Keep out of the way of the way of the revolving doors - the office temps are coming. No longer are we the people at whom the buck stops. No longer are we being seen as the drippy receptionists who hang up on you instead of diverting your call or staple our fingers to the annual reports. Oh no! We are skilled and we are in hot demand.
With the economy still booming, international companies are setting up camp, emigrants are filing home and the demand for skilled employees has shot up. Labour shortages mean that employers are becoming much more reliant on temps and our skills and abilities are finally being given the credit and recognition they have always been due.
Eyes and ears
We are nomadic workers. We move in quietly, assimilate all the information available to us, and move out again. In that time we will be your eyes and ears. We will organise your diaries, open your post and read your e-mails. We will arrange your flights and meetings, talk to your families, organise the most secret company files and remind you to eat lunch. We will prioritise your lives. You will confide in us, complain to us, confess to us and generally call us by the wrong name.
When there is work to do we will do it and we'll do it well. When there isn't, we are masters of the art of looking busy. As we are proving to an ever-increasing employer base, we are not lazy, incapable, lacking qualifications, immature or clueless. Quite the contrary. Our profile is diverse and interesting.
We come from all walks of life, in every shape and size. We are predominantly female, ranging in age from about 18 to 30. Many of us have degrees and/or qualifications in secretarial and administrative work. We are highly computer-literate. Some of us are at a crossroads, having just left university or returned from travels.
Some of us are "down-shifting": moving out of a career-driven environment into one which demands less of us, so that we have time to meet the other demands, such as family, or further education. Others are "down-stressing", preferring to have no work to take home, no great sense of responsibility or long-term commitment. In a career-driven world, we chose to step back, take stock. Temping has a unique appeal for us - as temporary employees we are not tethered. We are free to move on whenever it suits us.
As the world of employment changes shape, it becomes increasingly possible to leave one temporary position and walk straight into another. It is becoming easier too for a temp to remain in one company as a temp without having to accept a permanent position. So yes, we will be working full-time, but if we want to stop for whatever reason, it's our decision.
Jobs for life
Once there was a time when people got jobs and kept them for life. This is the antithesis of that. We don't want a lifetime commitment. Don't ask us to sign on the dotted line or you might never see us again.
Of course, I don't speak for all temps. There are many people out there who take on a temporary position in the hope that it will turn into a full-time job ("temp to perm", as they call it in the business).
It goes without saying that there are drawbacks. Drudgery is one: in many companies temps are brought in to do the work that no one else could bear - endless filing, mailshots, hundreds of standard letters. However, there are plenty of temping jobs that are more challenging. A combination of luck, patience and the ability to push will almost always land you what you want. Once you can prove yourself to your agency, and more importantly to your employer, things will develop.
When it all began I feared being the new girl. I would sit awkwardly, half-swallowed by some "contemporary" leather chair, my shoes looking tatty against a gleaming floor. Groups of people would file in through the swing doors and breeze past reception. I envied everyone else's familiarity. I envied their obliviousness of shiny floors and tacky shoes.
Invaluable experiences
I have been temping now for two years. In that time I have not been out of work for more than a week (except by choice). Eight long placements have included two dud jobs. There have also been some invaluable experiences. I have taken minutes at brainstorming sessions. I have told new fathers of the birth of their children. I have been involved in running a music festival, advised people about their mortgages, and compiled training manuals. I have developed old skills and learned many new ones. More importantly, I've had fun.
Temping has strengthened my confidence. I have learned not to fear being the new girl, every four or five weeks.