Great news! You’ve landed either a contract or temp job, which suddenly has taken so much stress off of you from looking for a job. Now, you can pay the bills, settle in, and concentrate your focus on getting up to speed and making valuable contributions. But what’s the worst thing that can happen at this point?
Becoming complacent in this moment of opportunity.
But first, let’s be clear. Contract or temporary work does NOT guarantee a permanent job at the company in the future. It is exactly that: a stretch of employment that has a finite end to it, and you’re going to have to deal with an end point sooner or later.
But despite not being a permanent employee, you have something vastly more powerful in your career arsenal right now than the unemployedjob seekers:
You have a foot in the door.
You are a known quantity.
And you have a chance to prove yourself.
If you are seeking permanent work and accept part-time, contract, or temp employment, you should be focused on doing quality work as job #1, and as job #2, looking for opportunities to secure a longer-term position within the employer.
There are several ways to position yourself and take advantage of this opportunity to potentially extend your employment with this company. Here are five tips on how to transform temp/contract work into the possibility of your being retained as a full-time, regular employee:
1. Think and act like an employee genuinely interested in mission and bottom line of company.
If you just show up, do your job, and complete only the minimum of what is asked of you… well, you’ve just painted yourself into a very small box that doesn’t show much dynamism. While you have to be aware of not stepping on toes, if you truly do find a new way to save the company money or help them in any way, be sure to make sure you let the key supervisor know. They’ll appreciate it.
2. Provide status reports to all key stakeholders in a timely, concise way.
Sometimes, as a temp/contract employee, you won’t be a regular part of the staff team and will get left out of what is the normal information flow. By taking the initiative on communications, you also demonstrate your strong skills in this area, and provide critical updates to projects.
3. Step up.
If possible, and if you can manage the added work, request additional tasks. This will give you a broader knowledge of company operations, strengthen your bench skills, bring you into more contact with a larger number of decision makers and co-workers, and show your initiative.
4. Ask to be hired full-time.
If a staff opening for which you are qualified comes up while you are employed on a temp/contract basis, don’t be afraid to talk to the key decision maker for that position to let them know about your interest in the job. You don’t want to be too aggressive, but at the same time, this isn’t the moment to suddenly be a wallflower and hope that they ‘pick’ you. If you don’t tell them of your interest, they don’t know.
5. Propose a job if the timing is right.
Many employers have cut back staffing to bare minimum due to the economy, but as things ease up a bit, they might be more receptive to adding back positions. If the timing seems right, and you can see a clear need that you could fulfill as a full time worker, schedule a time to talk to the decision maker and make your proposal.
If none of these tactics work, and the part-time/contract work truly has an inevitable end date, then you should concentrate on doing the best job possible for the employer. Then, several weeks before the scheduled end-date, set up a time with your supervisor and discuss your interest in their company and field.
If they seem willing, ask them about who they would recommend talking to about possible full-time employment in that same field. Always remember to thank them for the opportunity to work at their company, and make them feel that, if a position were to come open, you would prefer to work at their organization based on the positive experience you’ve while you’ve been there.
You never know where this can lead!
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
Bigstock
Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
Bigstock
Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
Bigstock
Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
Need more help with your job search?
Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.