Will a temp job look bad on my resume? Will it distract me from finding a “real” job? These types of questions often stop job seekers from entering the world of temporary employment. But that could be a mistake. After all, nine out of 10 temps credit staffing work for making them more employable. Find out how it can help you in this short, 3-minute read.
A TEMP JOB CAN HELP YOU FIND A PERMANENT JOB (IF THAT’S WHAT YOU WANT)
The American Staffing Association reports the top reason employers use staffing firms is to gauge an employee’s fit before hiring. Nearly half of employees who use staffing firms do so for this reason. And it works. Employers who use temp workers offer 35% of them permanent jobs.
Look for temp-to-hire or temp-to-perm positions, which usually offer a 90-day contract period. These types of arrangements are common for high-tech positions and accounting jobs but are increasing in many other industries, too. Even if a position isn’t billed as temp-to-hire, it might still score you a job in the end. While you’re temping, use that time to build your network and your skillsets (see below), and you may find a clear path to a permanent position either at the same company or a similar employer by the end of your run.
A TEMP JOB CAN CHALLENGE YOU
There’s a myth that all temp jobs are mundane, brainless experiences that are beneath one’s skillsets. Nothing could be further from the truth if you know where to look. In fact, temping can give you a valuable leg-up if you:
- Are considering a career change. Staying employed through a career change can be critically important. Temping in the industry or field you’re interested in entering can, again, give you contacts and a valuable “trial run” of the new skills you’re retraining for or would like to acquire.
- Haven’t updated your skills in a while. If you were at your last job for a while, you might need to brush up on your skills and professional development. With every industry being transformed by technology, programming languages, marketing, and sales tools, accounting methods, and even word processing and meeting management have changed dramatically over the past few years. If you were once the queen of the fax machine, you might consider using temporary employment to test out new, more relevant skills.
- Are wanting to break into an innovative, new industry. From biotech to cryptocurrency to content marketing, you may find yourself intrigued by an emerging industry that, with a few tweaks, could benefit from the experience you already have. Temporary or temp-to-hire employment is a great way to get introduced.
So what are you waiting for? Contact us today for opportunities to use temporary jobs as a way up the ladder.
