Every college graduate graduates with a sense of optimism; the feeling that the world is their oyster and their ready for the adult world to welcome them with open arms.
For some graduates, this scenario is true, but it’s not that way for everyone. For every person who lands their dream job right out of college, there are more than a handful of folks who are left in the rat race as they try to land jobs in competitive fields and in a competitive market.
If you’re one of those people, you’re probably wondering just what the heck you’re going to do for work. After all, you’re a college graduate. You need money, you want to move into a place of your own and after a few months, your student loan payments are going to start.
You might be worried, but don’t panic. In today’s job market, people switch jobs all the time and the average person switches at least 12 times during their working life. People move on for all kinds of reasons from bad fits, to hostile working conditions to a lack of motivation. The point is, the job you start at right out of college probably isn’t the only you’ll retire from and there’s lots of time to work things out.
So what does that mean for you? It means there’s plenty of job experience available and one of the best places to find it is by working a temp job. For recent college graduates, here are three benefits of a temp job:
- Getting to learn: If you’re waiting on your dream job, temp jobs give you a chance to learn skills to add to a resume and allow you to make money. One of the biggest benefits of a temp job is that you get a chance to try out some jobs you might not have previously considered without feeling forced to stay at a company too long. Temp agencies can set you up with a job to get you started in your working career.
- Saving money: Let’s face it, life is expensive. This is especially true if you’re fresh out of college and you move out of state. But even if you come back to your hometown, staffing agencies can help grads get jobs that allow them to save some money and gain some job experience. One of the biggest benefits of a temp job is that it can help you figure out if the career path you’re aiming for is the one you really want. If you’re set on going to law school, you might find after working a little bit that lawyering isn’t in your future.
- Learning new skills: In today’s job market, having a variety of transferable skills and job experience can make you very appealing. One of the benefits of a temp job or several of them is they show a potential employer that you’re well-rounded. Temp jobs are just what the name implies, temporary, and employees understand that. You’ll have a chance to add some skills to your resume and who knows? You may find you really enjoy working for a particular company or at a certain job and if you decide to stay, you might get a full-time job there.
Working in a temp job gets your foot in the door and gives you a chance of getting hired more quickly if a company is looking to fill a vacancy quickly. It offers plenty of flexibility because you usually work hourly and get paid if you work overtime.
Another of the benefits of a temp job is that you can establish contacts, which could pay off in the future. Each year $11 billion is lost due to employee turnover and 57% of organizations view employee retention as a problem. If your hard work and effort at your temp job is noticeable, your bosses might just take notice and recommend you for job openings.
Between their ability to help new college grads and experienced workers, there are many benefits to visiting temp agencies. Whether you’re a new college grad or have work experience, temp jobs can be the best decision you make to set yourself up for success in your future endeavors.
