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How to Become the Most Desirable Temporary Employee

Temporary work can be an excellent step to a permanent employment opportunity – or an ongoing option that fits your lifestyle. Either way, it pays to be the best temp you can be while you’re on the job.

Working as a temp, you’re a member of a three-sided partnership: the client company where you’re placed; your staffing firm; and you. You have two partners who are assessing your skills, personality, abilities and performance. If you continue to impress them both, your chances of landing future assignments and/or a permanent offer are much better.

Be the Temp Everyone Wants to Hire

As a temporary worker, you are your own product – so you need to sell yourself. Stand out to make yourself memorable and desirable as an employee.

  • Take assignments that match your goals. The short-term benefit of temping is a paycheck. The long-term benefit comes from gaining knowledge, skills, abilities and contacts. If a job is rewarding and works in alignment with your personal goals, then it’s a win-win for everyone involved.
  • Treat every assignment like a full-time job. Approach each task and project with the same diligence, commitment and drive as you would a permanent position. Get to know the company culture, or “personality.” Meshing with the culture means fitting in with the norms and behavior of a company’s policies, procedures, employees and management.
  • Be easy to train. Take notes. Ask relevant questions, and express your understanding of key concepts and details. Know who you can turn to for help and where to find information on your own, so you quickly become self-sufficient.
  • Build rapport. Understand how to be friendly, without the need to “make friends” too quickly. This goes for both fellow employees and managers. Don’t ask others prying questions or reveal too much about your own personal life or career situation. Respect boundaries. Avoid passing judgment on a company’s processes, policies or people.
  • Be adaptable. Develop a “go with the flow” attitude. Be flexible and open to change. This is integral to successful temporary work.
  • The people you meet through your temporary assignment may be able to introduce you to other valuable contacts and opportunities.
  • Stay in touch with your staffing firm. Keep your staffing firm updated on your assignment status and how it’s going. Give them your insight on how things really work within their client’s company. This will help your firm provide even better service, not only for the client, but also for you and other temps.

Working with the right staffing firm is essential as you find the temporary assignment that’s right for you – whether your goal is ongoing temp work or to take the next step toward a permanent position. To learn more about the best temping opportunities in the Modesto market, contact the PrideStaff team today.

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