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 moming trying to fill last-minute vacancies. 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.
AMBER: OK.
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.
AMBER: Hope not.
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 ... |
