For many people, settling on a long-term career is a difficult decision. Some people come out of school with a specialized set of skills that points to a specific career path, but others enter the workforce with a general skill set that could be useful in a wide range of careers.
If you’re currently searching for a long-term career, temporary work should be on your radar as a means to achieve that goal.
When your goal is to find a career, taking a temporary job may feel like you are dropping your standards or hitting the pause button. Some temporary jobs don’t involve a skill set and wage in line with your education and experience, so it’s normal to worry about these jobs not being much benefit. You may also hesitant to dive into a temporary situation if it lures you away from your main objective.
Therefore, it’s important that you don’t jump at every single temp job that comes along. Some companies have a reputation for being a dead end and jobs at these companies should be avoided. Also, you don’t want to put yourself in a position where a temp job is burning you out, making you so mentally and physically exhausted, you can’t pursue the next step on your career path.
With those issues in mind, consider the following reasons a temp job can be useful in pursuing a long-term career.
A Steady Paycheck
Working a 40-hour per week temp job can pay the bills and it’s a much more reliable source of income than working a job in retail or the service industry, which have busy and slow periods. Also, staffing recruiters are motivated to get you into a job as quickly as possible. So, if you have bills looming that must be paid, a temp job can be a big help.
Variety
The transient nature of temporary employment means you can take a look at more jobs in a shorter period of time than you would going the full-time route, making this the ideal option for folks who don’t know what career they want at the moment. It’s also a chance for people who have a general sense of the field they want to get into to expand their core competencies.
In addition to determining what you like and what you don’t like, working in a variety of environments, roles and kinds of businesses will allow you to pick up some intangible abilities that can be very helpful in setting you apart from the crowd.
An effective strategy to manage that variety is to make a short list of the kinds of jobs and businesses you want to take a look at, then pursue them in order of preference.
Networking
If you wind up at a handful of businesses as a temporary employee, you’ll probably work intently with a range of individuals who will get to know you as a professional. When someone you worked closely with can attest to your work habits, strengths, and biggest achievements, they can be a valuable professional reference. These folks can also point you to connections they have with other employers or in other industries.
At SSi People , we help people discover a fulfilling career through part-time, temporary and full-time positions. Please contact us today to find out how we can help your career.
