Temping is a fantastic way to earn money quickly and gain valuable industry experience. Whether you are keen to temp to fill a gap in employment because you want to enhance your skills or because shorter-term bookings with less commitment suit your current lifestyle, temping can be a great solution. This article looks at how to list temporary work on your resume to ensure you reflect yourself in the most attractive way to future employers.
Avoiding career gaps
There are various reasons someone may be unemployed, perhaps you have been made redundant, or the contract you were in has ended. Whatever your situation, being out of work for too long never looks good. Temp or contract work can be a great way to avoid career gaps on your CV and show a future employer you are committed to working, can hit the ground running, and are a reliable candidate.
A temp role can be anything from one day to a one year fixed term contract, and often what might start as only being for a few days will end up being for a lot longer, so it is always essential to do a good job, as you never know where it can lead.
Temp experience will also enhance your network, introducing you to many new people who could be helpful when looking for further contract work or future full-time permanent employment. Connecting with everyone you meet via LinkedIn can be a great way to stay in touch and aid in your job search. Employment vacancies are often posted online by hiring managers so that you won’t miss out on potential opportunities.
Presentation
Clear presentation on a CV is essential to make it readable and easy to understand. Keep it brief, relevant and to a maximum of two A4 pages. We suggest keeping the format simple, using a traditional font, i.e. Arial, size 10-11 and black. Ensure all dates and company names are correct, and you use the same formatting throughout the CV. For example, if you abbreviate the months to be Sep / Nov rather than September / November, make sure you do that throughout the CV; attention to detail is a critical skill employers look for.
Group relevant experience together
Especially where you have carried out short term jobs, it may be beneficial to group them on your CV. For example, listing the companies you have temped with and your job titles without enhancing specific duties makes it clear where you have been working and when with start and end dates, but it doesn’t take up too much space on your CV to be distracting. If the potential employer is interested in a specific company, they can ask at the interview stage, which can become a good talking point.
Highlight achievements
Rather than listing the duties of a specific temp role, especially if you have done lots of temporary jobs, it may be more beneficial to highlight any achievements instead. For example, perhaps you worked on a specific project or event which was a great success or managed a complex travel itinerary. Whatever it may be, this will show the level of support you provided and highlight the work you can perform. Your CV is the best advertising tool for yourself, so don’t be afraid to shout about your successes. No one else will do this for you!
Use bullet points
Employers often quickly scan CVs, so it is helpful to show your duties in bullet point format so they are easy to read. List temp jobs and ensure your employment history is in chronological order, with the most recent, and clarify if a role is temporary or contract rather than permanent. An example of how you could list your work history is:
Oriel Partners Ltd
PA to Directors: December 2021 – Present (Temp)
- Diary Management
- Booking all travel, hotels and transfers
- Handling itineraries
- Scheduling meetings
An employer looking to hire a temp will want to feel confident you have the skills and experience to hit the ground running, so the clearer your CV can show this, the more chance you have of securing your next role.
Include a personal statement
Personal statements are an excellent way to showcase your work on your resume and explain why you are not in a permanent role and looking to temp. Your statement should briefly touch upon your skills, work experience and what you are looking for in your next position. When you are being represented by a recruitment or staffing agency, such as Oriel Partners, we will include a profile on every candidate we introduce to a client, which should summarise their experience to date and tell the client a bit about them as a person. Therefore, your statement doesn’t need to be long or too chatty; the more concise, the better.
Looking for a new temporary job? Oriel Partners Can Assist You!
If you are looking for temporary work, Oriel Partners has an experienced team of consultants ready to help you. Our clients are not industry-specific, so we provide employees on a temporary basis in corporate and creative companies and across all levels or roles, so we should have something that suits your skills, experience level, and culture fit. Please get in touch via the Oriel Partners website to learn more about temporary recruitment.
