The Top Benefits of Taking a Temp Job

14 Dec The Top Benefits of Taking a Temp Job

There comes the point in most people’s lives where they wonder what they want to do next in their career. Maybe this is after graduating from college or finishing school; maybe it’s after years or decades in the same industry or position. 

If you need a break from what you’ve been doing, or perhaps you find yourself unexpectedly unemployed, it might be time to consider taking a temp job. 

Despite what you might have heard or what you might think, there are plenty of benefits to taking something designed to fill a gap. 

Here are some of the best benefits of taking a temp job. 

It’s an opportunity to expand your skillset.

If you’ve worked your whole life in a secretarial or assistant role, you might be curious to try something new. A temp job that requires some of the same skills but applies them in different ways could be just the ticket to finding a new career! If you aren’t very confident in your ability to craft PowerPoint presentations or spreadsheets, a short-term position in which you work on exactly those kinds of tasks can help build your skills while helping you determine whether that’s the kind of work you want to pursue (more on that in a moment). 

Eliminate the employment gap.

Down the road, if you’re applying for a permanent position, you won’t have to worry about any lapses in employment on your resume. Temporary jobs look just like regular jobs on your resume and certainly provide work experience. It also shows a willingness to work and try new things, showing off by example your good work ethic and determination to be self-sufficient. 

Try before you buy — kind of.

Most people have an idea of the kind of work they want to do or how their skills can be applied or translated into different jobs. A temporary job is like test driving a car: You think you might like it, but it would be nice to give it a spin before committing full-time if you end up loving the work, great! Keep looking in that field. If you hate it? No harm, no foul, and you’ve learned a valuable lesson about what kind of jobs you should avoid in the future. 

Expand your networking connections.

Every person you meet while working is a new connection. You never know when a manager or administrator at a temporary job will be a great link to a new career! Your new coworkers, even if they’re just short-term colleagues, might know of great leads for other jobs as well. Find them on professional networking sites, ask them for advice and suggestions for other positions that might be open, and, who knows, they might turn into lifelong friends and confidants. 

Don’t forget the temp-to-permanent option.

Some temp jobs really are just temporary, to fill in for new parents out on maternity or paternity leave, or to cover an illness or sabbatical. But some jobs start as temporary as a trial run for a new hire and a company. Sometimes the company fully intends for a temporary hire to only last a few months, but managers are so impressed with their work they bring them on full time. Temp positions can be a longer interview, allowing the managers to learn a person and see how they fit in with a team as much as they allow the work to get to know the company and the job. If a position opens up, you’ll be right there! That makes for a faster hiring process, which is something managers appreciate as well. 

It might seem a little unconventional at first, but some people decide only to take temporary jobs and make that their career because of the flexibility it affords them. That might not ultimately be the best choice for you, but there are certainly plenty of perks to taking a temp job while figuring things out. 

Find Your Next Job

If you aren’t sure where to look for your next job, contact LeadingEdge Personnel. We work with some of the best companies in the country and know which ones are hiring. We also know just what they’re looking for! Contact LeadingEdge Personnel today, and let’s get started on finding your new career path.