How Do Temporary Agencies Work?
Temporary agencies work as an intermediary to provide an outlet for job seeker and potential employer to come together. Many are geared toward a specific profession, such as health care, general labor or office work. Companies pay the agency to find them temporary employees to fill a specific need. The agency saves them the time of screening, hiring and firing job candidates.
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Candidate Screening
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Many agencies will have job seekers fill out tests to identify their strengths. These tests range from more complex office skills to basic labor skills depending on the type of agency and what companies they service. Job seekers are then graded and their skills are put into a database. These scores are used to place the right candidate with the right employer.
Employment
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Temporary agencies hire the employee themselves. The job seeker reports to and receives payment from the agency, not the company they do the job for. Generally, a worker must keep in daily contact with the agency to let it know that they are available and looking for work. If an opportunity arises that fits both the company and the seeker's needs, the agency informs the worker of all the job details. The worker can then decide to accept or reject the work. However, in many cases rejecting work will hinder your chances of being called in the future. Some companies use temporary agencies to help them find potential permanent employees.
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Job Seeker Benefits
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Employees of a temporary agency do enjoy some perks. The hours are very flexible as they choose when they are available for work. If selected for hire at their temporary company, they will not have to go through the normal hiring process. At times, monetary compensation is greater because temporary workers are not usually given benefits.
Employer Benefits
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Companies that find workers through temporary agencies also reap some benefits. They do not have to go through time-consuming screening and interviewing. in addition, they do not have to worry about offering benefits and paying employee taxes. The money that they pay to the temporary agency is usually much less than what they would have to pay out in a benefits package.
Agency Locations
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Temporary agencies can be found all over the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3.1 wage and salary jobs were provided by employment services in 2008. They provided work to 74 percent of industry workers. Some agencies have thousands of seekers and not a lot of job opportunities.
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References
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