What do temps like most about temping? The job variety, schedule flexibility, and avoiding office politics. What do they dislike most? A big one is the unsettled feeling that stems from having no port to call home. While job variety can be great, temps can still feel a strong sense of isolation due to lack of personal ties in the workplace and the constant uncertainty of whether even the basic amenities, like supplies or a phone, will be available. Sound familiar?

Here are a few musts for career temps to have in their arsenal to help promote a feeling of grounding, control and communication.

Temp bag basics:
Have you ever gone to an assignment where there was a desk but no stapler? Where you had to hunt for pens, or where the client pointed at the supply cabinet and gave you that odd "what a nuisance" look? Clients often desperately need a temp but don't prepare for one. For pennies, you can carry a few business basics and wow even the toughest client with your ability to get right to work (and earn that callback). Basics include pens, Post-its, a writing pad, a highlighter, a few paperclips, a micro stapler with extra staples, a small tape dispenser, etc. Include an extra timecard or two as well, a few stamps so you can mail one right away, and a thank you card to successfully close the assignment, etc.

Temp amenities:
Bring a few personal essentials to make your day more comfortable. This includes personal toiletries that a client likely won't have for you: Kleenex, aspirin, lip balm, hand lotion, comb, mini sewing kit, fabric stain wipes, energy bar, Band-Aids, empty water bottle, an energy bar, etc. Carry a few quarters and a couple of dollar bills in case something happens and you need a quick snack or to make an emergency payphone call. Bring a couple of business or education-related magazines or books, so that if you do have slow time, you will still be improving yourself as you work. Some clients even let you bring your CD player for tedious assignments like filing or inventory.

Cell phone/pager with voicemail:
A temp on the move must have excellent communication tools. When you are looking for the next hot assignment, you need to be 100 percent accessible during business hours. The cell phone offers you the most flexibility, even if you get a low cost plan with limited minutes just for business purposes; a pager is the next best thing. If you only check your home answering machine once in a while, you'll doubtlessly have just missed the next big assignment. However, if you can be paged or get a phone call wherever you are, you are one up on most of your competition. Once you are actually on assignment, having your own phone makes life easier too. You can check in with your agency when necessary, confirm after work activities, or take care of other daytime personal business on your breaks without being tied to the desk.

Resource disk:
Carry essential resources with you on your own disk. Label it clearly and keep it in a personal disk carrier. The client will depend on your job expertise, but you can boost your productivity when you carry your own resources. For examples, include personalized forms where you add notes about the current assignment so you can reference it if you get a callback. Include your favorite business URLs so you can temporarily add them to your work computer (or reference them right off the disk). You'll be able to keep up with industry information on various career sites, get right to various search tools you rely on, immediately jump to your local transit schedules or utility companies, have your temp agency web site on hand, or save and reference the assignment company's web site. Finally, include items like your favorite business letter and fax templates, simple forms and document styles you can modify for use on the assignment, and program toolbar preferences you've developed for word processing (like the normal.dot which stores toolbar commands). Just make sure you run your disk through any virus checks so it and the computer will protected.

E-mail account:
Get an inexpensive (or free) e-mail account with full Web services that you can access remotely (from any computer or platform). While more agencies are putting clauses and warnings about the appropriate use of client computers, not even they can fault you for discreetly checking your own remote e-mail, calendar and address book during lunch, a break, or a troubleshooting need. Your e-mail allows you to forward documentation to your agency and to receive industry-related information so you can brush up during slow periods. Using a remote address book and calendar lightens your temp bag by eliminating the need for hauling around a real organizer. You can pull up a number and contact a peer to troubleshoot, just in time to save the day at the temp job (and to earn a callback or an extension). With a remote calendar you can keep your assignments in order, remind yourself when to check in for new work and schedule around holidays that might affect your paycheck. Finally, if you aren't sure if you can bring or use a disk, you can store your same resources in your Web space and grab it while on the job.

It's amazing how rethinking what you bring to a temp job can help you feel that you have control over your environment. The client will generally be impressed that you always seem prepared, while you can rest assured that you have all of your necessary resources at your fingertips. Depending on the variety and type of assignments you get, you'll certainly have to tailor your needs on a per-job basis, but including any of these items in your arsenal will go a long way to helping you feel more in touch, productive and grounded during a temp assignment.