What options are out there for someone looking for work? What are the advantages of contract and/or temping assignments?
This month my blog looks at what types of jobs Park have and those that are out there in the greater island. Interestingly, as I started to look at what I wanted to talk about this month, I had a phone call from a lovely lady called Laura who works in one of Jersey’s pubs. She is desperately looking for staff but can’t seem to find anyone. This made me think, are candidates being choosy and turning their nose up to the various roles that are out there, or is there a genuine skills shortage across the board at the moment? It’s definitely food for thought and it’s definitely a candidate’s market.
If you fall into the I want to work but not sure what I want to do side of life, have you considered a temping or Fixed Term Contract (FTC) assignment through Park? We have a few opportunities on our books at the moment, and some of them offer the flexibility to allow you to make your working day look exactly how you’d like it. Whether you’re looking for short term work, part time hours, a bit of experience to get you on the career ladder or something else, we might be able to help.
If you’ve never considered temping or a Fixed Term Contract, some of the benefits are:
- Flexible hours that can fit around your schedule/home life, this is especially helpful for families who need to be home for when their kids finish school.
- Gain experience in a different area, especially if you’ve got a customer service background as we can help put those amazing skills to good use
- Gives you a taster of different types of roles, see what interests you and also what you’re good at.
- Temping can boost your CV, it shows that you’re wanting to work and are prepared to do a temping assignment until that perfect permanent role comes round. Or maybe you have a fantastic academic record, but lack that experience to really make your CV pop.
- You’ve just finished Uni and are fed up of having no cash. Temping is a great way to earn some money whilst you find that perfect job, and as I said before, it will definitely boost your CV by adding and developing your skills
- You might want to take a gap year to travel the world before, during or after University, but saving can take a long time so why not work in between seeing the world. A few months of temping could pay for 6 months abroad.
- It might be that you’re taking a career break, and not to travel the world. You might just want to release the pressure of a full time, permanent role and reasses your life. It might be that you want to pursue your hobbies, spend more time with family or reflect and recharge without losing all your income.
- You may be one of those people who couldn’t wait till your retirement, now you’re there you enjoyed the first few months but feel you lack the challenges that came with working, and maybe a little bored. Temping gives you the freedom to still be retired but alleviates some of the boredom, you can pick and choose what roles you do.
- You might decide to temp for one of the above reasons and think, hey I really like this job, your employer thinks, hey this temp is amazing we need to make them permanent and there you go. You’ve found a great job where you’ve made connections with the people you’re working with. This happens more than you think 😊
- We often get roles that are FTC, so if there’s a company that you’re really interested in working for, this could be a great way to get your foot in the door. There are two benefits to a FTC with a company you’re keen on. One is you’ll definitely get to know the company and how they look after their staff, you’ll get to know the people in the different teams and hopefully forge great relationships, if a new role opens up, you’ll be considered. Also, on a FTC, there is always the possibility that you be taken on permanently, obviously this is very dependent on the company’s needs, but what started as a temp job might just become the job you’ve always dreamed of!
Pursuing your dreams while working is no bad thing – not only will you have an income while you job hunt, but you can network and meet new people, whilst enjoying new experiences. Temping lets you make valuable contacts and step away from the job search for a few hours. Whatever you decide, I hope you’ll let Park help you find your Happy Place.