Adventures in Temping

These past few days have demonstrated the old adage "It doesn't rain but it pours".

This time last week I was feeling terribly bleak. Even though I have had 4 phone interviews and 3 face to face interviews in only 6 weeks and after 3 dozen or so applications. But still I had just interviewed for a job that would only pay $13.50/hr and require a lot of driving around and odd shifts. The recruiter kept stressing the room to move up and make better money but it kept making me think of vacuum sales that I did many many years ago.

So I just kept plugging away firing out job applications. A lot of the jobs around here are through temp placement agencies. So you see a job and send in the app but well they;'ve already filled it with people in their pool, so they sign you up to add to their pool of candidates for the next job. I've been registered with one agency for a few weeks now and not a nibble.

A friend's wife had me send her my resume and she sent it to the agency that hires for her warehouse. So on Wednesday I got called by the same temp agency twice, the local office for some jobs I had applied to and the office in the nearby town where my friend's wife works. So I go see both on Thursday and am all set to take the temp job  with my friend's wife when on Friday another agency calls me!

Would I be interested in going to a local factory on Saturday morning to see if I have an aptitude for MIG-welding? It would be a 3 month contract to hire, straight days. $14/hr to start (raises after 3 months) but only a 10 minute commute instead of a 45 minute commute for the other job which is $1/hr more but just a straight temp placement.

So instead of going to check out Hold the Line yesterday, I spent my morning trying my hand at MIG-welding. The plant manager who was coaching us on our welding seemed to like my attitude, so I will find out early this week if he wants me back.