A Guide to Temp Work: How to Get the Most out of your Temporary Contract
Temporary jobs are often just seen as interim work; carried out until you reach your desired goal, whether it’s landing your dream job, moving to your sought-after location, or working in your sector of choice. We’re here to shift the focus from temporary roles just being seen as a job of convenience, and instead present them as a strong career move in building experience, acquiring industry knowledge and skills, and aiding personal growth and development.
SecsintheCity advertise a myriad of temporary jobs on site, from Executive Assistant and Customer Services jobs, to Receptionist roles and Team Assistants, with applications on site rising by 71% year-on-year. Getting the most out of your temporary contract requires a proactive and strategic approach. Whether you're looking to make a lasting impression for future opportunities or maximise your experience during the temporary position, we’ve compiled our expert tips to help you out:
Understand Your Role:
• Upon starting your role, ensure that you clarify your responsibilities and expectations with your supervisor or manager. Seeking a detailed job description helps you understand what is expected from you in your role.
• Upon choosing a temporary contract, make sure you’re thinking ahead. Even if you don’t have an ideal career path in mind, it’s worth making note of the responsibilities you enjoy, and what you’re good at for future reference.
Set Clear Goals:
• Aligning goals with company objectives: familiarise yourself with the company's mission, values, and overarching objectives. This knowledge will help you align your goals with what the company is trying to achieve.
• Demonstrating your commitment to contributing to company success, stands you in good stead for securing a permanent role if you so desire.
- Learning these lessons early on will also help you in future job interviews, when asked about how you support company culture, missions and drive.
- Discover our ‘Interview Advice for PAs: How to Answer Scenario Questions’ article for further aid on how to answer interview questions in a proactive manner.
Build Relationships:
• Network with colleagues and team members. Building relationships can lead to future opportunities, help you understand different roles across the business, and establish yourself as a go-to person in the field.
• Be approachable and open to collaboration; a positive attitude goes a long way. For further advice, discover our dedicated networking article.
• Building relationships is two-fold. Performing well in your role, and developing a strong working relationship with your recruitment consultant, will stand you in good stead for being placed in future roles.
Show Initiative:
• Take on additional responsibilities beyond your job description if you have the capacity. This allows you to experience different job roles beyond your own, and dive into the industry.
- Whether you’re working in Education, Banking / Finance, or Technology, it’s also worth developing sector-specific expertise.
• Demonstrate a proactive attitude by identifying and solving problems without constant supervision. Standing alone and using initiative is a highly desirable trait across the business support landscape.
See it as a learning opportunity:
• Use the temporary position as a learning opportunity. Not only to develop necessary skills, but to seek feedback from colleagues and supervisors to identify areas for improvement.
• Temporary work is an excellent chance to work in different sectors, roles, and environments gaining an understanding of what it is you want out of your career.
Document Achievements:
• Keep a record of your accomplishments and contributions during the temporary contract.
This documentation can be useful when updating your CV or discussing your performance in future job interviews.
If working as a temp PA for example, you could note:
“Event Coordination:
Achievement: successfully aided the coordination of a high-profile corporate event for 200+ attendees, managing logistics, catering, and guest accommodations.
Impact: received positive feedback from executives and guests, highlighting the seamless execution of the event.”
Adaptability:
• Be flexible and adaptable to changes within the organisation.
• As noted in our ‘5 Key Attributes of a Great PA’ article, flexibility comes with the role. If you’re looking to work as a temp PA, it’s essential that you demonstrate your ability to understand your boss’s schedule and work pattern to help you work efficiently and proactively.
• As a PA, it’s essential to be one step ahead of the game. By regularly checking emails, and enabling a hands-on approach to your job, you’ll guarantee that your boss doesn’t miss any vital information.
Demonstrate Value:
• By consistently delivering high-quality work and quantifying the positive impacts made in various aspects of assistance, you not only showcase your value to the organisation but also provide tangible evidence of your contributions. This information can be invaluable during performance evaluations, discussions about career advancement, and when seeking new opportunities within or outside the organisation.
Detailing your value, also aids with future applications. For example, if you’re temping as a Team Assistant, you can note:
"Document Management:
• Demonstration of value: established an organised filing system for documents, leading to a 30% reduction in the time spent searching for information.
• Quantification: tracked time saved by team members in finding essential documents, showcasing the impact on overall efficiency.”
Prepare for Transition:
• If there's potential for the temporary role to become permanent, express your interest in a long-term position.
• If the position is not likely to become permanent, discuss the possibility of a strong reference or explore other opportunities within the company.
Keep up to date with the latest Temporary jobs on site; advertised across a multitude of locations from ‘Temp jobs London’, to ‘remote temp jobs’, sectors, and companies.
For more interview advice, industry insights and CV tips, head over to the SecsintheCity blog. Looking to recruit a Temporary PA, EA, Receptionist, or Office Manager? Advertise with us, at SecsintheCity Recruiter Services.
