The Benefits of Contract Work While Looking for a Permanent Role

Contract work was not on my radar when I returned from living and working overseas. My focus was on a permanent role and settling back into life here in Australia. 

I connected with Recruitment Central and Sandra during the 2020 lockdown when the employment market was small and extremely unstable. They came highly recommended from a former colleague and understood my passion for the creative industries. 

Even though we were looking for permanent opportunities, I received a call from Sandra one day with an opportunity to start immediately as a temporary accounts officer in a nationwide company. The role was in an industry I had not worked in prior and although I have finance experience, the accounts tasks would be different to what I had done before. I was a little apprehensive about temping in an industry I had not worked in prior and being thrown in the deep end in a role with no training. However, I am pleased I said yes as the experience working as a temp has helped me in other areas of my career.

Here are a few benefits of working in a contract or temp role, that I learnt from my experience:

You might discover a new industry you love

I have worked in a number of industries over my career and if I had turned down opportunities in industries outside of what I studied at university, I would not have discovered new interests.

You have the opportunity to bring a unique perspective into the business

A workplace can benefit from a fresh set of eyes looking at a problem and providing a new perspective. In my temp role, I was able to come in and assess the accounts situation from a big picture perspective that those familiar with it were not able to.

You will learn new skills

With every new employment opportunity you will upskill. This could be as simple as learning industry acronyms or gaining proficiency with new software.

Networking opportunities

Your network is one of your most valuable assets you have while job hunting. Building rapport with your colleagues in a temp job could help connect you to future opportunities.

Depending on the temp role, you might be assigned to work on a specific project rather than having multiple tasks

The role I accepted was also to work on one specific project, which is unique as when you are a permanent employee you usually have a wide range of competing priorities on a daily basis. It was satisfying at the end of the assignment to be able to hand off a completed task.

Stay busy while you search for your dream role and showcases your adaptability

I was grateful for the opportunity to work in a short term position while looking for my next role. It kept my brain occupied and provided some good experience I was able to talk about in my next job interview.

If you are lucky a permanent opportunity might open up and management will already know you are a good candidate. Temping or contract work is a low risk way to discover if you like a workplace. You get the invaluable opportunity to meet fellow employees and learn about the office environment without committing to anything permanent. All workplaces experience turnover of employees so chances are while you are working there, a permanent position may become vacant.

If you’d like to register as a temp worker with Recruitment Central, visit our link HERE

If you are an employer keen to know more about the temping business in Australia and are keen to explore temps for your team, contact us now.