Now I know why these ” temp” agencies are so temporary! This specific one likes to fuck with your pay cheques. I was hired on not knowing a thing about how these places run and definitely dug myself in deep with them. I’m now outta 60 bucks because they some how “lost” my hours or can’t “find” them. Well FUCK YOU. Oh not to mention to the 20 dollars you took off my cheque with out asking or telling me for my swipe card. And then paying me it back 36 cents short. Thanks, ya thanks. I’m sure any atm will let me take out $19.67. I just wanna give a huge thanks to you guys for being the best employer out there, NOT! —Trying to Earn a Buck
This article appears in Sep 1-7, 2011.
Ok, I don’t know what agency you’re talking about but the one I’ve been doing some temp work with has been pretty darn fantastic with making sure I get paid and making sure my hours are received by the deadline. If there’s ANY issue, they give me a call.
How are you recording your hours? Are you filling out a time sheet and faxing it in or bringing it in or something? If that’s the case, you can always get the employer to sign another sheet — I’m sure they’d be ok with that as long as the same date and times were on it as the last one. Also — do you give a copy of the timesheet (a gold copy at the back for me) to the employer? If so, you could always ask them for that copy to photocopy, and then drop it off to the agency.
My cheque was a couple days late because of slow mail and I called and they said if I didn’t get my cheque by that Friday they’d cut me a new one right away. And during the postal strike they were extremely accommodating and allowed me to pick up my cheque early based on my schedule.
Further, it’s only logical that after an assignment you’d have to give your swipe card back. Last placement the people were dicks and kept my stuff and kept going on about the swipe card I still had. I told them they’d get their card back when I got all my stuff back. I got my stuff back a day later.
In any event, don’t kid yourself — everyone says temp agencies are wonderful for finding permanent placements, and maybe that’s true for some, but for the vast majority, it isn’t, and for the most part being a temp employee sucks, especially since A LOT of employers will treat temp employees like expendable crap.
Sounds like you’re registered with a crappy agency — there *are* good ones out there. Go find them. (And ask questions on how it works — a good agency, though, will tell you during your initial meeting AND will send you written verification on the process).
Also: my latest temp job DID lead to a part time position in another department in the same company, BUT it was only by pure coincidence when I was randomly talking to someone in charge of this other department and mentioned I had experience in what they did and this person asked me if I was looking for a job. No interview, either (granted, they already knew me in the first place :P).
Instead of “trying to earn a buck” and then counting all your pennies. Why don’t you try to earn a lot of bucks. That way you don’t have to count your pennies when you get paid. Seriously, you are the problem. Start digging.
These days, any person that knows how to swing a shovel and does it with conscientious effort, should never be unemployed. Start digging.
There are lots of new grads who end up going to temp agencies because they, uh, WANT to work and they’re not getting anything in their fields.
It’s funny — whenever someone posts a “I can’t find a job” bitch, people tell them to get a min wage job or go to a temp agency and when they DO, assfucks like ‘if not for you’ and even GV pull this asshole shit and tell them that’s not good enough.
I hope one day you guys are unemployed and have trouble finding a job. And then maybe you’ll get your heads out of your arses and realize that the job market for decent jobs SUCKS right now.
I worked for temp agencies for years, I had a hard time finding a permanent job, My interview skills do suck and I admit it. Temp work sucks but its a paycheque until you find something else, most employee’s treat temps like sh*t. I am so glad to be at a job now I love, I really think they should get rid of all temp agencies and everyone would have to be forced to hire casuals and pay them decently
Pk, pls reread my post, all i said is if a person is truly a hard worker then they are soomething that is somewhat rare these days and they should never have a problem finding work.
BTW, you dont know me. I entered the workforce in the early 90s when employment ops for someone with education and no experience was pretty grim. I paid my dues, and it made me strong enough to realize that my best bet for staying employed is by being the employee that they cant afford to lay off.
I was layed off twice in the past economicc crisis and rehired in 3 days the first time, and 2 weeks the second time. Its not who you know, its who you meet. And here is another tip….work is 1 long job interview, save the best that you have to offer for your workday.
Just my 2 cents
The problem *is*, you can be the hardest worker out there but until someone gives you that one break and takes a chance on you (new grad), it’s HARD.
I have experience and excellent references because I DO work my butt off and have been praised by everyone I’ve come in contact with that’s seen my work, but, it’s still tough out there — especially when, for every job in my field, there are 50-100 applicants, most of whom DO have that experience. It’s come to the point where people with 2-3 years experience are applying for jobs that only require one year or none at all. It’s rough for people like me who only have between a year and two experience.
Sure I can get any old job, but I’m sick of being underemployed.
Just because you had success in the job market doesn’t mean everyone else is the same. There are A LOT of hard workers out there who are excellent at what they do that just can’t find employment, and for some of us, working min wage shit jobs is out of the question and taking a job just because it is a job is also out of the question. For instance, I was offered a job in my field last spring, but passed on it because the organization’s hiring practices were unethical.
Just because I graduated last year, doesn’t mean I can’t have SOME standards.
I think you need realize, GV, that not everyone who didn’t have the luck you had is lazy.
Pk,there was a time and place where i would have written the sort of post that you are. I may have a different view now but it doesnt mean that i dont understand you. And it doesnt mean that im hell bent to disagree with you or prove you wrong.
I believe in caring about my work and working hard. In ways i feel this pays off, in other ways i think it doesnt. But i strongly believe that if i let the neg ways control me then i will have lost myself to the grind.
Imo, employers are WIIFM, it will be better for you resume if think about what you have to offer them instead of falling into a ‘here is my experince’ approach.
And stop thinking like its the 80s, you dont ever feel second best to the unemployed masses, ok friend? Because 90% of workers are employed and not actively looking for a better job. That means that your odds are extremely good. This is canada FFS. 🙂
Here’s an interesting experiment.
Place an help wanted ad in kijiji for a position that you might have otherwise been interested in applying for. Then go through the resumes the come in. I think you will find that most of the resumes are poorly written or not taylored for the position. In fact, the potential to learn something from this is huge
OP, why would you use a temp agency to find a job? There are plenty of careers available in the city for educated people.
Im not the OP, but working with a temp agency can be a useful networking opportunity depending on the situation. If i was a bookkeep with plans of having my own clientele, the temp agency might be an excellent way to meet and work with a wide group of people in a very short period of time…….expect to be exploited or underpaid while you are doing this.