After reading Part 1 of “How to be a good temp?” and part 2, you will know that the best start is to turn up to your interview dressed appropriately, with a positive attitude and a smile on your dial! If you believe that you have this part nailed then the following tips will help you secure as many temp assignments as possible!

• Have your phone with you at all times and be aware that you may get a call at 7:30am in the morning for an immediate start!
• Be prepared to leave the house at a moment’s notice! Have a corporate outfit ironed and ready in your wardrobe just in case.
• When you arrive at a temp assignment, text or call your consultant to let them know that you have arrived.
• Call or email your consultant during the temporary assignment letting them know how much you’re enjoying it, and can’t wait for the next one.
• Have an active voicemail… I repeat… have an active voicemail!!! I know I am harping on about this one, but there are just so many people that don’t seem to realise that they have voice to text (or worse – nothing at all). Voice to text has to be one of the worst innovations ever! Not only can it rarely understand what you are saying, but it also only gives a 10 second window for someone to leave a message. This means that crucial information is often missed.
• Take responsibility for keeping in touch with your consultant. Yes, I agree that the recruiter should keep in touch with you, however they meet with dozens of people every week and you don’t want to be that candidate that falls through the cracks! Pop the recruiter a quick email letting them know that you are free all week, or that you will be unavailable that Tuesday because you’ll be out of town etc. Every point of contact will keep you front of mind!

The short end of the story is that you (as a temp) have a responsibility to make sure that your recruiter understands that you are flexible, positive and keen to work. Show recruiters that you take temping seriously and they will reward you! It should never be “just a temp job”, or “just the agency calling” because the moment a recruiter gets a sniff of that attitude, they will stop calling you for assignments. Follow these tips and you’re bound to be an agency’s number 1 temp in no time.