10 Reasons to Take A Temporary Job: While the gig may have a short duration, taking it could prove a smart move in the long run. With a recovering economy, accepting a short-term position may be the best option for ending your stay among the unemployed. The drawbacks of a temporary job may make you contemplate taking one or reject the idea all together. But with a recovering economy, accepting a short-term position may be the best option for ending your stay among the unemployed. And you would hardly be alone. Since the recession ended in June 2009, temporary jobs have comprised about 19 percent of all new jobs. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released this month, the number of temporarily employed workers in April was 2.66 million, up from 2.48 million at the same time last year. Companies look at employing contract workers for a number of reasons. The speed of hiring, flexibility in scaling the number of employees to fit company needs and giving candidates a trial period before bringing them on permanently are all positives from the perspective of the employer. But from the vantage point of the prospective employee, the benefits of a job that doesnt guarantee an end to unemployment may seem valueless. While the job offer on the table may only last for a short stretch, here are some reasons to seriously consider it. 1. Temporary work isnt so temporary. While the recession and subsequent slow-growth period that followed created legions of temporary jobs, the length of temporary jobs has increased significantly. Most temporary work used to be temporary by the day or week, and now a lot of the temporary work is contract in nature where people will get three, four, six month contracts. 2. Psychological perks. If youve been unemployed for months and are down to your last dollar, a temporary job, even if its not linear with your career path, can break the cycle of restlessness and hopelessness you may be feeling. There are enormous psychological benefits of having any employment compared to unemployment even if its not ideal. A job gives structure and meaning to your life. 3. Universally beneficial. Regardless of your station in life, temporary work can serve you well. As a newly minted high school or college graduate, it can provide the hands-on experience you never had as a student. For those simply out of work, a temporary job can get people out of the house and instill a new sense of hope for returning to the labor force. 4. A job is better than no job. While the temporary gig may be wholly unrelated to your work history, it beats unemployment and having a résumé blanketed with long gaps in between jobs. Even if the employment is not exactly what you want, it has some value in terms of the labor market. 5. Temporary could become permanent. With an impressive work ethic and charming personality, you can make yourself indispensable. To reach that status, you must treat every day like an audition and put your best foot forward. Arriving early, staying late when needed, taking on additional responsibility and fulfilling the goals of the role youre filling to the betterment of the department and company are all ways to grab the attention of your employer. 6. Carry on with your career path. Partnering with an employment agency that specializes in your particular line of work can ensure your temporary stint is relevant to your past experiences. 7. Shed light on whats next. For those lacking a firm idea of where theyre heading, dabbling in a temporary assignment or two could help you find the next step in your career. 8. Pick up new skills. View the job, particularly if its not related to your past professional life, as a means to extend your know-how and experiment with a new field. A number of people will use temporary work to help them develop new skills or open the door to a new industry they havent been in before. 9. Expand your contacts. The employer youre working for may not have an opening when the stint ends, but if you made personal and professional inroads during your time there, you may leave with solid references. Those connections as you continue to network [will] help lead you to that right long-term position. 10. Earn respect of future employers. You may be skittish about venturing out to a different career arena, but a future company sizing up your résumé will be impressed by the decision to work in a field foreign to your expertise rather than not working at all. Even if a temporary job isnt in line with what you were doing before, its better from an employers point of view if you show that you continued to work.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 17:02:52 +0000
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