone online and googled my city for personnel firms. You can find reviews on many of them that way.

K., Manpower, Apple, are the top names I know of, but there are also independent private companies as well.

Good luck!

You should definitely try it. Many big companies are hiring all support staff through temp agencies rather than directly now.

First, congrats on getting back out there!! I got back out into the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom for 15 years so I know what it feels like; but I'm 10 years older than you, so it was pretty scary!!! I just went on SnagaJob.com and signed up for part-time jobs. Got one (in retail) pretty quickly. During the interview I told them I only wanted specific hours and they were VERY accommodating. I love it!

I worked for a temp agency years ago and I loved it!! I told them exactly what type of jobs and hours I wanted and they only called me for jobs that fit my criteria. The last assignment I had was for almost a year - ended up getting hired by the company and stayed there for 20 years!

Whatever company you choose, check them out with the Better Business Bureau - not always a guarantee but it will help to see if there have been any major complaints.

Good luck!!!

Definitely try the temp agencies.

Manpower handles more labor type of work.

Try AppleOne, Adecco.

Have a resume ready, dress professionally when you go in there & be prepared to take a test or two. The usual one they give everyone is a typing test.

Let them know you are looking for part time work.
Make a good first iimpression so you stick out in their minds hence the professional dress, professional one-page resume etc.

Also, keep looking on your own & network telling everyone you are looking for a part time job in an office type setting.
Good luck.

temp agencies would probably be your best bet, absolutely. especially since you have not been in the workforce in some time - they will save you a TON of legwork. and they already know who is hiring. we use them at my office, and i have worked with them as a temp myself, and i highly recommend them! good luck!

You can tell a temp agency exactly what hours you are available (ie. 9 am to Noon, Monday through Friday). I've only worked with one temp agency, but they did respect the hours I told them.

If your daughter is in PreK for 4 hours each day, that really only leaves you with about 3 hours that you can work. That is really going to be the tough part.

You never know, you might be able to find some type of paid position that works for that amount of time. If not, maybe you could do some volunteer work at your daughter's school. Help out in the office, tutor some students struggling in reading or math. It would be a great thing for the school and get a few people to notice you who could be references for you when you do look for something more.

Good luck!

I worked at a temp agency during college. They found me a job as a receptionist to cover for a woman who was taking FMLA leave for 6 wks. It was a very good way to get my foot in the door at the company. After my term ended they hired me FT in their Accounts Receivable dept.

It was very easy to get into it. Basically, they will have you go in and do a series of basic computer-oriented office tasks, and probably have you listen to a recording of a hypothetical telephone conversation and then ask you questions based on the call.

The temp agency is hired by Company X to find workers. When they have an opening they contact the agency, and the agency goes through their temps and finds some that would fit the needs of Company X. Company X usually interviews some of the temps, and decides which one to hire. As a result, you will be paid slightly less than you would if you were to find the position with Company X on your own. Say you get paid $10/hr. You won't see a deduction from your check, but Company X is probably paying closer to $14/hr for you. Your check will come from the agency itself, not from Company X.

I don't have suggestions for California agencies, but I used one here in Chicago called Select Staffing. They were quite pleasant to work with and had plenty of opportunities for me (although this was pre-recession).

I got a job from a temp agency when I was 19y/o...they placed me at a company that made industrial laptops...it's where I met my husband, so for me it was a good experience! :)

I don't know how you find a good one. But it does sound like a good first step and might have the potential to get you exactly what you are looking for!

Yes, temp agencies are a good way to get back intot eh work force.
I am ex-corporate marketing for the largest snack food company and we only hired people from the temp pool.

By doing this, the potential employee got a feel if our company was a fit for them and same for us, we got a feel if this person would be a good fit for the company..

Everybody wins. A LOT of companies hire this way. I would suggest signing up with a reputable temp agency in your area and going fron there.

Best of luck to you!

When I first moved to the Coast 20odd years ago, I worked with a temp agency. I loved it - I did about three assignments with them, then was offered a full time position at a radio station that I was temping with. All assignments had start and end dates, so while flexible in my ability to accept or decline, there was a schedule to keep.

I think it is a great way to re-enter the work force and explore local businesses.

Good Luck!

I have worked for a few throughout my career and have had good experiences.

A temp agency can be for temporary work only. In many cases you may get a long term assignment that has the potential to turn into a permanent position. A temp agency has a pool of workers that they can use to fill the needs of their clients.

When you meet with a rep from a temp agency, it will be similar to a job interview. They will also give you some tests. You'll need to let them know what you're looking for and what you can do for them. The more flexibility you have the more likely your are to receive an assignment.

