A temp job is definitely not ideal. It’s not something you want to be into for your whole life, it doesn’t offer job security and it probably pays less too. This is as true in the higher education sector as it is in any other sector. But there are good news too. In fact, a temp job can boost your career in more than one way s. I’ve seen it happen time and time again – including in my very own career.
Here’s why:
1) Your foot is already in the door: Even with a temp job, you are gaining valuable exposure and work experience that can apply to the roles you will go for in the future. Your chances are much better than someone’s who’s completely out of the industry.
2) There’s a good chance you may be noticed: Good temps often end up being offered permanent roles in their institution. Their managers often don’t want to lose them and so, given the chance, they will promote them to suitable permanent roles that are available.
3) There may be a better chance for career advancement: This exact thing happened to me. I worked for a University on an 8-month contract and after that my experience helped me land my present job with my present institution for a more senior, permanent and much higher-paying position. Not bad for just 8 months!
4) You have the perfect excuse for leaving your present job: My contract is terminating. Contrary to what most employees have to face when looking for a new job – the all-time classic question: “why do you want to leave your job?”, you will actually have the best, most credible and easy to prove excuse, and you won’t need to lie. Imagine having to cover up your bad relationships with your boss, your bad working conditions, or a redundancy?
Gaining employment through temporary work allows a person to be exposed to a variety of work environments. Different businesses require different work skills therefore a temp will learn new skills while maintaining their current level of experience. The more experience a worker has, the more valuable they become to a business. They can add these new skills to their resume which will improve their chances of getting a full time job. For instance, the computer field is constantly changing. Temping at various computer orientated businesses will help workers improve their skills while they are searching for a full time job.