Three Ways To Celebrate Temping In Your Resume

At TempsAhead and The Headhunters, we love to see temporary work experience on resumes because it tells us that the applicant likes to stay busy between permanent jobs. In other words, such candidates are hardworking and keen to develop transferable skills. However, many job seekers feel like temporary work is something to be underplayed on a resume. Let’s put that myth to bed with these three tips:

1) Temping is more marketable than employment gaps

Employment gaps on a resume have to be explained, so why neglect to mention your temporary experience? Temping is perfectly respectable in most employers’ eyes—in fact, the company to which you are applying has probably utilized temporary workers for labour coverage in the past. So simply be upfront in your resume about which recruitment agencies you worked with and when. It is far better to sell your temporary work in a resume than to find yourself confessing to it in an interview.

2) Listing the recruitment agency is the best approach

Perhaps you worked at multiple companies through a single employment agency on a series of short-term placements. How do you demonstrate this without it turning your resume into a novel? It’s simple. You worked for the recruitment agency and the companies you were assigned to were the agency’s clients. Therefore, name the agency on your resume as your employer, along with the dates you were an active employee of the recruitment firm. Then, in point form, briefly outline the most transferable skills you performed while you were on placement.

3) Acknowledge your temping experience, no matter what

Many people have taken temp roles that they would not want to be their permanent job. This is still something to celebrate. In any job, you learn something new. Maybe it was a soft-skill or a software program. Perhaps you were faced with a situation, challenge or success that would never have occurred in your normal line of work. Demonstrating that you are teachable and open to change is very marketable, so do not miss an opportunity to present this on your resume.

Temporary assignments complement permanent positions

A job application is all about showing that you are the right person for the role. Part of what you have to offer as a complete candidate was honed during your time temping and this versatility will surely enhance your resume.