Temping Your Way to a Career Change
by Maureen Crawford Hentz
Temping is often regarded as a stop-gap income-producing strategy until a "real job"
can be found. For those considering a career change, however, temping can be an
extremely effective way to break into a field. It's important, however, to understand
that the best way to use temp experiences is intentionally. Sure, you can file and photocopy
in some back office all alone -- but you can also structure your experience to serve your
career change well. Here are some suggestions:
The Temp Firm
Choose the Right One: I highly recommend that you work with a temp
agency that offers specialty placements. Want to break into accounting but have
only a few accounting classes? Try affiliating with a temp firm that serves clients with
financial accounting needs. All of their placements will be financially-related, which is
a great way to get some experience in various aspects of the financial field. Similarly,
HR and IT specialty firms can be your ticket into the field. There is nothing wrong
with working as a filing photocopying phone-answering temp, but it may be
significantly more difficult to transition to another role in the company.
Understand How Temp Firms Make Money: Temp firms make some money
on your placement, but the real money comes in their reputation, word of mouth
referrals, and placement fees for conversion to permanent. Your temp placement
officer doesn't work for you. He or she works for the company that needs help. He
or she wants to place the best possible candidate with the client. His or her goal is to
make the client happy - so happy that clients refer others to the service. In temp-to-perm
firms, the agency receives a conversion bonus if the client decides to hire you full-time.
Talk to Your Placement Officer: Let your placement officer know that you
are looking to change careers and would like to gain exposure to certain fields. Building
rapport with your placement officer goes far. The more he or she knows about you,
the better fit hr or she can find -- for the client company. But, good fit for the client can
also be a good fit for you. Emphasize your transferable skills and your flexibility. Remember,
the placement officer is working for the client and wants to make the client very happy.
Just out of college or seasoned employee, let her know what kinds of fields are
interesting to you.
The Placement
Do The Job Required: I once inherited a temp who had aspirations of moving
beyond her current placement. She was a receptionist in a busy office. She was quite
clear that she wanted to leave the receptionist tasks quickly and move up to better
things. The only problem was that we really needed a receptionist -- that's why we
hired her. She had taken it upon herself to correct student resumes and hand them back.
As an English major she was confident she was qualified to perform this function. As a
staff, we were equally confident she was not. She didn't last too much longer.
Treat Your Position as One Long Informational Interview: In addition to
doing the job assigned, consider yourself to be on one long informational interview.
Ask questions, talk to your supervisor, observe business processes. As a temp, you
have an invaluable opportunity to research the inner workings of
corporate/non-profit/healthcare/sports management/culinary arts operations.
Make sure you transition from “the temp” to “Aurora the college graduate looking
to break into advertising.” Again, you may be trading a fine line, but observation
is the most valuable strategy at your disposal. There is less pressure on the employer
if he or she knows that you are interested in the field as a whole -- not necessarily
in the next opening in his division.
Attend Every Available Event and Training Opportunity: If the company
offers brown-bag lunches or seminars, ask if you can use your lunch hour to attend.
Generally, internal events such as these are, well, internal. Take advantage of your
insider status to learn more about the field. Optional events? Go. Drinks after work
with the office gang? Go. Take very opportunity to learn about the company and
industry.
Searching for even more career-change advice? Check out all the tools, tips, and resources in our
Job & Career Resources for Career Changers.
Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search
terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
QuintZine regular contributor Maureen Crawford Hentz is the director of career services at
Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston. An independent career and HR consultant she has
been working with career-seekers for 10 years. She has a master's degree in college student
personnel from Bowling Green State University. A popular conference lecturer, she specializes
in large and small specially designed workshops for professional organizations, students and
environmental groups. Her most popular career workshops address topics including:
Non-Verbal Techniques To Use During an Interview; Powerful Resumes; and
Interviewing Etiquette You've Never Even Thought About. She has a particular
interest in job-searching techniques for differently-abled candidates, new grads, and career changers.
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