Getting out of the temp/contract pool
June 26, 2018 8:00 AM Subscribe
I'm looking for a permanent job and keep ending up in questionable long-term/temp-to-perm positions that aren't right for me. How can I get out of temp work and into the right permanent full-time job?
I'm a proofreader, copyeditor, copywriter, and project manager with extensive experience at project-based contract jobs. I have landed two positions that could have been permanent, but neither of them were right for me. (I'm still at the second one, and the office is disorganized and the CEO is leaving soon, so I'm not getting the support I need as a new hire.)
I've been applying for permanent full-time work through LinkedIn, Idealist, Hire Culture, HERC, and other online resources, but I barely hear anything when I send in my resumes and cover letters. I've gotten consistent work through temp agencies, but I'm at a point in my life where I want something stable. I've gone on some interviews where the interviewers have asked me why I work so many short-term jobs, and I know the patchwork of experience I've had doesn't look great when I apply for permanent work.
My gut feeling about my current job is that it's not going well, and I should look for something else soon, but I'm worried this one will end and I won't have something else lined up. What should I do?
I'm a proofreader, copyeditor, copywriter, and project manager with extensive experience at project-based contract jobs. I have landed two positions that could have been permanent, but neither of them were right for me. (I'm still at the second one, and the office is disorganized and the CEO is leaving soon, so I'm not getting the support I need as a new hire.)
I've been applying for permanent full-time work through LinkedIn, Idealist, Hire Culture, HERC, and other online resources, but I barely hear anything when I send in my resumes and cover letters. I've gotten consistent work through temp agencies, but I'm at a point in my life where I want something stable. I've gone on some interviews where the interviewers have asked me why I work so many short-term jobs, and I know the patchwork of experience I've had doesn't look great when I apply for permanent work.
My gut feeling about my current job is that it's not going well, and I should look for something else soon, but I'm worried this one will end and I won't have something else lined up. What should I do?
Oh God I hear ya!
For years it seemed I would never escape. But I did. I think your best bets are either getting hired by the company where you're temping (not necessarily in the same department where you work now) or making friends at that job who would think of you if they hear of a position somewhere else. Many companies put applications in two piles: those recommended by a current employee, and those that come in off the street. Obviously you want to be in the first pile. So while you're at your temp gig, constantly scan the job openings for that company, and if you find one you could do, ask a coworker or supervisor to recommend you for that position. Everybody knows that temps want real jobs, so most people will be supportive. Also your coworkers spouses or friends may know of something -- if you ever have occasion to help out a coworker, definitely do it! Life is nicer when people help each other, yes, and also you never know when a coworker may be in a position to help you out too, through a spouse or a friend.
One other thing I did, and I think it helped, was to ask my supervisors at temp gigs to write me a recommendation that I could scan and keep. Most big companies don't allow people to say more than you worked these dates and made this amount, and anyway potential employers would call the temp agency, and what do they know about the quality of your work? But you amass a file of testimonials, and you can show that along with your work samples when your future job applications get to that point. And work samples! I was a tech writer, and the cosmic joke was that everybody wanted work samples from past employers, but no current employer was willing to let me use work I did for them as a sample. So you have to be surreptitious. Copy to a flash drive or Dropbox or something, however you can do it on the down low, and redact any sensitive info, including the company name. You could totally get fired for this, so be careful. I know this sounds like terrible advice, but I could not figure out any other way to build my portfolio of work samples, and if anybody has a better idea, well, let's hear it.
I think the best advice I can give, really, is never stop looking until you have a permanent position. Don't think of your temp gig as a job, think of it as a possible stepping stone to a job. It's tough out there, but remember, you don't want 13.7 million jobs, you only want one. Good luck!
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 12:56 PM on June 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
For years it seemed I would never escape. But I did. I think your best bets are either getting hired by the company where you're temping (not necessarily in the same department where you work now) or making friends at that job who would think of you if they hear of a position somewhere else. Many companies put applications in two piles: those recommended by a current employee, and those that come in off the street. Obviously you want to be in the first pile. So while you're at your temp gig, constantly scan the job openings for that company, and if you find one you could do, ask a coworker or supervisor to recommend you for that position. Everybody knows that temps want real jobs, so most people will be supportive. Also your coworkers spouses or friends may know of something -- if you ever have occasion to help out a coworker, definitely do it! Life is nicer when people help each other, yes, and also you never know when a coworker may be in a position to help you out too, through a spouse or a friend.
One other thing I did, and I think it helped, was to ask my supervisors at temp gigs to write me a recommendation that I could scan and keep. Most big companies don't allow people to say more than you worked these dates and made this amount, and anyway potential employers would call the temp agency, and what do they know about the quality of your work? But you amass a file of testimonials, and you can show that along with your work samples when your future job applications get to that point. And work samples! I was a tech writer, and the cosmic joke was that everybody wanted work samples from past employers, but no current employer was willing to let me use work I did for them as a sample. So you have to be surreptitious. Copy to a flash drive or Dropbox or something, however you can do it on the down low, and redact any sensitive info, including the company name. You could totally get fired for this, so be careful. I know this sounds like terrible advice, but I could not figure out any other way to build my portfolio of work samples, and if anybody has a better idea, well, let's hear it.
I think the best advice I can give, really, is never stop looking until you have a permanent position. Don't think of your temp gig as a job, think of it as a possible stepping stone to a job. It's tough out there, but remember, you don't want 13.7 million jobs, you only want one. Good luck!
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 12:56 PM on June 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
Seconding what pH said.
Get recommendations and work samples.
The other way, incidentally, to get work samples is to just give yourself a project and make it similar to something you've done. It's more important to be able to show your approach and thought process than just hey I can do a thing.
The job slog is such a PITA.
Don't wait to look until things go south - you know they are already headed in that direction.
posted by canine epigram at 4:21 PM on June 26, 2018
Get recommendations and work samples.
The other way, incidentally, to get work samples is to just give yourself a project and make it similar to something you've done. It's more important to be able to show your approach and thought process than just hey I can do a thing.
The job slog is such a PITA.
Don't wait to look until things go south - you know they are already headed in that direction.
posted by canine epigram at 4:21 PM on June 26, 2018
If you feel awkward asking a co-worker at a temp gig to refer you for full-time work, know that some companies offer their employees bonuses for those referrals.
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:44 PM on June 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:44 PM on June 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
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Struggling to find real full-time employment isn't a failing on your part. It's the new normal.
Keep plugging away, of course, and try to have a plan B if your current gig does go south. And maybe work your network harder if that is an option. I think many job listings are documenting after-the-fact a candidate search that never actually happened because the job went to the VP's kid, or whoever.
posted by COD at 9:07 AM on June 26, 2018 [2 favorites]