Why ‘Temping’ Might Be Right For You!

Many job seekers don’t consider temporary work as a first choice when looking for a job due to many reasons, such as lack of security, but it may be time to think about this differently…

There are different types of temporary workers; fixed-term, freelance and zero-hours. ‘Fixed-term’ is where a fixed-term contract is agreed from the outset and the worker will have a firm start and finish date. Freelance is where the worker is employed for a specific skill set – they are self-employed which makes them responsible for their own tax and NI contributions. A zero-hours contract is an agreement whereby the employer doesn’t guarantee hours. The idea is that when the need arises there is the resource available at short notice and work is duly assigned.

There are various advantages of temporary work that can help job seekers achieve their career goals in different and sometimes more suitable ways to permanent work!

Flexibility

Temporary work is easy to fit around your usual schedule, meaning it’s ideal for people who are restricted by time constraints, including those with part-time jobs, parents with young children and students who wish to earn in their time off. Temporary workers have the advantage of being able to choose when to work and for how many hours, depending on their individual needs. The Staffing Industry Statistics state that 1 in 5 people say flexibility as the reason for choosing temporary employment. Additionally, temporary workers can also choose what kind of role they would like to take on – in what industry or for what company.

Experience

From a recruiters perspective, displaying a plethora of work experience on your CV can really make you stand out as it shows open mindedness. Temporary jobs provide relevant experience in the industry a candidate hopes to secure a career in and, on the flip side, can give those who don’t know what they want to do for a career a chance to try out different jobs. All job seekers, particularly young job seekers and graduates, are more likely to secure the career they hope for if the employer can see that they have experience and skills in similar job roles. Having a couple of respectable employers names on your CV could be the difference between getting your dream job or not. Alternatively, temporary work is suitable for those who already have experience in a specific industry and are looking to get back into work. 

Skill Development

Obtaining a large portfolio of experience coincides with a large portfolio of skills. In addition to more general skills you can learn on the job (customer service, emailing, telephoning, printing), many employers offer to pay for training whereby candidates 

can gain nationally recognised qualifications. It’s also an opportunity to get exposed to lots of different databases and scrub up on technological skills!

Networking

Working at lots of different offices in a variety of industries means you can be exposed to thousands of different faces. Use this to your advantage! Simply having a quick chat with colleagues or visitors can increase your knowledge of the relevant industries, hear interesting stories and experiences and, alternatively, get the chance to tell your own stories and get your name known. Building rapport is important because you never know when one of your connections could help you out in the future. Having an internal contact, or external allied contact, makes for quick referencing. It also increases your chance of receiving a quick interview date, or if you really impressed the contact, sometimes no interview at all! It’s true what they say – it’s not always what you know, it’s who you know.

It’s not all different

It’s easy to assume that ‘temping’ is a completely different experience to having a permanent job. Whilst there are clear differences, it’s important to remember that you still have rights and are entitled to benefits such as sick pay, holiday allowance and maybe some additional company benefits. 

Temporary work is not always temporary…

It isn’t uncommon for temporary workers to be offered permanent job roles from a company they are temping for. Sometimes, getting a temporary job at a company you wish to work for long-term is a great way to ‘get your foot in the door’. Through this, you can network and apply for permanent vacancies internally. Look at it as a chance to prove yourself as a reliable worker and showcase your skills!

Although we don’t offer a temping service here at KX Recruit, we do have many different roles, some of which are fixed-term contract vacancies or seasonal work. Please view our current vacancies on our jobs page.