How to be a good temp….? Part 2 – Don’t blame the recruiter!

25 Feb 2014 | Naomi Marshall

As a recruiter I register candidates every single week for temporary work. Many candidates complain that they have registered with a number of agencies and have yet to hear back. At this point most candidates jump straight into blaming the recruiter.

However…I encourage candidates to stop and consider;

  • Was I enthusiastic in the interview?
  • Did I give the impression that I would be flexible with assignments (e.g. no job is too big or small)?
  • Have I kept in contact with the recruiter? E.g. when the recruiter has emailed me, have I always answered back?
  • Could I have missed calls from the recruiter because I have voice to text (or no voicemail at all)?
  • Could it be possible that I gave the recruiter the impression that I was only interested in certain types of roles that may be rare? What was the brief that I gave the agency?

There are exceptions to the rule of course, but a number of the candidates I meet that do complain about not being considered for temp work have committed at least one of the above offences. I know myself that if a candidate is inflexible (i.e. will only accept roles that pay a higher rate, within certain industries etc.) they are often subconsciously moved to the bottom of the pile. The first candidate that springs into my mind when a temporary assignment comes in is the one that;

  • Was well presented in the interview (See How to be a good temp? Part 1 – Look the part!)
  • Was very positive in the interview. Happy to do anything from filing and doing the washing up, to more senior admin tasks.
  • Answers the phone every time I call them, or at least gets back to me very quickly.
  • Replies to every single one of my emails (especially if I am confirming assignment details) to explain that they have received the information.
  • Has an active voicemail!!!!! – With a professional message too!

Next week’s blog “How to be a good temp – Part 3” will divulge our top tips for proactively securing as many temp assignments as possible.

Follow our blog to ensure you are kept up to date with these ongoing handy tips!

 

By: Naomi Marshall

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    Employee One.

    Position and title

    Who says we need to have an office that looks like a recruitment office?! We’re all about ‘experiences’ at Sprint and that starts with you, the candidate. Welcome to a place where you can be yourself, have a laugh and embark on the process to either find a new career or develop on your current one. No forms, no waiting, no attitude.

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  • We do things a little bit differently at sprint people:

    Employee Two.

    Position and title

    Who says we need to have an office that looks like a recruitment office?! We’re all about ‘experiences’ at Sprint and that starts with you, the candidate. Welcome to a place where you can be yourself, have a laugh and embark on the process to either find a new career or develop on your current one. No forms, no waiting, no attitude.

    Read more
  • We do things a little bit differently at sprint people:

    Employee Three.

    Position and title

    Who says we need to have an office that looks like a recruitment office?! We’re all about ‘experiences’ at Sprint and that starts with you, the candidate. Welcome to a place where you can be yourself, have a laugh and embark on the process to either find a new career or develop on your current one. No forms, no waiting, no attitude.

    Read more

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