Temporary Employment – How to Survive (Jobs temporary)
January 22nd, 2008
Fresh out of college with my Liberal Arts degree, with a concentration in English, it is not surprising that I had trouble finding employment. I soon turned to a temporary placement agency and became a “temp.” I had 6 assignments in one year before I found a permanent position on my own. It can be tough being a temporary employee, but there are some tips that can help you survive it. The following tips come from my personal experience with one temp agency.
Remember, you’re temporary
As a temp, your job is to fill a position temporarily. This may seem redundant, but in every single office that I worked, I had fellow employees telling me they thought I would be taken on permanently. It took me several assignments before I stopped getting my hopes up every time. If you go into each position expecting to be taken on permanently, you will be sorely disappointed. This is not to say that it never happens, but in most cases, it will not.
Offices like temps because they don’t have to give out costly benefits like health insurance. They don’t have to give you raises or really deal with you in any way as an employee. You are an employee of the temp agency, not the business to which you are assigned.
Do your best
There is a general belief that temps are incompetent and uncaring about their position. In a few cases, this may be true, due to the drawbacks listed above. If a person isn’t treated like a real employee, they may not work their best since they don’t readily get any reward for doing so. That being said, temps need to work harder if only to dispel this generalization.
In many assignments, there is the possibility of being hired permanently. The temp is not always aware of the possibility, so it’s a good idea to work as if you are an employee of the business. There is also the advantage of doing your job well so that you will gain more assignments from your agency.
Don’t give in to office politics
Every office has its own social structure. Coming into this environment as a temp can have you feeling like an outsider and often you are treated as one. In any work situation, it is a good idea to get along with co-workers, but giving in to their politics of gossip, etc., is a waste of your time and skill.
Look at each assignment as a learning opportunity
Every office runs a little differently. Each can use different equipment, computer programs, etc. With each assignment, you will have a new opportunity to learn new things and to better prepare yourself for a permanent position later.
One of the most stressful situations in life is starting a new job, and as a temporary employee, you may start a new job as often as every week. My best advice would be to gain as much knowledge and skills as you can at each assignment.
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This article has been submitted in affiliation with www.Facsimile.Com/ which is a site for Fax Machines. Tonia Jordan is a freelance Journalist and an author at www.writing.com |
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