Michael Page Logo

Language

  • English
  • Français
  • Deutsch

Main menu

  • Home
  • Candidates+

    Searching for a job?

    • Searching for a job?
    • Job search
    • Submit your cv
    • Join PageGroup
    • Join our SSC in Barcelona
    • Our recruitment process

    Looking for advice?

    • Looking for advice?
    • Career advice
  • Recruitment+

    Recruitment services

    • Recruitment services
    • Our Expertise

    Management advice

    • Management advice
    • Attraction and recruitment
    • Development and retention
    • Induction and engagement
    • Temp & Interim Management

    Recruitment

    • Recruitment
    • Banking & Financial Services
    • Commodity Trading
    • Engineering
    • Finance & Accounting
    • Healthcare & Life Sciences
    • Human Resources
    • Information Technology
    • Interim Management
    • Legal & Compliance
    • Office & Management Support
    • Procurement & Supply Chain
    • Property & Construction
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Sales Administration & Customer Service
    • Tax & Treasury
  • Advice & News+

    Career advice

    • Career advice
    • Job search advice
    • Cover letter and CV advice
    • Job interview tips
    • Growing your career
    • Temp & Interim
    • Work-Life-Balance

    News and research

    • News and research
    • Media releases
    • Salary Factsheets
    • Studies
    • Market updates

    Management advice

    • Management advice
    • Attraction and recruitment
    • Development and retention
    • Induction and engagement
    • Temp & Interim Management

    Profession

    • Profession
    • Engineering
    • Finance
    • IT
  • Interim
  • About us+

    About us

    • About us
    • Michael Page
    • Page Personnel
    • Page Executive
    • Page Outsourcing
    • PageGroup
    • Join PageGroup
    • Discover our Barcelona Shared Services Centre 
    Join PageGroup
  • Contact+

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Contact Michael Page
    • Submit your CV
    • Submit a job spec
    • Request a call back
My account
Saved jobs (0)

Language

  • English
  • Français
  • Deutsch
Saved jobs (0)
My account
My account
Search for a job

We are maintaining our support to you in these extraordinary times. Read more

You are here

Home>Advice>Career Advice>Temp & Interim>How temp jobs can develop your career

How temp jobs can develop your career

Working in temporary positions can be a great way of staying up to date with your industry, adding experience to your CV and bridging gaps between jobs. Many people make the decision to work almost exclusively in temporary positions and some employers find that they can add immediate value to a project.

But, whatever your reasons for taking on a temporary position, it’s a career move that’s well worth considering as you can gain insight into how different organisations operate within your industry. There are some differences between being a temp and a contract worker:

Temping

As a temp you’ll be able to alleviate workload but might not be expected to have specialist expertise. If you do have a specific skill set you might be more desirable to certain organisations, and many companies may offer their temporary staff a permanent position when their initial contract is over.

Contracting

Contractors with more in depth knowledge can be brought in to cover short-term absences and projects because they can lend their experience and insight to the rest of the team. You might be hired on a daily rate or a fixed-term contract with a salary.

What are the benefits?

If you’re finding it difficult to find a permanent position because you don’t have enough relevant experience or want to develop your skill set in multiple areas, temping provides the perfect setting for learning. You also get a ‘taste’ of the organisation and the people you can expect to work with.

If you’re still interested in a permanent position after you’ve done some temping, you might find that employers are more likely to hire you because of your experience.

To make the most of working as a ‘temp’, you’ll need to be:

  • Adaptable and flexible

This is perhaps the most obvious attribute, but it’s very important if you’re marketing yourself as a temp. You cannot work effectively as a temporary member of staff if you’re unable to settle very quickly into new surroundings or will only work set hours.

  • Able to work under pressure

Temps are mostly brought in when there is a deadline to meet or an increased workload that the regular team cannot cope with. So, ideally you would be someone who thrives under pressure.

  • A good communicator

Communication skills are desirable in most jobs anyway, but as a new member of the team you’ll need to be able to convey yourself efficiently and listen to your colleagues in every organisation you join to avoid making mistakes.

  • Capable at handing over projects

There may be times when your contract ends before you’ve completed the project you’re handling, so it’s important you’re proficient in handing-over and have a strategy in place that will help the team continue after you depart.

For more advice, read our articles on adapting your CV for temp roles and common interview questions for temp roles.

 

Previous
Common interview questions for temp roles
Read article
Next
Benefits of contracting
Read article
Looking for a new opportunity?

Topics

  • Career Advice
  • Management Advice
  • Profession
  • Market Updates

Popular Articles

  • The importance of networking
  • Switzerland is one of the most interesting e-commerce markets in Europe
  • Switzerland's FinTech sector is flourishing
  • Switzerland’s top three human capital trends 2018
  • Reach your goals with strategic career planning
  • Introvert vs extrovert, what we can learn from both

Sign up to receive job alerts

We will let you know when any new !keyword jobs are available | We will let you know when any new !keyword jobs in !location are available. | Create an account to enable features like one click apply, and set up more than 5 job alerts
Michael Page Logo
  • Follow us on FacebookFollow us on Facebook

General

  • Site map
  • Recruitment Terms & Conditions
  • Feedback
  • Privacy policy
  • Imprint
  • Cookie policy
  • Country/Region

Find jobs by sector

  • Accounting, Audit & Advisory, Tax and Treasury
  • Banking & Financial Services
  • Commodity Trading
  • Consultancy, Strategy & Change
  • Customer Service
  • Engineering & Manufacturing
  • Executive Search
  • Healthcare & Life Sciences
  • Human Resources
  • Information Technology
  • Legal
  • Logistics, Procurement & Supply Chain
  • Marketing & Agency
  • Office & Management Support
  • Property, Construction, Facilities Management
  • Public Sector & Not for Profit
  • Sales

Employer Centre

  • Request a call back
  • Submit a job spec

About Michael Page

  • Corporate Site
  • Investors Site

Michael Page International (Schweiz) AG | Bleicherweg 10, 8002 Zurich | Switzerland 

© Michael Page (2020)