How Did You Get to Where You Are?

[PBancroft]

A know it's not exactly a career move but what about temping agencies?


<snip>

So I have always had the idea that temping might be a way to work your way into a permanent job. The temping agency seemed to gain confidence with me as well - I said I was computer literate (usual office software), could type well (fairly fast and accurate - hard to believe now) and could operate the standard office equipment including receptionist's switchboards so I did a lot of short office placements at first but more interesting stuff as they realised I really was handy with a computer.

I know someone who has spent his entire working career since Uni (about ten years) doing nothing but temp work. At every job he is quite highly thought of, and the agency love him since he can readily adapt and will always give 100%.

He's not been offered a full time post yet, and he has asked. I think the problem for him is three-fold - the agency see him as too much of a good thing. They make a good commission off him, so have no desire to lose it. The companies budget for a temp, and by the time a permanent position comes up he's either long since moved on and isn't considered, or its in a different department where they don't know him from Adam and can just see his long string of temp jobs, which brings me to the third point...

IMHO he's spent too long temping. He is very clever, and technically able but having spent so long working as a temp his CV isn't as good as it could be. It's a bit of a vicious circle from his point of view I think - six months working as an IT Consultant for the NHS looks great, but then the subsequent three months as a delivery driver don't look so great. Sure its not his fault, but its the sheer volume.

So, be careful is my advice.

As for me... how did I get where I am? God knows. Idiocy and blind luck probably. I work in IT but have no IT qualifications whatsoever having aimed to be an editor and starting work in a cottage industry publishing firm.

 

[Adasta]

Admin in London is far harder than elsewhere. I'm signed up to about 5 agencies and I only get (sporadic) work from one. That said, I do have an interview tomorrow so we'll see how that goes. I'm pretty stoical about everything these days since it's so easy for them to reject me; also, there are usually 2 interviews involved for ANY position now (even temping) so it's not worth getting worked up over nothing.

 

[Maverick Goose]

Good luck !

 

[Sleeping Menace]

After growing up in a .. 'questionable' neighbourhood.. Fate, luck, or grace of God (however you prefer to view it) gave me an opportunity to attend a VERY good school. For the next few years I worked full time as chef in the evenings to put myself through school, begged borrowed and stole what was necessary to make ends meet. ..
Did well in school and finally got a doctorate only to realise there's virtually no demand for astrophysicists.
I took the experience gained from having modelled all manner of celestial mechanics on computers and continued to model, almost anything and everything, including predictives for stock performance, derivatives, and a myriad of other financial models.
Took a few year hiatus to begin exporting wines from the Mediterranean, then grudgingly re-engaged the financial services realm as an infrastructure architect / partner at a private consultancy. Currently I have a few simultaneous projects on the go, and hope soon to taper off the financial services side of my activities as much as possible, to concentrate on things I enjoy.

........................
http://anotherdooratthe.endoftheinternet.org

Cycle related blog entries, including a few 5 minute reviews:
http://anotherdooratthe.endoftheinternet.org/category/cycling/

 

[HelenD123]

Good luck Adasta!

Despite having a degree, it was a summer job temping in an accounts department which got me that first foot in the door and which set me on the path of my career. Unbelievably 15 years later it'd still helping me get work.

 

[Adasta]

I turned down the job immediately after having my interview!

The interviewer was actually talking me out of the job. She looked at my CV and - I think - sympathised with my plight a bit. She looked at my degree and essentially told me this would be a stressful and mind-numbing role for me; she had also done an Arts degree and I got the feeling she secretly wished she wasn't stuck in Logistics. At the end of the interview she said that if I had any doubts I should let the agency know immediately.

We got on pretty well and I didn't get the sense that she didn't like me (as a candidate). It was all quite odd, actually...

Oh well - I feel better for having the interview.

 

[martynjc1977]

Left school, joined the military, got medically discharged, have since worked in mental health as a health care assistant, was going to do my nurse training at uni but decided to train as a plumber instead.

 

[Headgardener]

Did three years as a drivers mate for a retail furniture company then one year training as a gardener then two years trying to run my own gardening business before joining the NHS as a porter/gardener 24 and a bit years ago. I moved to my current site just over 22 years ago and lost the gardener part when the other porter, who covered for me while I did the gardening, retired and was never replaced.

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Left School with 9 GCSEs and went to College.
Left College 2 years later with 3 A Levels and went to University.
Left University 3 years later with a B.Sc (Hons) Degree in Physics and Scientific Instrumentation and went to work in Makro helping with store redesign during a period of expansion/upgrade (shelf stacker then!).
Went for my first proper interview at a local College for a job as a Marketing Assistant and got that.
RETRAINING: Undertook the Advanced Cert in Marketing part-time while working there and passed that.
Moved to be Marketing Co-ordinator back where my folks lived so moved back in with them for a couple of years.
Completed my Diploma in Marketing there (part time in the evenings again).
Got a job back in Manchester as the Marketing Co-ordinator for the North West Region for the OU.
Did that for just under 2 years and then they recruited somone else in a slightly higher position who I had to train... but I wasn't allowed to apply for the job (bizarrely!). Not overly bothered as I was becoming bored with Marketing.
RETRAINING: Completed my MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) during the last 6 months of working at the OU.
Struggled to get employment as I had the qualification but no experience (yeah, that old chestnut) but managed to get a job back at the College I started my working life at as a Network Technician as I knew the Principal well from my time there previously and he knew I could do the job and pick up what I needed to know quickly. I promised to stay for at least a year... I managed a year and 1 day.
Got a job (where I am now) as a Network Officer and did 9 months in that before being promoted and moved into Web Development work.
Still here just over 10 years later having had no initial experience of software coding and learning a number of programming languages/methodologies along the way.

 

[Chilternrides]

RAF (Aircraft technician) ~16 years, then I left, intended to travel for six months or so before returning to the civilian aircraft industry, but that never happened.
Someone offered me a job out of the blue in a completely different industry (infrastructure installation at telecomms sites) and like a clown I took it instead of travelling.
Several years later another out of the blue offer came along which paid more and had a good all round package which meant I could spend more time in my own bed rather than B&B or hotels, and I've been here ever since.

Not a particularly interesting tale, but life has sort of just happened to me!