The coronavirus pandemic crippling the economy is an equal opportunity offender. Just ask a valued employee who’s been laid off, or an employer that can’t fill an important position, as revenue slows to a crawl and the future fills with uncertainty.
Whether you’re looking for a job or an employee, it’s time to get creative. Start by considering a win-win solution for both professionals and organizations: temporary positions.
For an individual on the sidelines, accepting a temporary role offers a number of benefits:
The opportunity to collect a paycheck.
A temp position provides income during a time of need, and just as importantly, it can supplement an unemployment check. As long as the temp role is part-time, a person is eligible to continue to receive payments through unemployment in addition to pay earned on the job.
The chance to keep skills fresh or learn new ones.
Remaining up to date in your chosen field is important; you can do that better if you’re continuing to work. Or, perhaps you’ve been yearning for a change. This may be an opportunity to try something completely new.
A temporary job can turn into a permanent position.
It is actually quite common for a person hired in a temp role to be offered a full-time position. If you can demonstrate that you are a skilled and productive employee that fits with the company culture, you’ve got a good chance of making that happen.
The ability to further build your network.
The best way to find a new job is through connections with fellow professionals. A temporary position provides an opportunity to create new relationships that widen the field of potential employers down the road.
Similarly, there are a number of advantages for employers when hiring temporary employees:
It’s a chance to “try before you buy.”
When hiring a temporary worker, you’re not committed to bringing on a full-time employee. You’ll find out firsthand whether he or she is an effective worker and a collaborative member of your team, worthy of a full-time hire, or if it’s not a good fit, in which case you can both move on.
It allows you to mitigate expenses and manage costs.
With a temp position, an employer is not on the hook for the cost of health insurance, retirement and other benefits. As you monitor cash flow, you can use the temp employee as funds allow. And, with so much work being done remotely, there is little overhead, which makes this option even more practical.
It saves money in unemployment costs.
A company that hires a worker directly, then lets that employee go, is on the hook for unemployment insurance and other related costs. However, when a temporary employee is hired through a recruiting firm, it’s the recruiting firm that bears the burden of those costs. And, should the employee be dismissed, the impact hits the recruiting firm’s unemployment insurance, rather than the company’s.
Temp workers are fully vetted.
When hiring temporary employees, a recruiting firm will provide the same level of screening and service as it does for a full-time employee. That means reviewing resumes, conducting interviews, performing skills testing and assessments, and completing reference and background checks. Employers can be assured they’re getting the right employee, even on a temporary basis.
Now is the time to think outside the box when it comes to finding either a career opportunity or a great employee. Whether you’re an individual looking for work or an employer seeking to fill a need, a temporary position might be just the answer you’re looking for.
