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Temporary work offers you an alternative to committing to a role on a permanent basis whilst still allowing you to gain new skills and develop your career. Candidates temp for a variety of reasons, and whether this is to assist with a career change or to fill a gap in employment, there are many benefits which we discuss below in this article. Do also take a look at our blog, which looks at questions to ask to suss out if a temp position is right for you.
1. Enjoy flexibility
The most obvious benefit of temping is the flexibility it offers. At Oriel Partners, our temp candidates are employed by us and on our payroll, paid weekly in arrears. You are not contracted to give any notice period to end an assignment and most temporary bookings have an immediate start, so it can be a great way to fill a gap in employment or adapt to a change in personal circumstances to suit what available time you have.
2. Gain new skills and experience
Doing short-term, temporary assignments allows you to try out new industry sectors and different roles without having to commit to them full time. Many of our temps will work for us time and time again and can easily transfer their skills from one sector to another. This should enable you to begin your search for a permanent role armed with so much more knowledge regarding where you are going to be best suited and thrive the most, as well as giving you valuable skills and experience to increase your employability.
3. Minimise gaps in employment
If you find yourself out of work, temping can be a great way to fill any gaps in employment. Our temp bookings tend to be last minute, to cover a leave of absence or sickness, and so temporary candidates who are available immediately and able to get to a new place of work quickly are attractive to companies needing urgent cover. See our guide to temp working or more information on the different types of temporary roles available.
4. Enhance your network
You never know where a temp booking can lead! It is so important to enhance your connections when job hunting, and the more people you know, the more people you can network with. Many of our temps get asked back again and again by companies or end up receiving a permanent job offer, so it is important to always do a good job. You never know when you might need a reference and you want to leave a positive lasting impression.
5. Get a foot in the door
Often clients will be less worried about a candidate’s previous experience if they have seen them perform in the role they are recruiting for already. Getting a foot in the door and proving yourself can put you in a much better position than candidates who are having to interview for a role from scratch. Do take a look at our blog article which discusses how to turn your temp role into a perm one.
6. Gain an introduction to new industry sectors
PA and administrative skills are transferable across different industry sectors, and one of the benefits of temping work is being able to try out new industry sectors. This can help build up your CV if you want to move sectors and need relevant experience, or it can just allow you to see where you do and don’t fit best by trying a variety of industries.
7. Start earning money quickly
It can be daunting to find yourself out of work, and one of the benefits of temporary positions is that you can start earning money again quickly. Our temps are paid for every hour they work and receive pay weekly. If you are looking for a permanent role, temping can work well alongside your search, and as long as you try and arrange interviews around the working day to cause minimum disruption, there is no reason why they shouldn’t complement each other.
Article contributed by Oriel Partners
About the Author
Olivia Coughtrie is Co-founder and Director of Oriel Partners, a PA and administrative recruitment consultancy based in central London. Olivia is passionate about making positive changes to the recruitment process.