I highly recommend working with The Larko Group!
I worked as an office temp through The Larko Group from November 2019 through August 2021, and had a great experience with them.
I interviewed with Larko in October 2019, shortly after leaving a full-time job. A friend who had previously temped with Larko referred me. As a freelance theatre director, I was looking for a "day job" that was stable, but also highly flexible, and would allow me to focus more on my artistic work.
During the five months I worked with them before the COVID-19 pandemic, they were great about communicating about open temp assignments I would be a good fit for. For three months that winter, I worked as the office manager of a co-working space. Larko also found me additional shorter-term assignments after that position ended, and before the pandemic.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when I was unemployed and expressed an interest in remote temp work, Larko had me interview for a few different remote full-time jobs. They had several leads on great jobs that were all within my skill set and with reputable companies. Larko adequately prepared me with information on the jobs and expectations before each interview.
Fortunately, I landed an awesome, full-time remote job doing data management for a major local University, which I held for the full 2020-21 school year. I was so thankful to have that job during the pandemic! The Larko Group really came through for me!
The position itself turned out to be a great fit for me. My supervisors were great at delegating work and communicating with the other temps in the department. The actual workload was very do-able within the 8-hour workday (which included a paid lunch break). This was actually probably the best kind of employment for me during the pandemic. All the while, Larko was great about communicating anything pertinent about the job, hours, pay, time off, etc.
That position ended in June of 2021 (with plenty of notice, as the position was only intended to go through the school year). Immediately, the Larko Group found me consistent temporary work at an in-person gallery exhibition / tourist attraction in Chicago. They offered shifts on a week-by-week basis, once the gallery knew their exact staffing needs for the week. Most weeks, Larko offered potential shifts nearly every day, so a temp could work completely full-time if they wanted to. I usually chose to work around three or four shifts, or around 25 hours per week. I appreciated this flexibility since I had a lot going on closer to the end of that summer as I was preparing to leave Chicago to go to grad school. The management and other staff members at the gallery were great to work with. Though the workload occasionally felt a bit overwhelming, since it was my first in-person, high-volume customer service job after the pandemic. But the managers were very aware of this workload for all employees, and knew how to run the place efficiently and made it a positive experience for everyone.
At the end of August, I left Chicago to go to graduate school to earn my MFA in directing, at the University of Massachusetts - the continuation of my lifelong career goal. When I notified the Larko Group, about a month before I left, they reacted very positively and thanked me for the work I did with them over the last couple years. They were completely fine with the date I chose as my last workday, and when I had to cut back on shifts in my final week to get ready for my move.
Overall, I highly recommend seeking temp work through the Larko Group, especially if you are a freelancer in the arts or if you are in between careers and want to try out a few different types of workplaces and positions. All of my interpersonal communications with Amy, Eva, and the rest of the staff at Larko have been direct, clear, and positive. They always communicated really well about work conditions, hours, and pay. And they found jobs for me that each ended up being a perfect fit for me at the time. read more
