| 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? |
| 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. |
| OK, thanks. |
| So is there anyone in particular I should speak to there? |
| The agent I always deal with is called Becky Jamieson. |
| Let me write that down - |
| Becky... |
| Jamieson |
| Jamieson |
| Do you have her direct line? |
| Yes, it's in my contacts somewhere - |
| right, here we are: |
| 07866510333. |
| 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. |
| She's really helpful and friendly so I'm sure it would be worth getting in touch with her for an informal chat. |
| It's mainly clerical and admin jobs they deal with, isn't it? |
| 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. |
| Yeah - I'm just a bit worried because I don't have much office experience. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Right, |
| I've heard the pay isn't too bad - |
| better than working in a shop or a restaurant. |
| Oh yes - definitely. |
| The hourly rate is about £10, 11 if you're lucky. |
| That's pretty good. |
| I was only expecting to get eight or nine pounds an hour. |
| Do you want me to tell you anything about the registration process? |
| Yes, please. |
| I know you have to have an interview. |
| The interview usually takes about an hour |
| and you should arrange that about a week in advance. |
| I suppose I should dress smartly if it's for office work - |
| I can probably borrow a suit from Mum. |
| Good idea. |
| It's better to look too smart than too casual. |
| Will I need to bring copies of my exam certificates or anything like that? |
| No - they don't need to see those, I don't think. |
| What about my passport? |
| Oh yes - they will ask to see that. |
| OK. |
| I wouldn't get stressed about the interview though. |
| It's just a chance for them to build 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. |
| Hope not. |
| 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. |
| And they'll have access to jobs which aren't advertised. |
| Exactly - |
| most temporary jobs aren't advertised. |
| And I expect finding a temporary job this way takes a lot less time - |
| it's much easier than ringing up individual companies. |
| Yes indeed. |
| Well I think... |