When at university, during the summer break, I found the perfect opportunity to swap my job in a pork pie factory (don't ask) for a role within a temp scheme at the local council.
The opportunity came via a recruitment agency; we had a chat, it went well, I told them I could start whenever they liked and I went home thinking it was a matter of when, not if, I'd be leaving baked, jelly-lined goods behind me forever. However, the dream wasn't to be - the call didn't come and I never found out why I didn't make the cut that summer.
Several weeks ago I was reminded of this bitter disappointment (yes, working in that factory was really that bad) while reading seasoned temp Gordon Stribling's An insider's guide to surviving the world of temping. His tip - that it takes more than being a name on the system to get regular work as a temp - highlighted my big mistake; I'd expected to be handed a job on a plate because I was available, and the agency had jobs to fill.
I might have had more luck if I'd adhered to Gordon's advice about staying in regular contact with the agency. Though being mindful of the fine line between being familiar and annoying, he said a call once a week to let them know your availability will enhance the chances of getting regular work.
Going by the number of posts in our forums about using recruitment agencies, it's a job-seeking area many of you want to know more about, so we've decided to run a live Q&A examining how you can get the most out of this particular way of finding work. So, join our panel of recruiters on 26 January at 1pm and post your questions in advance below.
Our panel:
Peter Russell is chairman of Russell Taylor Associates, a technical recruitment and training provider.
Kevin Cumming heads up the placement team at Step, which offers short-term work placements and permanent roles for graduates and students covering all industry sectors.
Kim Gordon is the branch manager for Adecco's Basingstoke branch. Kim has been with the company for 27 years.
Nigel Lynn is managing director of professional staffing recruitment consultancy Barclay Meade. Nigel has more than 20 years recruitment experience.
Richard Wright is chief executive of Archer Mathieson and board director of The Cornhill Partnership, which comprises Archer Mathieson, BIE Interim Executive, Correlate Search and Euromedica. Each company provides a wide range of executive recruitment services to leading companies.
David Morrison has been a recruitment consultant at Windsor-based Archer Mathieson since 2007.
Irene Missen manages the Windsor office of Euro London Appointments, a language recruitment consultancy.
Harvey Woods is associate director at Computer People, a specialist IT recruitment consultancy.
Katie Insley is a manager at Hays Human Resources, recruiting for HR professionals across the east Midlands and East Anglia.
We'll also be joined by three representatives of legal recruitment specialists RedLaw. Amy Hambleton is a founding director of RedLaw while Christopher Clark and Chris Miller are senior consultants.
