Am I still legal?

To work in the United States, that is. I'm starting a temp assignment tomorrow through one of the agencies that I use. Because I haven't done any work for them in six months (no thanks to them), I have to stop into their office to show them -- again -- two forms of ID to prove that I can work legally in this country.

Like my Social Security card or birth certificate has changed! I am not happy about this.

Crust

This is what I think about an agency that got me one week of work in four months:

HR going by another name

An email I got from Aquent yesterday brings back vivid memories of what I experienced countless times over many years and call "the temp agency tease," as in "we've got something perfect for you yadda yadda yadda."

I called the Aquent rep yesterday, and rather than talk with me about the position, she said she'd email a list of times she could call, and that I should pick one. I still haven't received the email.

I have no doubt that temp agency reps have an incentive to make a certain number of contacts a week, month, or whatever. I know of what I speak. I've dealt with many of them. I have an interview this week with The Creative Group in DC that might very well turn out the same way.

People who work for temp agencies are in effect HR folks, and we know about them. I think they're recruiters who couldn't make the cut into the more prestigious and higher-paying agencies. This is not cynicism; this is the reality of temping through agencies.