hwy120

Short-Term Work Can Offer Long-Term Advantages For Recent Graduates

Full-time job opportunities might be sparse in a sluggish economy, but many companies still seek temporary or contract help to get the job done. These short-term gigs can offer long-lasting advantages to college graduates who have limited work experience.

"Being able to sit down in your chosen field and see it from the inside is an invaluable experience," says Mark Charnock, vice president and general manager of MonsterTRAK. "With employers, experience trumps everything at the end of the day."

Even if the temp job isn't in your preferred industry, Nicholas Aretakis, author of No More Ramen: The 20-Something's Real World Survival Guide, says that temping can help you to:

• learn how to navigate office politics, cubicle etiquette, and workplace culture;
• learn money management skills;
• buy yourself time while developing a killer résumé, visiting job fairs, and hunting for long-term positions; and
• define what you do and don't want in a job and in a boss.

Michelle Tillis Lederman, founder of Executive Essentials, a corporate training and coaching company, adds that doing temp work shows a willingness to do whatever it takes. "Employers are experiencing the Y generation and millennials as having the attitude that tasks are below them," she says. "By doing temp work, it indicates a work ethic that is desperately sought by employers in their young workforce."

She says it also boosts your professional references list. "You can build your reputation as someone who is responsible, comes to work on time, learns quickly, and works well with others," Lederman says. "A current and relevant reference goes a long way."

Despite all the cited advantages, there are "temping traps" to avoid, says Kristen Fischer, author of Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes: An After-College Guide to Life.

"You are, in many cases, making better money than had you gone back to your summer job," she says. "The mere feeling of having enough to pay your bills can feel somewhat intoxicating, so you may not want to leave. . . . I think it's all right if you're in your desired field, but the downside to temping is that you focus on working and forget to keep looking for another job."

Fischer says if you take a temp job, remember that means it's temporary. "Not only will the gig most likely expire in a few weeks or months, but you will be back to square one if you didn't maintain your job hunt," she says. "Then another temping gig will look good, and you'll get into a vicious cycle."

When hunting for temp jobs, consider which opportunities offer the best networking.

"Your temp job should give you access to people who can help you in the long run," Charnock says. "Communicate your goals to your supervisor so he knows where you want to be and can look for more permanent opportunities on your behalf."

Eric Papp, a 2006 Notre Dame graduate, started temping in May 2007 as a trainer for a seminar company. He spends his free time working on a company he founded called Generation Y Results-Based Consulting LLC.

"I choose to do temp work because it gives me the flexibility to work on my business on the side," Papp says. "Also, the temp work I chose serves as an excellent catalyst to get my business off the ground because I am speaking in front of people."

A staffing agency can be a good resource to find temporary work. Molly Kalomiris of Northwest Staffing Resources suggests asking these questions of a staffing agency before signing on the dotted line:

• How long have you been in business?
• What is your specialty niche or what positions do you fill the most?
• What is the tenure of your recruiting staff?
• What types of companies/clients do you currently service?
• What sets you apart from your competition?
• What benefits do you offer your temporary staff and how soon would I qualify for them?

"From our statistics, we see that approximately 25 to 35 percent of temporary employees eventually find permanent positions through staffing services," Kalomiris says.

Even if you don't get a job directly this way, it pays to maintain warm ties with the people you meet on temporary gigs. Charnock says you should make efforts to stay in touch with your supervisor after you've completed an assignment. "They're the ones who will alert you down the road of new opportunities and permanent ones," he says.