This is the seventh post in the “when mothers return to work” series. Today I am sharing one option to consider for a return to work after years at home with children. I interviewed Jo, a human resources manager, and found her points about “temping” to be worthy of a feature of their own.
Many women re-entering the paid workforce will return to old professions in new roles, but many others will be starting over completely. If many years have passed you might find your old profession no longer interests you or has changed so much you prefer to explore new areas. Perhaps your old profession is not family friendly and you are looking for new opportunities.
7 reasons to consider temp work as a re-entry strategy
1. Brush up your skills
Temporary jobs – even in your old profession – can be a great way to brush up your skills. If you have been at home for a long period you may just need some active time to regain your fluency levels which will then translate into greater confidence for your job search and evidence to future employers.
2. Update your resume
If you have been at home a while it can be a great way to update your resume so your last entry is not “career break”. A temporary job can be that stepping stone that allows you access to a permanent job you aspire to.
3. Access companies
Temp jobs can give you an entry point into a lot of great companies (or reveal ones you never want to work for again). You might find you connect with a great company or role and that leads to a permanent position.
4. Agencies prepare you
If you are currently struggling to “perfect” your resume or get interview-ready a good agency will help prepare you for all those things. They will prep you for interviews, review your resume, and go through your skills with you so you can sell yourself.
5. Agencies can give you feedback
On your own you may apply for and interview for many jobs without securing a position. In each of those cases you might or might not get any feedback depending the volume of applications reviewed. If an agency sends you for a job they will share feedback received on your performance. They will also give you feedback on your interviewing skills, your CV, your choice of work clothes and anything else that will help you get a job. They get paid for filling roles and they want to help you get the job they think is a good fit.
6. They advocate for you
Companies use agencies to fill short term roles and need to know they will get a good employee (whether for one day or one month). The agency that takes you on pre-screens people for roles so when they put you forward for a position they are selling you to the company and advocating for you – they are giving their stamp of approval and telling the company that you are someone worth hiring.
7. Flexible options
Possibly the biggest draw card for many is the flexibility that can be gained from temping if you are not looking for full time permanent work just yet. perhaps you want to explore options or still need to organise long term child care or simply want some control over your work.
With temping you can choose the times you are available to take on assignments. It can be either set days of the week that you are available or that you don’t work during school holidays. If it is school holidays you can simply not accept any new assignments until they return to school. If your kids are sick and you have not started a new assignment you also can turn down roles until they are better.
While temping does not provide the security of a long term role, or the consistent pay check, it can satisfy the needs of many families who might be looking for a boost in income (but not two full time wages) or a gradual transition to the stay at home parent returning to paid work.
If you have done any temp work as a mother returning to work I would love to hear from you in the comments. Also, is anyone looking into this path for themselves and has any good agencies or tips to share here.
Find your simple,
Deb
Return to work series:
Getting started - with Allison Tait (and giveaway of Career Mums book which ends July 19)
While on leave - career breaks
On Flexibility - temp jobs, flexible hours etc
Diary of a mother returning to work
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I worked in a recruitment agency pre-kids (started there as a temp actually!) and the one tip I would stress is to really have your child care and availability clear for the agency. They need to fill jobs fast and want people who will say yes when they call. If your availability is uncertain they are likely to skip you for someone else. Also in my experience most temp jobs were at least a few weeks long rather than a day here and there. Temp work also often leads to perm work as happened to me!
Madeline recently posted..Humpday Holiday: The Olympic Edition
Thanks Madeline – great advice!
Debra Dane recently posted..Return to work series {While you are on leave}
great feedback from Rachel Anderson on Facebook:
” I temped for several years after college. I thought it was great; I got to “try out” all different types of companies to figure out what fit and learn new skills. Most of my temporary placements offered me a full-time job at the end; that’s how I got my current position (in 1999).”
Debra Dane recently posted..Jewellery Organising Creative DIY Ideas
from “Mands Victoria” on Facebook:
I was a professional temp for about 10yrs. I earned an excellent rate per hour, worked a 3-4 day week in school terms, not at all during holidays and regularly temped the Christmas/New Year period (at a higher rate) which covered expenses for the rest of the summer holidays. Loved it. I learnt new skills & techniques on different programmes, gained insight into many business types and grew my transferable skill base. Temping allowed me to discover areas I didn’t know about ~ EDMS, training staff, OHS & QA ~ and there was never a chance to get tired of the same old every day.
Debra Dane recently posted..Asking for help
Hi Deb
I think temping is a great option – I have done it on and off for about 10 years. Madeline is right – you do need to be really responsive. When I had my childcare covered off it was perfect. They also rarely have part time gigs – either the odd day or full-time short-term contracts.
I have tried temping again since the start of this year (through re-registering with an agency I have been with since the start) and have not had one single job. I have been amazed and a bit miffed to be honest. My skills are the same, if not better. The consultants I have spoken to say there is not much around (Melbourne) but I wondered if I had limited myself because of my limited availability. I expressed the need for short term contracts of 1-2 weeks only and a consultant recently told me that employers are often testing out if the role is going to work in their organisation. If the temp is working really well and the role seems to work they will want someone who is then able to go on to an on-going basis – so the consultants will only look at people with real flexibility.
It’s all a bit of a jungle out there and even though I have applied for a gazillion jobs on Seek – almost all of the work that I have gained in the last couple of years has been asking contacts and ex-colleagues…and these are the jobs which also seem to be tailor-made for me and my responsibilities as a parent.
thank you so much for sharing your experience – it is so helpful to hear from people who have gone down this path and understand what the clients / agencies are looking for. also hearing that most of your work has been found via contacts is interesting – thanks again
Debra Dane recently posted..Return to work series {Job Hunting tips}
I think that when I do eventually take the plunge and go back to work that this is most likely the route I will take!