Making the Case for Temporary Work

By Debbie Lipton, Operation A.B.L.E.

Temporary work. Some job seekers see opportunity in these assignments whether it be skill development, networking leads, or simply a means of earning extra money while between full-time jobs. Others do not want to “temp,” feeling that agencies do not have much work or that the application process is too onerous. Temporary work and employment agencies have changed in the last few years, especially with the downturn in the economy. Here are some thoughts on the value of utilizing temporary work as part of your job search strategy.

What are the unique values of temporary work? Most importantly, it can place you with an organization where you may want to work full-time. Last year, a client of mine, making a career change from home health care to office work, accepted (with some reluctance) a temporary position with a major biotech company as a receptionist, with the prospect of becoming a full-time employee. She did not want to go this route, but found that it offered her more opportunity for employment than applying only for full-time jobs. As she stayed on the position, she discovered that she liked the job, the environment, and the people. Six months after starting there as a temporary employee, she was hired full-time. She now calls me to enthusiastically encourage other clients to explore the employment opportunities with this employer.

Temporary work also allows you to build your network. At your assignment, you often have the opportunity to meet and talk to employees of the organization where you are working. (Of course, do not do this at the price of not doing the work you were hired to do!) The information you collect can help you explore hiring opportunities within this organization, or with other organizations in this industry.

I have seen many temporary workers develop new skills on a job. These individuals may learn more advanced applications of particular software, or gain industry-specific knowledge that will help them in their career development. These skills, added to your resume, can increase the likelihood that you will be chosen for a future interview.

Finally, temporary work can help you bridge employment gaps in your resume. If you have been out of work for more than a few months, temporary assignments allow you to describe how you took initiative to be active in the workforce, even while you are seeking full-time employment. Employers value this type of initiative and it can make you stand out as a candidate.

Temporary work is not limited to office workers. While professionals will find that contract work through a professional employment agency may be a better match than working with temporary agencies, using office support skills can be a way to reenter the job market. Professionals who do office support work with a good attitude tend to get a positive reputation within an organization. This reputation can lead to further interest in your candidacy for career appropriate positions within a hiring organization.

In order to sign up and be active with a temporary employment agency, I recommend that you find out what their intake process is and the types of skills they need the most. In other words, treat the agency as you would any other hiring organization. Call ahead and ask what type of testing that they do. Inquire into the geographical areas that they service and the types of skills that are most valuable. Be ready to be tested on your Microsoft Office, typing, and data entry skills. Many agencies will talk to you after they have done this testing. If this is not comfortable for you, identify agencies that will talk to you first and then do the testing. If you are not comfortable with the process, it will be harder for you to be placed.

Also, do not forget that some employers hire directly for temporary positions, bypassing temporary employment agencies. In the last year, I have seen two higher education institutions hire their temporary staff this way. The advantage to those seeking a job in higher education is obvious; this temporary project can act as a “foot in the door” to be considered for full-time positions down the road.

While the search for temporary work is more competitive now than it was five years ago, it still is a potentially powerful tool to re-enter the job market. Treat the temporary agency as you would a hiring organization, and explore the options that they can offer.

In the very active job market of the mid to late 1990’s, temporary work was a viable route to a regular paycheck. Temporary agencies had more work than they had workers, and this was reflected in the salaries being offered to temporary workers. As the job market faltered in 2001 and continues to struggle even now, the roles of temporary agencies have shifted a bit. While they still provide qualified workers to employers that require flexible staffing, they now, more than ever, act as a pre-qualifying agency. Because there are so many candidates that could meet the needs of an employer’s temporary needs, organizations are looking to temporary agencies to screen candidates and match them to the exact needs of the job description. Employers that may have filled a temp receptionist opportunity with someone who did not have the exact skill set but had many transferable skills now seek to fill these needs with experienced receptionists with specific skill sets.

As a result, job seekers who are accustomed to considering temporary agencies “a last resort” that do not “really count” as real employers need to shift their perceptions. Temporary agencies need to be treated as any other employer. When you work as a temporary worker, you represent the temporary agency. Treat this relationship as you would your relationship with the hiring organization.

Debbie Lipton is a Human Resources Generalist for Operation A.B.L.E. (Ability Based on Long Experience), where she provides career counseling service to adult career changers. Operation A.B.L.E. is a non-profit employment and training organization that provides services to mature workers 45+ as well as to adults from occupationally, economically, and racially diverse backgrounds. In her 15 years in employment, Debbie has worked across the non-profit, government, and corporate sectors as a counselor, job search coach, job developer, trainer, and corporate recruiter. Debbie is a Certified Administrator of the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory and a Certified Professional Resume Writer. She is a former board member of the Boston Chapter of the Association of Career Management Professionals International (ACPI), former chair of the Career Counselors' Consortium and is a member of the Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA). She holds a Master's of Science degree in Human Resources Counseling from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and English. To learn more about Operation A.B.L.E., please call 617-54-4180, or visit www.OperationABLE.net.