It’s long been believed that having temporary jobs on your CV could be detrimental to you securing a permanent job in the future.
Many people in the UK are currently out of work. The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has made thousands – if not millions - of amazing people redundant and left valuable skills dormant. Yet, in a bizarre society-crafted view that temping can harm your CV, many people still avoid undertaking temp work through the fear of it negatively impacting their long-term job search.
As a Recruiter whose job it is to assist clients with office-based roles, I see candidates from all backgrounds taking on temp assignments, with each one having a different reason for doing so. Some may be students taking on work outside of term time; others may be professional temps who choose the convenience of temping as a lifestyle, and some have been made redundant and take on temp work whilst they look for their next dream job.
If you’re considering temporary work at the moment but sitting on the fence on whether or not it’s for you, here’s 5 reasons why temp work actually makes you more employable:
1. You learn new systems
With the rise of the use of technology in every aspect of our lives, it’s not surprising that particular software and systems skills have been in high demand in recent years. Gone are the days of writing “Microsoft Word, Internet and Email” on your CV; if you want to keep up with the working world as it is today, having a good stock of systems skills and experience on your CV is one way to do so. Temping allows you to expand your skills in this area. It’s likely that the next company you walk into will use a different system to your last employer, so spending six weeks; two months; however long a temp job lasts on a new system, can add value to your CV. When it comes to knowledge, the more the better.
2. You learn different ways of doing things
If you’re someone who’s been made redundant from a company where you spent a long time working, you’ve more than likely been doing things the same way for the entire duration of your employment. You may have experienced some changes here or there, but companies usually tend to stick to one way of doing things unless that way proves to be inefficient – and even then, some companies still take the view of ‘better the devil you know’! By doing a job in a different company, you begin to see how you can do the same tasks, but differently, and this can prove useful when applying your knowledge in a new job. Knowing more than one way to tackle a problem or aspect of your role shows that you can think innovatively and adapt your approach to work according to the environment and circumstances you’re in.
3. You’re exposed to different sectors
Many skills that people learn over time as specific to the industry that they’re involved in. For example, a bookkeeper or accountant working in the construction industry will be required to make CIS (Construction Industry Scheme) payments, and those finance professionals working in companies with shares or securities listed on a public stock exchange are likely to be working to IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) framework. With different sectors working with different systems, requiring different standards, and having different policies and processes to adhere to, working across a number of different industries whilst temping can make you more versatile when it comes to adapting to new environments.
4. It shows that you can learn quickly
Some temp jobs last for as little as one day, so this means picking up new things very quickly. As a temp, you’re often thrown in at the deep end and expected to grasp new processes and procedures within a matter of minutes. This is not always the case, but you really don’t know how capable you are of doing something until you’re given no choice but to be. Whether or not it be administration tasks, reception duties or even office management responsibilities, going into a temporary role with a new company gives you an opportunity to try something new and completely thrive whilst doing so. People often say there’s a buzz that comes with temping: getting stuck in straight away and learning on the job means you may well make mistakes, but you certainly learn from them – and usually a lot quicker than you would in a steady paced environment.
5. You’ve already got your foot in the door
You really never know what can come from a temp job. Reception jobs that are supposed to last a day have ended in full-time, permanent office management roles. Two-week admin help has turned into long-term project support. The reality is that being in a business and doing a job for them well means you’re already ahead of other candidates when permanent or long-term opportunities arise. A lot of companies have a policy to advertise their jobs internally first, and as a temp you have the same rights as a permanent employee when it comes to being granted access to these vacancies. In addition to this, you never know what might come up when you’re working as a temp. The world of business is everchanging and this often means staffing requirements rapidly adapting to accommodate. They say you should take every opportunity life throws at you and temping is no exception to that rule.
If the above is enough to convince you that temping may be for you, I’d love to hear from you. I and the office team recruit for temporary and permanent office-based roles across East Anglia, and we’re continuing to make great client-candidate matches throughout the course of this year’s crazy events.
We’re working tirelessly to ensure that we get as many people back into work as quickly as possible, whilst providing opportunities to learn new skills in temporary roles, as well as still landing people their dream “forever” jobs. We look forward to hearing from you!