Not everyone is suited for a full-time job. Students, recent graduates, and the recently laid off may be better off settling for a part-time, temporary job while they perform a real job search. Temporary agencies (aka temp agencies) are companies dedicated to placing temporary workers in entry-level jobs. A temp agency may find you a job that lasts only a few weeks, or you could luck out and land a job that becomes permanent.
Temp agencies are great at finding jobs in the clerical field, such as secretaries, file clerks, and executive assistants. Other non-technical jobs are also covered in a temp agency. However, don’t expect to find a job in the engineering field, science field, or any other industry that requires a lot of education. Those types of jobs are usually given as internships or full-time positions to qualified candidates, and cannot be filled by the average temp worker. That’s not to say that you aren’t actually qualified for those types of jobs, but you’ll have to go through the application process on your own.
If you are looking for an easy, temporary job, a temp agency can help, though. They interview you and screen you to discover what positions you can work. Then, they pass on your resume to their clients, which are companies looking for new hires to fill short-term jobs. This approach is easy for you, the job applicant, because the agency does the job hunting for you.
So where do you find a temp agency? There are many resources online. One of the best is JobOpenings.net (www.jobopenings.net/agencies.php). This website lists staffing agencies by location, so you can find local companies to apply to. Some temp agencies on this list also have a website, so you can find out about them online.
MaxiSearch (www.maxisearch.com) is another source for temp agencies. You can quickly find a listing of temp agencies in your area simply by selecting your location from the drop down menus. However, it will only return results if the agency is registered with MaxiSearch, and not all of them are.
Of course, you can find temporary jobs by other means, too. Temp agencies often post openings on large job boards, so you can stumble across them during a search. And some big job boards let you search specifically for temporary jobs. Yahoo! HotJobs and Monster are both good sources.
