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If you’ve done multiple temp or temp-to-hire jobs, you may be worried that prospective employers will interpret that fact as you not being able to hold down a long-term job. Sporadic work history may raise concerns, which you might have a chance to address during the interview.
The good news is that if you’re smart about the way you display your temp work history, you can actually impress potential employers. Let’s look at a few ways to list temp jobs on your resume.
List the Companies as Your Employers
Acknowledge the temp role and temp staffing agency, but list the company for which you worked for the period of your temp assignment as the employer. The entry in your resume should look something like this:
[insert position title] at [insert company name]
Temporary placement via [insert temp staffing agency name]. [start date–end date].
If you worked in a temp to hire role, you could list it as follows.
[insert position title] at [insert company name]
[start date–end date]. Temporary placement via [insert temp staffing agency name]; to be hired full-time by [insert tentative hiring date].
This makes it clear to someone reviewing the resume that the position was a temp or temp to hire job and not a full-time position that got terminated for one reason or another. During interviews, have an upbeat and positive attitude about your temping experience. Try to sell interviewers on your diverse professional background.
If they give you a chance to explain the circumstances under which you worked as a temp, frame those circumstances positively. For example, rather than say that you only accepted the temp jobs because you needed the money, say that you saw them as an opportunity to gain experience and hone your skills before looking for a full-time job.
Create a Section for Each Temp Staffing Agency
The duration of the temp or temp to hire assignment determines how you list it on your resume. You want your temp work history to demonstrate consistency. Ideally, this means that you should have occupied roles for at least one year. There are a couple of ways to achieve this with your temp working history.
If the temp assignments were brief, but you got them through the same temp staffing agency, you can list the temp jobs as follows.
[start date–end date]. [insert temp staffing agency name]. [insert location].
[insert position title] for a variety of high-tech companies including [insert company name] and [insert company name].
[insert brief description of role/position]
You can create a bullet list of the companies to which the temp staffing agency assigned you as follows.
[insert temp staffing agency name]. [insert location]. [start date–end date].
Various temping assignments for companies in need of skills in [insert list of skills]. Placements included:
- [insert company name]
- [insert company name]
- [insert company name]
- [insert company name]
Some career counselors recommend listing only the temp jobs relevant to the position for which you’re applying. Furthermore, if your work history and experience are rich enough, you don’t have to list your temp jobs if they don’t help sell your achievements and skills.
A Functional or Functional-chronological Resume May Be Suitable if You Temp to Hire Frequently
You can use the functional-chronological resume format, which lets you outline the skills and knowledge of your temp roles without listing the temp or temp to hire jobs. Your cover letter can mention that the resume highlights only the relevant skills and knowledge that you acquired from various temp jobs.
Using this approach makes your resume easy to read and understand because you don’t have to write an extremely long list of brief temp jobs with the corresponding dates and other minutiae. The temp job entries in your resume might look something like this.
[insert role]:
Jobs through [insert temp staffing agency name]; including work as [insert position list of titles] with companies including [insert position list of companies]. [start date–end date].
[insert role]:
Jobs through [insert temp staffing agency name]; including work as [insert position list of titles] with companies including [insert position list of companies]. [start date–end date].
[insert role]:
Jobs through [insert temp staffing agency name]; including work as [insert position list of titles] with companies including [insert position list of companies]. [start date–end date].
Try to emphasize the experiences that are most relevant to the job for which you’re applying. These include:
- Measurable achievements from applying your skills and knowledge
- Responsibilities that you accepted over and above the temp role
- New skills and knowledge that you acquired from the temp role
The idea is to show whoever is reviewing your resume that you’re a highly capable, flexible and well-rounded employee. You do this by emphasizing the breadth and depth of your experiences as a temp worker. For example, you can use bullet points to list your achievements for each company for which you worked as a temp.
A Tailored Approach May Be Necessary if You’ve Deliberately Made a Professional Career Out of Temping
Some full-time professionals accept many short-term jobs that don’t fall neatly into the temp job category. If this is the case for you, a functional-style resume may serve you better than one that lists each individual job. Consider listing the role as a headline and listing the companies for which you worked in bullet form.
This is especially useful for professionals, such as accountants or lawyers, whose work may be considered temping but not in the conventional sense of the term. The following is an example of how such a professional might list the temporary assignment in the resume.
[insert professional title] placed by [[insert temp staffing agency name]] [Location Name]. [start date–end date]. Various professional assignments for companies in need of short-term financial staff. Placements included:
- [insert company name]
- [insert company name]
- [insert company name]
- [insert company name]
Your Temp Job Experience Is a Selling Point
Whichever method you use to list your temp or temp-to-hire job work history on your resume, frame it positively and in a way that makes you marketable. Contact Molly Brown Temps to find a temp job that matches your experience, skill sets, and personality.