TEMPE, AZ - We want to help those of you on the job hunt. The Arizona economy may be on its way to a slow recovery, but the unemployment rate in our state remains sky high. Each week, we highlight real mistakes made during real job interviews, plus other job hunt dilemmas, and offer real tips to help turn those situations around.
Have you had your own bad experiences? Do you know someone else who has shared a bad experience with you? E-mail us a summary at rebecca thomas abc15 , and we'll track down some advice from our expert for one of our future posts. This week's job hunt scenario.
When looking for full-time work, is it a good idea to consider taking jobs through temporary placement agencies? How could this help or hurt my job search in the long run?
Ronald Wilson Reagan said, “It’s true, hard work never killed anyone. But, I figure, why take the chance?” As amusing as I find this quote, when it comes to signing on with a temporary agency, I say “take the job." Searching for your ideal position takes time. And the reality is that, during this period, everyone needs money to live. A temporary job allows you to earn a paycheck and pay your bills. In this case, your hard work is healthy. You will earn both some much-needed cash and the respect of potential employers.
Develop Marketable Skills: Given the choice, register with an agency in your professional field and seek assignments that cultivate work-related skills relevant to your career. If this is not possible, any temporary work develops employability skills that are in demand in all professional fields. Employability skills are basically good work habits: such as being reliable, cooperative and having a positive attitude. Employability skills help you successfully adjust to different workplace cultures and work cooperatively with others. These “good worker” skills are valued across all career fields.
Working for a temporary agency also develops transferable skills, which are work-related: such as written and oral communication, organization, numeric, and interpersonal skills needed in all career fields. For instance, if you are re-entering the workforce after a period of unemployment, a temporary job is an excellent vehicle for expanding your computer knowledge. Transferable skills gained from different assignments are a tremendous selling point when applying for positions in your chosen career field.
Take a Test Drive: If you are in the process of determining a new direction for your career, temporary assignments give you the opportunity to “try out” different positions with minimal risk and, likewise, for the employer to “try out” you! If you don’t like a job, or if you do not do well in a position, it is easy to move on to the next assignment without having tarnished your reputation in your chosen career field. Conversely, if you do well on the assignment and prove to be a good fit for the organization, should the temporary position evolve into a regular full-time job, the employer is more likely to hire a “known commodity” than to conduct an extensive and costly open search. In the same way, if a position becomes available at that organization in the future, you have an edge over other candidates.
R-e-s-p-e-c-t: Being without a job is stressful on any number of levels. In a society where we are often defined by the work we do, unemployment can damage anyone’s self-esteem. Thus, while it may not be your dream job -- getting dressed, going to the workplace and being productive on a temporary assignment can boost your confidence. Years ago, I was between jobs and feeling extremely frustrated while I searched for a managerial position. At the urging of my friends, I accepted a lower-level assignment conducting telephone surveys. Excelling at this job reminded me of my strong communication skills and went a long way in lifting my spirits. To this day, I credit that experience for restoring my self-worth and giving me the self-confidence I needed to eventually land a new job in my professional field.
In summary, there are many benefits to working for temporary agencies. I encourage job seekers to consider this valuable employment option. Go ahead and take the job. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.