Why Recent Graduates Should Consider Temporary Roles

Graduating college is a huge achievement, and while you may have an idea of what you want to do, defining your career path can feel daunting. As you try to decide where to begin your professional journey, it can be discouraging to see job postings with required years of experience or a competitive pool of applicants. For some recent graduates, temporary jobs have provided a way into their dream industry while allowing them to build experience and explore possibilities for their career.Temporary jobs are ones in which the candidate is contracted out to work on an assignment basis, instead of in a direct-hire capacity. These jobs can last anywhere from a few days to a few months in duration, depending on the position. In most cases, temporary jobs can help build a recent graduate’s resume and assist them in learning new skills. We sat down with Senior Managing Director Amanda Magleby of our Career Group team to learn three of the main reasons she recommends temp jobs for recent graduates.

1. Networking.

Networking is huge, and a necessary skill for recent graduates to cultivate. Forming relationships (including with a recruiter!) is key to landing a meaningful job. Forming and maintaining relationships is also a large part of finding success with temporary jobs.

"You will get an opportunity to meet and work with so many people who all have different skillsets and goals, and if you leave a positive impression, those people will only be able to help you later on."

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Amanda Magleby explains, "You will get an opportunity to meet and work with so many people who all have different skillsets and goals, and if you leave a positive impression, those people will only be able to help you later on." Networking leads to career growth, it's as simple as that.

2. Augmenting Your Resume.

"Temping is a great way to add diverse work experience to your resume. Even if you don’t love your temp job, chances are you learned at least one new skill that you can add to your resume," explains Magleby. Plus, you never know when a temporary job may transition into full-time employment. Magleby notes, “Taking a temp job shows your flexibility, which companies admire.”Temporary jobs often crop up in the summer and around the holidays, as people go on vacation, or parental leave, so be sure to keep an eye out!

3. Exploring your options.

So many recent graduates start new jobs in their chosen industry without really knowing what goes into the job, what industry they'll want to work in, what the growth trajectory looks like, or if they'll even like the day-to-day. Temp jobs for recent graduates can be a great way to try a ton of different paths, push yourself outside of your comfort zone, and discover what you love.  “I have had so many candidate success stories from temping. Many candidates never imagine themselves in industries like finance, and then end up loving it.” Amanda says.She goes on to note that “You can find temp jobs across all industries!” Put simply, temporary jobs help narrow down career interests for recent grads early on so that they don’t have to start from square one down the road.Many things are seemingly up in the air for recent graduates; don’t let your career search be one of them. Recent graduates are considering temporary roles from the beginning. Temporary roles will allow you to build your skills and work experience. You'll have the chance to hone in on what you really want in the first part of your career.

If you’re looking to start working with our temporary division, connect with Amanda on LinkedIn and browse our open opportunities on LinkedIn and our Find Work page. Let's find your people.