Have you ever considered temporary work? Perhaps your circumstances have forced you in to temping?
20 years ago when I was starting out as a recruiter, I would encounter prejudice from employers when it came to considering temps for permanent jobs. The prevailing attitude was one of “what’s wrong with this person, why aren’t they in / why can’t they get a permanent job?”
The perception was that if you aren’t in a permanent job then there must be something wrong with you. Nonsense, sad, but true.
Fast-forward 20 years (it certainly seems as if my life has run that way, but that’s another story!) It is rare these days to find someone who hasn’t done some temporary work. In the last 10 years in particular the have been a proliferation of Professional Interims who have benefited greatly from the flexibility an opportunity afforded them by their career choices, as indeed have the employers who have employed their skills.
The flexibility of labour is a key component of economic recovery. It can also be hugely advantageous to your career choices. Consider the opportunities temporary work presents, not least the opportunity to get a real insight in to the people, culture, values, processes, systems, customers, products and services of an organisation before committing yourself to a permanent job.
Too often in my experience employers forget that recruitment is a two way process. Temporary work affords you the opportunity to get the inside track on a prospective employer before jumping in with both feet.
What an advantage that gives you to showcase your talents, or indeed if the role itself is not consistent with your longer -term career aspirations, what better position than inside the organisation to understand what other opportunities might exist?
How well placed are you to apply from the inside as opposed to from afar? What relationships and networking opportunities does temporary work afford you and how can you leverage these in the future?
The days of leaving school at 16, getting a job, working for the next 50 years in the same job and retiring are long gone. Today’s employee seeks new challenges, new opportunities, seeks change.
What security does permanent employment really afford you today? Increasingly the terms and conditions of temporary employees and certainly the rights afforded the temporary employee are getting closer to being aligned to the permanent employee.
There was once a time when you “were just the temp”. Now you are an integral part of the work place and integral to the organizations strategic objectives.
Temporary work is challenging. We all have a basic human need for certainty which often temporary work does not provide. However if you can cope with the uncertainty of not knowing where your next assignment is coming from (financially and emotionally, both of which I accept entirely are not easy) then the career opportunities presented to you by temporary work could be invaluable.
Take it for what it is. An opportunity to try before you buy. An opportunity to develop your skills, your experience, to add value to your CV. It might just open a door for you that you hadn’t otherwise considered.
It is amazing how times have changed, and how “temp-work” is the norm. Though it is challenging as you say, it will only become more and more common, as companies hire people today based on their ability to solve problems and to contribute innovation and growth. The good news is that we are all capable of innovation and problem solving. Your article is a great introduction to what more people should consider to find the best careers for their skills.