A don't know of temp services in your area.

it's been years, but i did it when i was pregnant with my first. i REALLY liked it. the uncertainty was also its charm. it did require more flexibility than i'm comfortable with, but the fact that i got different assignments with different hours and duties really did work well for me. i have a little pea brain that gets bored and distracted very easily, so the constant change was right up my alley. it didn't pay particularly well, though, which is a big downside.
i'd totally give it a shot.
the one i worked for isn't around any more. manpower has been around forever, but i've heard they mostly do grunt labor type stuff these days (but i could well be wrong.) i'd interview a few of 'em. remember, you're interviewing THEM just as much as they're interviewing you!
good luck. let us know how it goes.
:) khairete
S.

I've used temp agencies to find ft jobs and always had a good experience.

I've used temp agencies at several different times, mostly when I have moved and am looking for a job. . The nice thing is that there is no commitment, other than the length of the assignment.

Some are better than others. How to find a good one? Ask family and friends if they have used anyone. Check on-line reviews and see what other have to say. I think a lot of the agencies will start you on assignments that aren't that great, but if you're professional, reliable, and do a good job, they will find you better assignments. Some of the positions will be temporary only, and some will be temp to perm.

The biggest problem you will have is finding something with such limited hours. Remember, the more requests you make, i.e hours, area, etc., the less an agency will be willing to work with you.

Temps call at any time and expect you to be fully dressed, make up on, shoes on, ready to walk out the door. You'd have to have a full time baby sitter lined up to work on the spur of the moment. If they call even once and you won't go do that job they tend to not call you back at all for any further jobs.

I think with the situation you are talking about that I would find some kind of call center company that is open odd hours and then work the evening shift.

I worked at Sykes on the SBC/Yahoo DSL account for some time, I really liked working the MAC support. I owned my own child care center at this time too so there was not way I could work days. I enjoyed the evening shift, I worked 6pm-2am. It was quite and we didn't often get a cue of phone calls unless a router went down in California. Then we might get a lot of calls all at once but since I was on MAC support there were often times when my co-workers would be harried and trying to get one off the phone because the next person in line had been on hold for 20 minutes.

I enjoyed the work and found it to be not a lot of stress once I figured out the system and correct sheets to go by to help someone set up their email account.

The MAC account was really low stress. I liked it way better than Windows accounts.

Something like this would get you working a couple of days per week at least then your hubby could take the kids in the evening. Your older child could earn extra money for babysitting if you went to work at 4pm and worked to midnight.

You might find that you enjoyed this job so much that you'd want to work up to a program coordinator and manage an account or two.

Overall temp agencies are great, but as someone else commented, they get a big cut of what the other company pays. The trick is part-time work. I signed up with 3 agencies for work from 8:30-1:00 (with some flexibility on either end) and I only received one call - and I wasn't qualified for it. Their idea of part-time is not every day. So it can't hurt to sign up, but if you are only looking for certain hours don't count on too much from them.
One thing they did help me with was my resume. They helped me tweak it a little which has helped when I've sent it out.

Good luck!!

I have done it in the past but would n o t ever do it again. Temp Agencies make tons of money once you sign up with them and sign on the dotted line, contract.The money that is put into your pocket in the form of a paycheck is minimal VS what their contacts are paying the Agency for yor expertise, job experience, and time.
The expectations of your employers contacts are high and you may or may not gain long term employment. Good luck to you, if you choose to sign on the dotted line, remember they ultimately have the last final say when and where you work and even, if you are put to work.
Also, be careful, many of the Agency contacts will try to be underhanded and offer you employemnt without the Agency's knowledge... that crosses every boundry of ethics so please be aware that also goes on, protect yourself in every situation. People placing candidates worry about making their own commission first and do not always have your best interests at heart. I would check out other sources first such as family and friends through word of mouth.
Happy job hunting either way, Temp Agency or through other job board sources.

Shoot I worked at one years ago (I mean like 10 years ago) and I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it. Gosh, Ive had a great experience at them and always had work, they kept me really, really busy. I worked mostly when I was in college and would work FT on breaks, I remember how sad they'd be when I said I couldn't stay on FT after school resumed. Most of these companies use the temp agency as a sort of test for the temps. So basically if they like you, they will instantly sign you on and they don't care about the cost. That was my experience, but it was years ago. Oh, goodness I still can remember myself answering the phone as a temp receptionist saying "Its a great day at Mullahey Chevrolet"...:) I think the temp agency was near brea.
Basically they will have you come in and have you test for all software systems you know and a typing test. From there they will check your references and background, then you're on your way! After college worked for a med grp for 4 years and good chunk of us were hired on as permanent employees from a temp agency. Ive only had good experience with temp agencies.