Working a temp job in your field of expertise is an ideal way to learn about your particular field while being able to work without a long-term commitment to the employer. A temp job is often available because the employer has a vacant space in their operations caused by an employee being out for sick or maternity leave, working at an off-site work assignment, or the office as a whole experiencing an increase in work volume calling for extra staff on a short-term basis. The resulting shortage in personnel is typically filled by temporary workers whose presence enables the office to perform its regular work on schedule without missing a beat.
An individual working as a temp has many benefits, in terms of gaining practical work experience and learning valuable information about the job’s particular niche. Temping additionally offers flexible scheduling and reasonable compensation. Temping gives the worker the opportunity to see how a business in their chosen field is set up to operate effectively. The work hours are often shorter, as the temp is not ordinarily required to work overtime without prior agreement, thus giving the temp a more flexible work schedule, making time available to continue looking for full-time employment, if that is desired.
Another plus to temp work – in addition to exposure to the field – is being able to make the acquaintance of individuals already working in the field. This ability to make contacts and view other individuals at work gives the temp work experience and a sense of perspective on the workings of the particular industry they are working in. While this limited experience does not qualify as full-time experience within the field, the experience counts as something which would make the field a familiar one to the temp when seeking future jobs.
A newer use of temporary employment is the work-at-home temp job. This type of job enables workers to work more than one temp job at a time, with the individual workers setting their own schedules to make the jobs fit into their schedules. These jobs can range from online jobs to transcription or accounting jobs handled in a home office under the auspices of an outside employer.
The temp market is currently undergoing increased activity due to the current economic uncertainty being experienced world-wide. Individuals are making use of temp jobs to close any employment gaps in their CVs. Retirees who find themselves with too much time on their hands or too little money in their bank accounts, after years of a focused career and steady pay check, are turning to temp positions to fill their time or supplement their incomes. This is raising the average age of potential temps, but is also raising the experience pool of the available temps. There is always temp work available for individuals with experience in the tech industry. In addition, there is always an influx of individuals wanting temp work as a result of being married to an individual who has suddenly been relocated to a new city.
Whatever the reason for entering the temp market, it is a viable source of employment satisfying a variety of needs. From getting a new worker used to working in a corporate setting and giving a seasoned employee an opportunity to sew up gaps in a CV, to providing needed staff to a company in a staffing emergency – the temp worker is filling a needed niche and providing a useful service.
