How important is referencing temporary work on your CV

Experience of working in a temp role would add value to your employment record. It is important to a job seeker to appropriately demonstrate value of what such temp roles have offered. Knowing how to reference your temporary job experience can lead to success in job market. As a professional making an impact in job market it is important how you showcase the skills and accomplishments you garnered through either the temp or permanent positions you have held.

Working as temp or contractor is a viable career option. Some work as temp because they enjoy flexibility of not being attached to a single employer. Few work as freelancer at the start of the career as a first step to a temporary job, some other work after a time period of inactivity or gap. Whatever, might be the reason temporary workforce provide valuable services across many organizations across many sectors.

Avoid Gaps In Career

Gaps in your career may be hard to explain in a job interview. However, if you work as a temp you can refer them on your CV to avoid such difficulty. Employer would be happier if you have gained skills, experience and showing versatility rather than sitting idle at home waiting for an interview offer. It shows your display of enthusiasm for working, eagerness to learn and go ahead.

Writing a perfect temporary CV, that references your temporary work, can help you landing in the right job in the future. This could be anything as per your choice – another temporary, permanent or full time job. In any of the case, you have to prove your capability to the prospective employees.. This means documenting your temp history accurately and showing the value temp roles have offered. Here’s how to do it without looking like a serial job hopper:

Reference your employers

Common mistake that professionals make when referencing contract jobs on their resume is writing wrong name of the employer. If you are placed by a recruitment agency, then you are on payrolls of that agency and not the organisation you are working for. Clients or businesses pay staffing agencies to provide them with temps, and recruiters in turn provide them with temp workers accordingly. So when adding a contract job to your CV, you need to list your placement agency as your employer and not the organization for whom you provided services. And do not forget to include the start and end dates of your employment with the recruitment agency.

Reference your roles

Under the name of your recruitment agency and a short blurb explaining their line of businesses and areas of specialism, you should list the roles you have undertaken. You may have worked in a number of temp or interim jobs for different client organisations, or potentially just a single one. Name the companies you provided services for and the main duties you were charged with in the course of each placement. Write down your dates of employment on your CV.

Highlight your achievements

You want hiring managers to be impressed by your CV, whether you're looking for temporary or permanent jobs. As such, it's important to highlight your key achievements in each role you have undertaken, and explain how the position has assisted your career development. Think about the skills you have acquired, and experiences you have gained. If you can provide specific examples of achievements to highlight the value you added, then all the better.

Get the formatting right

When listing temporary jobs on your CV, ensure they are included in reverse chronological order. This means your most recent placement should appear first on your CV in your 'employment history' section. Then work backwards, including all the temporary roles you have worked in while employed by a recruitment agency. Even if you only worked on a particular placement for a few days two years ago, you should still list it on your CV.

Be a proud temp

Regardless of whether you have actively chosen temp work, or simply opted for agency placements while you look for a permanent role, it is important to be proud of your achievements. When writing your CV and discussing your career record at interview, focus on the value of your temp experience. Don't be apologetic for spending a period outside of permanent employment, or try to hide temp roles from your CV. Remember, for many professionals, temporary working is a genuine lifestyle choice - their own career preference.

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