Tempin’ It

Not long after I was relieved of my employment a few months back, I decided to try signing up with some temp agencies, here in Vegas. I have not tried the temp scene in many years.. but it is something I’m familiar with. I’ve used temp agencies in two other states, several years ago. And I was always VERY happy with the experience. I actually love working for temp agencies for many reasons, but a couple of the major benefits are that a lot of larger companies tend to ‘try out’ temps on a long term basis, before offering them permanent employment. I think this is a win-win situation for both the company and the temp. Both sides get to try each other out, no strings attached. If its not working out- the temp can be reassigned. I’ve only had to ask to be reassigned twice ever.. the conditions have to be really bad for me to ask to be taken off a temp assignment. But thats the beauty of it- if it isn’t working out, I’m not stuck in a job that turned out to be not for me like I might have been if I was hired by traditional means. And in both cases, the temp agencies were great about finding me a different assignment that better fit my needs. By working for a temp agency, you are able to tell the recruiter what sort of work you enjoy, your desired salary, what area of town you would like to work in- even preferred dress code.

The first temp agency I signed up for had me come in for a scheduled ‘interview/screening’. It isn’t so much like a traditional job interview- the purpose is mainly so the recruiter can get a chance to know you, find out what you are looking for, see your past work history, etc. Then they put you through a series of tests that measure your skills in data entry, switchboard/reception, programs like Word and Excel, etc.

In this particular case, my interview ended up being with 3 other temps that were signing up on the same day. The recruiter at Agency A- we’ll call her June- gave us a group interview, all together.

As we sat around a conference table in the plush office, June asked us each a little bit about our backgrounds, what sort of experience we had, etc. Right off the bat, one of the other temps struck me as ‘odd’. She didn’t have the most pleasant demeanor. It wasn’t that she was rude or unfriendly, just a bit abbrasive. She kept making odd comments, like how she couldn’t remember the name of the person who called her for the interview because she was asleep when the phone rang, and she tends to talk in her sleep and agree with whatever, then not remember the full details later. Just, strange comments that I didn’t think were necessarily appropriate for the interview. But the REAL off the wall moment came when June was asking us how comfortable we felt on the phone, for receptionist or customer service type positions.

“Oh, yes!” The strange woman said, nodding enthusiastically. “In fact, you know the entertainment section of the phone book?”

June looked puzzled, but nodded for her to continue. I was curious myself, not sure where this was going.

“Well its like this,” The woman went on to explain. “You know how they have the escorts and adult entertainers in the back of the phonebook? I used to do that! No, not as a stripper, I don’t have that kind of body. But right after I got out of high school, I was a telephone escort, so I really know how to talk to people on the phone, especially men!”

I BLINKED at that, shocked. Then I quickly whipped my head around to look at June. I have to give her credit, she was doing a wonderful job at keeping the expression on her face smooth, as as non-judgemental as she was able. But I could tell she was just about as floored as I was. She stammered something like “Oh, well good..” and then moved on to the next question.

“I have GOT to be blogging this!” I was thinking to myself. Only in Las Vegas.

~ by Nika Dreamscape on August 27, 2009.