What to Expect During an Interview With a Temp Agency -

(Newswire.net — October 27, 2016) — Despite what you may have come to believe, an interview for a temporary employment agency is actually not that different from an actual job interview at a major company. The same standards are still held in high regard, such as your professionalism, employability, skills and past experience, for example. That being said, there are a couple of differences one should expect when heading into an interview with a temp agency. You will most likely have a formal interview to kick things off, then perhaps a testing process that goes over basic skills and checks for any drug usage. Most companies do not want someone who regularly uses illegal narcotics, of course.

When you first walk into an interview with a temp agency, you should immediately notice the atmosphere in the office. It is professional, yet personal, but also engaging, yet demanding. However, if you sat through one interview in the past then you will be just fine.

Dress Attire

Just because this is a temp agency does not mean you should dress in a relaxed manner. Most offices will require casual attire. Now, most people will mistake this for an opportunity to wear a t-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of old sneakers from their school days. This is completely wrong. Casual attire means something like a button down shirt, well-fitted pants or a skirt, or perhaps a dress for the women. If you walk into the office dressed like you are hanging out with friends, chances are slim you will be brought into the agency, which will ruin your good chances of finding work through that agency.

Expect Questioning

This is an interview, after all. You should expect some questions as to why you are only interested in working on a short-term basis through a temporary employment agency. Most staffing agencies will ask this question during the interview process. They want to know why you have walked in through their doors in the first place. You should have a reasonable, efficient answer in response to their inquiries.

A good response to this type of question is that you are interested in numerous fields within the area and would like to explore your options for a potential long-term position at one company. This is a wonderful response that could garner a lot of favor from the individual who is interviewing you during the process.

Testing

When being hired by a temp agency, the company will want to know where your proficiency lay. A few tests may be administered before the placement process begins with tasks like:

Typing – Most agencies would like to see individuals who type at a speed of 50 words per minute. Some specific agencies will seek higher or lower numbers based upon the specific positions available.

Spelling and Grammar – Despite being a short-term, temporary placement facility, most agencies would like to know their candidates can use proper spelling and grammar like they were taught in school.
Customer Service – Some of the testing may relate to customer service experience and abilities. A lot of short-term work revolves around helping the customer of a business.

If you treat a temp agency as if it were a full-time job when walking into the interview, you should be fine. Most of the agencies in the area will act quite professionally and seek only the best candidates. You are representative of their company when working in various businesses for short periods of time, after all. If they hire someone who cannot do the job, that reflects badly on their entire business.