Be True to your Agency
- Lying about your qualifications will get you the wrong job.
- Agencies look at your skills to find the right match.
- Honesty translates into a good job fit.
Job hunters often feel they must embellish their skills to land a job, but when you sign up to work with a temp agency,exaggerating your skills may work against you. You could end up in the wrong position. So during your first meeting at a temp agency, be honest.
At the initial interview with a temp agency, you will be asked such questions as:
Have you worked in an environment that involves professional executives?
Have you worked in an environment that requires you to work different hours?
Are you more confortable in a laid- back office that only requires casual dress, or do you prefer to wear a suit every day to the office?
Be Honest in your Answers
Your answers to these types of questions will let the agency know about your soft skills. Since these are not already covered on your CV, your honesty here is essential to where you will be placed. Hard skills, such as experience with computer software is easy to test and help you get your foot in the door. Soft skills, the people skills and experience you've gained in different offices, may indicate whether or not you'll last on a certain assignment.
A CV's biggest shortcoming is its focus on hard skills. So much of what makes you successful on an assignment is a combination of hard and soft skills. The agency will also try to gauge your soft skills through your references. Often a person doesn't fit into the work environment, but the employers are referring to the soft skills, not the hard skills.
By being dishonest with your agency, you are preventing them from giving you a good placement. And a bad placement doesn't do anyone any favours.
At the Agency
You've made an appointment with a temp agency, and in addition to being honest, it helps to be prepared. Here are a few hints as to what you should do and expect.
If you can, arrive with a CV - Really this is a must!
Plan to spend several hours there - It takes time for the Agency to interview, test and work with you.
Dress as if you going to the office - Temp Agency representatives will be able to determine immediately whether or not you need advice on dressing for success.
Room for Error
What if you feel you've been honest with your temp agency representative, but the assignment you're sent on still isn't a good fit? The agency should take you off the job but not leave you hanging. Make sure you get feedback, you may have terrific skills but just not fit in well with the environment.
It's important to step back and accept such a critique of your work habits, especially after a job does not work out. Just view it as free advice that you can use to make yourself a better full-time employee down the road. Being armed with such information helps prep you not only for your next assignment, but also for your overall career goals.
