The Staffing Agency

First off, let me say that navigating Boston is like spinning around in circles like dizzy-bat and going the only direction you can still walk. Of course, this city is so small that you can pretty much walk across the whole thing in an hour if you wanted to. What's interesting here is how the streets change names after a few blocks, so Winter literally becomes Summer (street). I definitely pulled a "I'm going this way... oh wait, just kidding, I'm going that way." "Hold up, which way am I going?" I think I needed David Bowie to get me out of the labyrinth.

Boston is an interesting city in general... the history around every corner (literally), the feel of walking along in Downtown Crossing, the food (the bars!). The New England "feel" is one of walking down cobblestones, breathing the crisp bay area, hearing the tourists ohh and ahh over hundred-year-old churches, and the convergence of young minds.

I like the old-time feel of walking past the King's Chapel or Old North Church. The Boston Common is always full of people (sometimes protesters), and there's good food pretty much anywhere you go. I even have a favorite vegan Thai place in Chinatown!

So as I commuted in by "T" today to meet with the staffing agency, walking through Boston in 50-degree weather lifted my spirits. I entered a massive, well-kept professional building and was met with a clean, two-floor staffing agency right up front.

Up front at the door, there is no receptionist. There's a phone and a list of extensions with the note "call the person you're supposed to meet." So I picked up the phone and called. A few minutes later, a woman came down to hand me paperwork and asked me to fill it out. She seemed extremely annoyed that I kept asking questions, but it seemed odd to fill out paperwork BEFORE I'd even spoken to anyone... about anything. Jobs, qualifications, payment.

I read all the paperwork and filled it out in my own good time. I read every sentence, every word, every punctuation mark. I don't think this went over well with the "receptionist." Eventually, the person I came to meet came to get me, lets call him Bob.

Bob was a thin, tall man who looked to be about in his early thirties. He smiled and shook my hand, and asked me for my passport. Apparently staffing agencies need your passport before you interview as well. So I figured, what have I got to lose?

He made a copy and we went into a dimly-lit interview room with three chairs, a phone, and tiny table. I sat at the table and he sat in the corner facing me. He went over my skills, where I would like to see myself, my class schedule, and what I would be interested in doing (temp work a few days, etc).

I was honest: no, I don't know where I see myself but I'm going to keep looking. Am I qualified to do temp work? Yep. How am I paying my bills? A mix of prayer and a savings account.

At the end, he recapped the way he was going to sell me to companies and I liked the way it sounded. If you ever want an ego boost, go meet Bob* at Wegetyoujobsstaffingplace* because that alone might be worth the trip. But you have to look at this objectively. Staffing agencies get paid commission on the people they send to companies that hire them. So, the name of the game is get as many qualified people in your arsenal as possible so you can use them over and over and get as much money as possible. They also get a bonus if you go permanent, and maybe you'll refer your friends.

So now I've completed that, I'm glad that I did. Now I just get to wait and see if anything comes of it.