Temp work shows promise for young professionals

By Valencia Wicker





Since the beginning of the economic downturn, people have been scrambling to find employment. Recently, however, job opportunities have become more abundant in the temporary work sector. Moreover, temp work has opened many doors for the unemployed, especially young professionals.

The American Staffing Association has reported an increase in the demand for temporary workers. Although staffing employment has dropped 3.5 percent since the first quarter of this year, temporary work agencies have seen consecutive increases since June. "We've seen afairly dramatic increase in the request from our clients for temporary employees," said Hannah Ryan, a senior staffing consultant for Monument Staffing, "Many of them on much longer assignments than would normally be the case."

 Casey Campbell is a staffing consultant for Hollister, Inc. "I would say in the last year or so, our numbers have doubled as far as people seeking out temp work," Campbell said. "And we're seeing a lot more people from a variety of areas."

Amy Jennings, a recent college graduate, settled for temp work after an exhausting search for employment. "I searched for a job over the summer and I probably sent out about 80 resumes in New York, Boston, Baltimore and DC, but I only heard back from a few places," Jennings said, "it's hard because the companies are receiving so many resumes."

For many young professionals, finding work through an agency is an easier route than submitting resumes online. Campbell also points out that temp-working can lead to long term positions. "I would say, most times, temporary workers are placed in more permanent positions, if not hired full-time," she said.

Hannah Ryan agrees. She says that temping is a good way to get your foot in the door."The ones that we can say, to our clients, have been temping for us, are the people that get interviews," Ryan said. "Instead of sitting at home and hoping you'll find a job online, they've been out there," she said, adding, "They've been making a positive impression."

Ryan also believes that temping has the potential to ease the stress of unemployment. "If you have the right attitude about it and you're not necessarily looking to make a fortune temping," Ryan said, "it can be a great way to help your mental state during your job search."

"The ones that I work with are the 'glass half full' kind of people," Hannah Ryan adds. "They've been working, they've been trying, they've been keeping their skills sharp...The kind of people that are willing to take a calculated risk and use their positive energy."