AMBER:
Hello William. This is Amber – you said to phone if I wanted to get more information about the job agency you mentioned. Is now a good time?
WILLIAM:
Oh, hi Amber. Yes. Fine. So the agency I was talking about is called Bankside – they’re based in Docklands – I can tell you the address now – 497 Eastside.
AMBER:
OK, thanks. So is there anyone in particular I should speak to there?
WILLIAM:
The agent I always deal with is called Becky Jamieson.
AMBER:
Let me write that down – Becky …
WILLIAM:
Jamieson J-A-M-I-E-S-O-N.
AMBER:
Do you have her direct line?
WILLIAM:
Yes, it’s in my contacts somewhere – right, here we are: 078 double 6, 510 triple 3. I wouldn’t call her until the afternoon if I were you – she’s always really busy in the morning trying to fill last-minute vacancies.
WILLIAM:
She’s really helpful and friendly so I’m sure it would be worth getting in touch with her for an informal chat.
AMBER:
It’s mainly clerical and admin jobs they deal with, isn’t it?
WILLIAM:
That’s right. I know you’re hoping to find a full-time job in the media eventually – but Becky mostly recruits temporary staff for the finance sector – which will look good on your CV – and generally pays better too.
AMBER:
Yeah – I’m just a bit worried because I don’t have much office experience.
WILLIAM:
I wouldn’t worry. They’ll probably start you as a receptionist, or something like that. So what’s important for that kind of job isn’t so much having business skills or knowing lots of different computer systems – it’s communication that really matters – so you’d be fine there. And you’ll pick up office skills really quickly on the job. It’s not that complicated.
AMBER:
OK good. So how long do people generally need temporary staff for? It would be great if I could get something lasting at least a month.
WILLIAM:
That shouldn’t be too difficult. But you’re more likely to be offered something for a week at first, which might get extended. It’s unusual to be sent somewhere for just a day or two.
AMBER:
Right, I’ve heard the pay isn’t too bad – better than working in a shop or a restaurant.
WILLIAM:
Oh yes – definitely. The hourly rate is about £10, 11 if you’re lucky.
AMBER:
That’s pretty good. I was only expecting to get eight or nine pounds an hour.
WILLIAM:
Do you want me to tell you anything about the registration process?
AMBER:
Yes, please. I know you have to have an interview.
WILLIAM:
The interview usually takes about an hour and you should arrange that about a week in advance.
AMBER:
I suppose I should dress smartly if it’s for office work – I can probably borrow a suit from Mum.
WILLIAM:
Good idea. It’s better to look too smart than too casual.
AMBER:
Will I need to bring copies of my exam certificates or anything like that?
WILLIAM:
No – they don’t need to see those, I don’t think.
AMBER:
What about my passport?
WILLIAM:
Oh yes – they will ask to see that.
WILLIAM:
I wouldn’t get stressed about the interview though. It’s just a chance for them to build a relationship with you – so they can try and match you to a job which you’ll like. So there are questions about personality that they always ask candidates – fairly basic ones. And they probably won’t ask anything too difficult like what your plans are for the future.
WILLIAM:
Anyway, there are lots of benefits to using an agency – for example, the interview will be useful because they’ll give you feedback on your performance so you can improve next time.
AMBER:
And they’ll have access to jobs which aren’t advertised.
WILLIAM:
Exactly – most temporary jobs aren’t advertised.
AMBER:
And I expect finding a temporary job this way takes a lot less time – it’s much easier than ringing up individual companies.
WILLIAM:
Yes indeed. Well I think …