Job hunters often feel they must embellish their skills to land a job, but when you sign up to work with a temp agency, exaggerating your skills may work against you. You could end up in the wrong position. So during your first meeting at a temp agency, be honest.

At the initial interview with a temp agency, you will be asked such questions as:

• Have you worked in an environment that involves professional executives?
• Have you worked in an environment that requires you to support many people versus just one executive? 
• Are you more comfortable in a laid-back office that only requires casual dress, or do you prefer to wear a suit every day to the office.

Your answers to these types of questions will let the agency know about your soft skills. Since these are not already covered on your resume, your honesty here is essential to where you will be placed. Hard skills, such as experience with computer software and typing, are easy to test and help you get your foot in the door. Soft skills, the people skills and experience you’ve gained in different offices, may indicate whether or not you’ll last on a certain assignment.

By being dishonest with your agency, you are preventing them from giving you a good placement. And a bad placement doesn’t do anyone any favors.

Room for Error

What if you feel you’ve been honest with your temp agency representative, but the assignment you’re sent on still isn’t a good fit? The agency should take you off the job but not leave you hanging. It’s important to step back and accept such a critique of your work habits, especially after a job does not work out. Just view it as free advice that you can use to make yourself a better full-time employee down the road. Being armed with such information helps prep you not only for your next assignment, but also for your overall career goals.