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It’s no secret the economy sucks right now. As it has gotten more and more difficult to snag a permanent full time job, many people in their twenties are considering working for a temp agency to pay the bills. Working for a temp agency does have a few benefits, such as getting the opportunity to get your foot in the door of a specific company, but going the temp route does have major pitfalls. Although there are some people out there with temping success stories, there are scores of people whose experience with a temping agency was nothing short of a nightmare. As someone who’s worked with several different agencies on and off for years, I feel like I’ve almost become a temp agency expert. Although I’m sure there are reputable agencies out there, from my experience, problems abound.  Here are some things I experienced from the sketchtastic temping industry:

1. Your recruiter really doesn’t care about your career goals

The recruiter might seem all nice and supportive at the interview, but many recruiters will forget about you as soon as you walk out the door. They interview several people a day; that’s why it’s vital to make a follow up phone call to jog the recruiter’s memory and remind them you’re willing to take any job that comes up. Regardless of whether or not you have a degree in broadcasting or mechanical engineering, chances are high you’re going to get offered a job that involves data entry, answering phones, or stuffing envelopes all day. The good jobs are few and far between and are super hard to get.

2. The jobs that temp agencies advertise on job boards (such as Craigslist) are just examples of jobs they might have available

Go ahead and apply for that administrative assistant job, but when you get to the agency be prepared for the moment they tell you the job is no longer available. This is a ploy they use to get you into their office for an interview, so they can add you to their corral of other unemployed hopefuls.

3. A job might not really be temp-to-perm, even if they say it is

I stayed as a temp for one company a whole year. When it became obvious that I wasn’t going to get a formal job offer, I bolted. My advice, don’t even wait the full year. The longer you stay a temp at one company, the worse it looks on your resume. I’ve been on a couple of job interviews during which I was asked why I stayed a temp in one place that long.

4. Your agency will underpay you and withhold your paycheck if they think they can get away with it

At one place I worked, I found out I was making a dollar less an hour than the other temps who were doing the same work I was. My supervisor complained to my agency on my behalf and my hourly rate got bumped up. I got absolutely no apology or explanation from the temp agency. In regards to the withholding of the paycheck – not ethical, but it happens. When I left my last temp job without giving two weeks notice, the manager at the agency refused to deposit my check unless I gave her a full explanation of why I quit. That’s not a unique situation. I’ve heard of stories from other people who literally had to beg for their final paychecks.

5. Lastly, taking time off is a pain in the butt

Always ask your direct supervisor if you can take a day off. Never call the temp agency. The agency loses money when you don’t show up for work, so unless you’re in the midst of a life or death emergency, your recruiter will flip out on you over the phone. I’ve had supervisors who were nice enough to call the agency on my behalf when I needed time off.

Getting employment through an agency is easy since you only need basic skills, but the type of work you’ll get is not ideal. The lack of job benefits and low pay are concerns. If you’re really hard up on cash, working for a temp agency is the way to go, but if you go that route, continue applying for permanent positions and go on as many interviews as your can.