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Subject:Re: Temps are people too! From:Marilynne Smith <marilyns -at- QUALCOMM -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 6 Oct 1998 15:49:02 -0700
When I was working for an agency, they provided support while I was on the
job. I could call them first and get help. They also tested my skills
in-house before sending me out. If more agencies did this sort of thing,
perhaps the client satisfaction rating would go up.
Marilynne
At 02:47 PM 10/6/98 , Sella Rush wrote:
>I've never worked as a tech writing temp (contractor) for an agency, but
>prior to going into tech writing I did spend over a year working for several
>temp agencies on clerical assignments. Later, working as a writer/editor in
>a publications department, I had the chance to work with dozens of word
>processing temps.
>
>I enjoyed being a temp, partly because I like variety. I also found it
>extremely easy to "blow people away", mainly because I actually showed up
>and accomplished something. And because I'm not a lemming, I also tried to
>contribute my perspective.
>
>*However*, I do not agree that the face of temps has changed. Once in a
>while you get a jewel like Laura, someone you can give a complex job to and
>not check up on them every ten minutes. Most of the time you get people who
>know their stuff toolwise, but need their hand held for a while before they
>come close to being productive (which is expected). Quite often you get
>people who simply don't have the tool know-how or other skills, and if
>they're nice you give them the benefit of the doubt and blame the agency for
>suckering both of us. And occasionally you get someone who may or may not
>know the tools but it doesn't matter because their raison d'être is to rack
>up as many billable hours while accomplishing as little as possible. This
>situation will never change until agencies devote more time to screening and
>become more scrupulous about matching skills to needs. And I think this is
>true for tech writing temps (contractors) as well as clerical.
>
>Sella Rush
>mailto:sellar -at- apptechsys -dot- com
>Applied Technical Systems (ATS)
>Bremerton, Washington
>Developers of the CCM Database
>
>===========================================================================
>
~!~ ~!~ ~!~ ~!~ ~!~ ~!~ ~!~ ~!~ ~!~ ~!~ ~!~ ~!~ ~!~
Marilynne Smith marilyns -at- qualcomm -dot- com
Sr. Technical Writer (619) 651-6664
QUALCOMM AE-203B
"We'll have the whole world talking"
