How to Turn Your Temp Jobs into a Career

You’ve been temping or interning for some time now. So how do you turn a series of temporary jobs into a permanent career?

Concentrate on Building People Skills

Make a point of connecting with people and improving your listening and communication skills. Unlike a permanent position where you’re working with a consistent team, temp jobs provide an excellent opportunity to meet new and different kinds of people.

Make Yourself Indispensible

Become the go-to person. Rather than just clocking in at 9 am and out at 5 pm, come in early and stay late once in a while. Learn as much as you can about your industry. Take on some added responsibility and step up to the plate with suggestions. You'll impress the boss—maybe enough for a new title, bigger paycheck, or even a career. Abby Locke of Premier Writing Solutions suggests temps should show up on time with a positive attitude, work hard and go the extra mile. If you get your work done early, volunteer to help in other areas.

Team Up with a Career Agency

Many temp agencies will find you “work.” But there are some who will take the time to guide you, orchestrating your series of jobs into a successful career. The first step is to find an agency that specializes in your particular industry. Let them know what you’re interested in and that you want assignments (jobs) that will prepare you for a full-time career. The agency may even help prepare your resume, so you can show potential employers that you’re on a steady career path, not just job-hopping. Jeanine Hamilton, president of Boston-based staffing firm Hire Partnership notes that temp jobs often lead to permanent career posts. A temporary worker can get on the short list of promising candidates, especially if they do a good job in their role.

Create a Compelling Personal Narrative

Craft your various jobs into a compelling personal story. "Having personal stories you can use to relate your skills and experience can make or break an interview. It's the difference between presenting a cohesive image of yourself and your abilities and a disjointed collection of answers to one-off questions, and experiences that don't seem connected to one another," explains LifeHacker writer Alan Henry. Communicate that personal story on your resume and in your interviews. Your narrative should focus on how your skills, experience, achievements and awards make you the ideal candidate.  Practice telling this story to friends and colleagues, then deliver it the best you can when HR managers and recruiters ask the question, "Tell me about yourself" in an interview.

Want to turn your jobs into a career? Learn as much as you can from each job, boost your people skills, and build a compelling story that puts you on the short list of candidates.

Image courtesy of artemisphoto/FreeDigitalPhotos.net