Using Temporary Agency Assignments In Your Job Search

Something you may not have considered is signing up with one or more temporary employment agencies and taking on short-term work assignments. There are actually several advantages to taking on temporary agency assignments, not the least of which is the potential for interim income to help support your job search.

But, there are some additional advantages – some of them subtle – that can help accelerate your job search. Here are some things to consider:

Seven Advantages of Taking Temporary Job Assignments

Taking temp assignments can expose you to high-growth companies with immediate needs for high performance employees.
Exposure to a variety of assignments with different organizations expands your referral network and that of your Team.
You may be exposed to new technologies and get the opportunity to learn new applications or even new disciplines that will enhance your executive resume.
You will have the opportunity to expand your list of references, professional as well as personal, with each new assignment.
You may receive health benefits as well as hourly or weekly wages. Often the terms of engagement have some room for negotiation at the management level.
You may have the opportunity of “buying time” to gain a broadened perspective on the business world at large that may have been difficult to accurately gauge in your prior position.
Not all Temp Agencies handle professional or managerial level assignments, but some do and some even specialize in more sophisticated placements.

While the majority of opportunities come in the sales, marketing and accounting areas, companies that have these immediate and often emergency needs usually require executives with a broad range of capabilities. But, even if you’re operating in a support position, it can be a valuable experience. And keep in mind that while this is only a “temporary” assignment, it’s an opportunity to learn and grow.

Sometimes Temporary Becomes Permanent.

Occasionally you will draw an assignment that turns into a permanent opportunity. When that happens, you will get a chance to use your negotiating skills. Some agencies have a built-in clause for their commission if their client makes a full-time offer to one of their employees. This is often a negotiated compensation. The trick is to keep everyone satisfied and your reputation intact. If a prospective employer asks you to circumvent the standard commission arrangement, this is likely a warning sign that they do not operate with a strong set of ethics. How will they operate with you in the future?

From Clerical Assistant To Training Director To Vice President For International Operations

One case in point is a young woman fresh out of college with a degree in International Relations. Since the route into the U.S. State Department was long and arduous, she took a job with Kinko’s while trying to decide what kind of career to pursue. She was promoted to a training supervisor because of her gift in getting along with people and her communication skills.

She left the position to go to work for a temporary agency and on her third assignment, as a senior administrative assistant with an international telecommunications organization, was tapped for a permanent position on the negotiating staff, routing telephone connections around the world. Within six months she was promoted to the head of the International Contract Negotiations Department.

This same woman subsequently moved from one coast to another, taking temporary agency assignments in her new city. On her fourth assignment, she rapidly became indispensable to the people she supported as an Administrative Assistant in a Venture Capital Investment firm. Within seven months, she was offered a permanent management position, a six-figure salary and a year later was offered a partnership in the firm.

The moral to this story is to think creatively and look for the hidden opportunities in each temporary agency assignment you draw. You may get hired for what you know, but you succeed on the basis of your ability to adapt to the needs of the organization and your ability to get along with the people you work with.

Return from Temporary Agency to Interim Income.

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SBI!