If you asked a sample of graduates what a ‘temp job’ meant there’s no doubt that you will get various responses.
For those looking to go travelling before they settle down into working life, a temp role can be an ideal way for making some quick money without any long term commitments. Similarly, if you have graduated and don’t know what type of industry you want to work in, then a temporary job is a useful way of gaining experience in different sectors, giving you a flavour of what you might be best suited to.
However, many graduates hunting for permanent employment can have a negative outlook on temp jobs. It’s true that temp roles offer no job security, but the common misconceptions that temp jobs are all mundane, repetitive and boring isn’t necessarily the case. They also don’t just mean a few days work here and there.
At Grad Central, we have launched a new temp service in response to growing demand from our customers. More and more of them are looking for graduates to fill their temporary roles based on the skills you can bring to their company and the fact that they need certain skills for specific roles.
Along with your enthusiasm and commitment, the fact that you are degree educated and have grown up with the phenomenon that is social media for example, makes you a very attractive proposition. Lots of businesses, just like Grad Central do, are now adopting Facebook, Twitter and Youtube as a way to interact with their target audiences and help give them more of a competitive edge.
Our advice for those looking for permanent work is to think seriously about the benefits of temping. The jobs market is highly competitive with sometimes hundreds of graduates going for every role. A temp job can therefore keep you ticking over financially while you continue to hunt. More than that though, it gives you the opportunity to gain experience in a range of commercial environments, and you never know, if you impress the company you are temping for, it can also open doors for you. Making it impossible for them to let you leave may land you a permanent role after all!