Ambition brought me to London 14 years ago with a determination to "make it" in television production. Unfortunately this ambition was shared by many other graduates, making my job hunt even harder. As a South African new to London making money was my first priority and because opportunities in the media were few and far between I had to get out to work to pay my way.
Temporary contracts provided a lifeline for me. I worked with a couple of agencies who became familiar with my skills and were able to place me in a number of different organisations ranging from media companies to government bodies. The experience helped me enormously and when I finally got an interview to work in television, my confidence and experience shone through.
Today my world is a lot different where I coach a variety of people; helping them find a new job or career. My first recommendation to unemployed clients is always to get out and do some temporary work. Being out of work can deflate confidence, not to mention the bank balance. Through being in work clients are able to focus on their career and fine tune their job search strategy.
Katie Delahunty, recruitment consultant from Cherry Professional recently told me about the benefits of gaining experience in a number of industries through temporary roles. This not only boost confidence and experience, it strengthens opportunity to find permanent roles within the company through raising your profile and demonstrating your capabilities.
Katie was keen to stress that you have to be proactive and flexible when looking for temporary work. Contracts come in regularly which is great news for job seekers, however, you have to be open to suggestions and willing to move quickly to fill the vacancy. Contracts can last anything from a day to over 2 years, but the trick is not to hang around for the contract of your choice but get stuck in when an opportunity arises.
Working as a temp helps grow your network and helps grow your interpersonal skills. Being able to hit the ground running and get along with new people will work to your advantage but give you skills which you can add to your CV and grow your opportunities for permanent roles inline with your career aspirations.
For support in your job search or career change, please do take a look at my website www.pennystrutton.co.uk or email penny@pennystrutton.co.uk
