Somewhere along the line in your career, you may have had a position as a contingent worker. Because of the economy, it is becoming more and more common. Companies are using temporary workers more and more as a cost-saving measure.
For workers, temporary labor can provide flexibility in location and hours, provide employment after a layoff or between jobs, and help gain job experience.
But if you have been a temporary worker, and are now applying for a full-time job, how should you portray your contingent work experience on your resume?
The first thing to think about is whether you really need to list your contingent work experience. If you only worked as a temporary worker for a few weeks or months, it may not even serve any purpose to include it. Also, your resume generally highlights your most recent work experience, as well as the work you have done that most directly relates to the job you are applying for. If your temporary work does not fall in either of those categories, it might be best to just leave it out.
If you do include your temporary experience, be sure to include the staffing agency you worked for as well as the company you worked at.
If you have had several temporary work stints with one staffing agency, it would be best to combine those experiences into one item on your resume. Here again, list the staffing agency as your employer. By combining your work periods, it will help to show some continuity in your work history.
And, as with any work experience you list on your resume, focus on your accomplishments, what you did and what you achieved. Focusing on accomplishments, even with temporary assignments, will have a much greater impact on a prospective employer.
And remember the basics about putting together good resumes: keep them short, no more than one page unless you are someone with many years of experience, use active verbs in short punchy phrases to emphasize your achievements, try to tailor the resume to the job you are applying for, check your spelling and grammar, use good quality paper, and don’t overuse gimmicks.
If you are looking for contingent employment in the Anchorage area, whether as a temporary workers, a temporary-to-hire worker, or a direct-hire worker, Opti Staffing can match you with the right company. Contact us today.