Pongo Resume

If you’re out of work and anticipate a long layoff (e.g., more than six months), you may have quite a bit to gain by taking on a temporary or contract job to generate cash to pay the bills while you hunt for full-time work. With the nation’s unemployment rate at its highest in many years, thousands of out-of-work job seekers are facing — or already experiencing — many weeks, even months, without a paycheck.

Besides the money, contract work also offers these benefits:

• You’ll maintain a semi-regular workday schedule, so returning to full-time work won’t be such a jolt;
• You can make new connections and expand your network of contacts;
• You might pick up new skills you were seeking anyway;
• You can add the experience to your resume, and;
• You might impress them enough that they’ll hire you when economic conditions improve.

What kind of contract jobs can you find? They’re popular in information technology, which regularly looks for technical and project management help. Many companies will work with temporary staffing agencies for help in office administration, accounting, and finance. In a recent press release, the specialized staffing firm Robert Half International listed these roles as being among the most prevalent in today’s economy: credit and collections specialists, mortgage specialists, help desk and desktop support, bankruptcy/foreclosure attorneys, litigation paralegals, customer service representatives, and administrative healthcare positions.

Here are three sites you can use to find listings for contract work: Sologig, Elance, and Guru.com. You can find other sites, as well as links to temp staffing agencies’ web sites, at CareerOverview.com.

PREPARING YOUR RESUME

If you're modifying your resume for a particular temporary or contract position, here are three suggestions:

• Limit your resume to one page that highlights the most essential elements for the job. For instance, a company seeking a web developer probably doesn’t need to know about your staff management skills.
• Headline your resume with a title, such as Experienced IT Project Manager, in place of an Objective or Summary. Then write two or three sentences that summarize your unique expertise and experience that match key phrases in the job description. (If you have a Pongo account, see the end of this blog post for instructions on adding a headline to your resume template.)
• Include a cover letter if you’re applying on your own, to express your interest in the position and how you found out about it. For those who look through a staffing agency, the agency acts as a “verbal cover letter,” explaining your qualifications to their client.

BUSINESS CARDS AND NETWORKING

Just about every career and job search advisor will tell you that you need to network — in person and online — to help land that next job. This is especially true for temporary work. For in-person networking, business cards can come in handy. Be sure to include a title on the card that closely matches the one you would use to headline your resume. Also, include your phone numbers and email address, as well as the URL to your web resume or LinkedIn profile, if you have one. You want to give contacts every possible way to find out about you and reach you.

Need business cards? Try these sites: VistaPrint, iPrint, and PrintsMadeEasy.

HOW TO ADD A HEADLINE USING PONGO:

• First, log into your account and click on My Resumes.
• Open your resume (or create a new one), then click Headings.
• In the "Custom Heading" field, write your title, then click Add Heading.
• The new heading will show up at the bottom of the Assigned column. Click the up-arrow on the right to move it up to the top position.
• Delete the heading titled Summary or Objective.
• Click Save. The title will appear on your resume under your name and contact information.
• Click Edit under the heading and write the sentences that describe your background and experience that are most pertinent to the position you’re applying for.

Have you taken a temporary job that led to a full-time position? Or did the experience at the temp job help you land something elsewhere? Let us know.

RELATED LINKS
Laid Off? Try These Short-Term Jobs to Fill the Gap
Stats and Surprises to Help Your Job Search
How to Find Your Value Proposition

What do you do when you've got a killer resume, no job, and have contacted literally EVERY temp agency in town, but they refuse to return your calls/emails? It's all fine and good to say to go the temp route, but most these days won't even return contact, even when you show up on their door step and they see you're >40.

Hi JD!

If you're convinced that your age is getting in the way, do what you can to "mask" that (note that I didn't say "lie"). Go back only 10-15 years in your resume on your professional experience, and don't use the dates of your graduation if they go back even farther. Also, if you can demonstrate the experience and use of the most modern of technologies (e.g., social media, mobile devices), that can help.

~ Rick

Done. The job I worked was for 1 company for 28+ years. When I actually walked into the offices with my resume, I couldn't get past the receptionist. Kind of hard to mask my physical appearance. Phone calls the same way. Believe me, I'm not techonology ignorant. Actually, I'm far from it.

Hmmm. I have a question/comment about this one:

Perhaps temp agencies don't do this anymore, but some of them used to create roadblocks for employees by including a clause in the contract which says that if the employer wants to hire a temp away from the agency before a specific amount of time (say, six months) has passed, they have to pay a severance fee to the agency.

Does anyone know if this is still the case? If so, you should be careful of expectations that you can easily shift from temp to permanent employee of the company you were temping for.

I once lost a potential job this way - my manager was all set to hire me, he was literally wooing me to join the company, but when I warned him that my agency charged a hire-away fee, he had to back down - it wasn't in his budget, and he would be questioned about it by HIS managers. After all, couldn't he find someone just as qualified (it wasn't a big-time job) from somewhere else, and not have to pay a cent??

@ Val -- Never heard of such a situation. Can anyone identiify with Val's issue and possibly give her some guidance?

Val - I believe that most contracting agencies have that in their contract. I thought that that was standard practice. It's not trying to hinder the company that wants to hire you, it's trying to reward the contracting agency for setting up the relationship and doing the work to obtain your services and employment. There is not much you can do except wait for that time period to end or hope that the company pays the "severance fee" and hires you. Usually, the cost is not very much and if they really think that you'll add value to the company they won't hesitate to pay a few grand (max) to get you away from the agency. A few grand is NOTHING for a large company while finding a suitable, productive employee that fits in with the team and the culture can be a long and expensive task.

I worked for twenty five years as a temp off and on at 102 different positions’. I worked for 66 different companies of which 23 have gone out of business. I even worked inside a few agencies. I have written a book about my experiences and hope that my readers will take away from my exercises, what not to do, and how to obtain work without relying on these agencies. I have tried to tell my tales with humor, giving credit where credit is due.

This article provides a number of helpful tips on resume construction. It is pertinent to only include information relevant to the current job in question. That is, you should tailor your resume and cover letter to each individual job you apply for. Also remember to keep it professional and concise. More <a rel="NOFOLLOW" href="http://www.job-applications.com/job-resources/">resume building tips</a> and other job resources can be found online.

In this job market, temporary jobs provide stable work. Temporary workers have the option of continuing an employment search while bringing home income to pay the bills. An added bonus of temping, many companies will consider hiring a hardworking temp at the end of the assignment. Remember to work as if every temporary placement is a job interview and you’ll be sure to impress employers. Check out this page for a <a rel="NOFOLLOW" href="http://www.job-applications.com/temp-service-jobs/">complete list of temp agencies</a> near you.

Good luck in the job search!