I want to tell you about my favorite temp job.
My Post-College Job Search
I graduated Kansas State University in 2006. Fresh out of school and filled with ambition, I learned a harsh reality about jobs in 2006.
I had moved to Colorado Springs for an internship and eventually moved to Denver pursuing a career in my field, Video Production.
Not only did it take me a couple of years to find a good paying job in my field. I was having challenges finding any job. If anything, my ambition and degree were making me less employable in the entry level market.
After while, I found the world of temporary employment.
My Experience As a Temp Employee
I worked a couple temp jobs that were related to my field. One job was at a TV station, monitoring and recording proper playback of programming and graphics. Another was at a convention center in the Audio Visual staff. My last temporary gig was my favorite temp job though. (These were through a different employer than ESS and in Colorado)
I should not speak in great detail about the job or employer, so I will describe the position in a more general manner.
My job was to pick up a special vehicle and drive it back to Denver, Colorado from out-of-state. Once home, my job was to drive this vehicle on every paved road that I could find while the vehicle gathered images, data, and GPS locations.
For me, this was a dream job. I grew up in Kansas and had never lived anywhere else. Now I was getting paid to explore a beautiful new place.
I had no supervision and one mission, drive everywhere within 100-miles or so.
The Benefit of Temp Labor In My Career
Now that I have plenty of success in my career, I realize that these temp positions were extremely valuable in the first steps of that career.
I never intended to apply for entry level work or temporary jobs after college graduation, but I am so glad that the temp labor industry was available for me as I was getting my career started.
Not only did temp labor allow for job experience in my career field. It also provided an opportunity for me to see and experience different workplace environments. It gave me experience in the application process, and it gave me qualified entries for my resume.
I have spent thirteen-years in the workforce after college. Now, the temporary jobs I worked are no longer on my resume, but the jobs my temp positions helped me earn are on my resume. I have no idea if I would have ever established a career in the field of my degree without the entry level experience I obtained through temp agencies.
Long-Term Goals From Temporary Jobs
One of the reasons I love working with Elite Staffing Solutions is that they have a long-term goal and hope for their employees.
ESS promotes from within. They help good employees earn better temp positions with good performance. They also promote to temp-to-hire positions and help good employees find direct hire opportunities.
Very few people intend for temporary labor to be a long-term engagement. ESS doesn’t desire to keep temporary employees working temporary jobs for the long-term. The goal and hope is to provide an opportunity and a path to move a temporary employee to full-time permanent employment.
Paying My Dues
It may be different for others, but for me, getting started in a career was hard because of my ambition. I believed I could skip the entry-level steps. I thought I had already paid my dues because I had a degree. Since that time, I’ve learned to approach my career with more humility.
For anyone who is seeking a new career direction, or you just need to get work today, do not overlook staffing agencies and temporary employment opportunities. They can give you the experience and connections you need to move towards a career goal.
Contact Elite Staffing Solutions today at (877) 500-0420 to learn more about entry-level work.
Post by Mike Gamache – Blogger, Director of Photography
