While temping has been a part of the workforce for many years, only recently has it gained wide scale acceptance at the executive and professional level. And since all signs point to continued hiring of employees on an as needed basis at all levels, we can expect this interesting option to continue to grow.
Middle to senior level candidates who take on temporary work are known by a variety of names: interim executives, interim managers, flexible executives, contract executives, professional staffers, short term executives, line consultants, migrant managers, company doctors, portfolio executives even business commandos.
Temps of all kinds number almost two million daily, or 1.65 percent of the total U.S. workforce, according to the Virginia based National Association of Temporary Services (NATS). Of the nation's temp payroll of $24.7 billion, 16 percent is in the professional and technical category, NATS says. Milwaukee based Manpower alone claims to employ more than 600,000 workers (though that's over the course of a year), and Human Resource Executive magazine reports that temporary workers account for nearly 15 percent of all new jobs created annually. In field, the field is growing at 10 times the rate of overall employment, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Executive level temping can take a variety of forms:
- It can be project oriented, in which the temp or a team of temps undertakes management of a special project. This could involve a variety of disciplines, but is generally a one time affair.
- It can take the form of filling in for a regular line or staff manager while that person is on leave or on special assignment.
- In a third scenario, people can be employed on a temporary tryout basis while the organization determines whether the position will become permanent and whether this person is best suited for the job.
Not everyone sees the field continuing to grow at its current pace, however. "It makes almost no sense," complains Jeffrey Peffer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University's business school in Palo Alto, CA. "It eliminates all the things that would make someone effective in an organization: knowing the people and knowing how to get things done."
Peffer labels temporary management as unworkable and predicts it will fall out of favor, especially if health care costs decline under pressure from Congress, making it less expensive to employ people full time. Adds Paul Hawkinson, editor and publisher of The Fordyce Letter in St. Louis, a monthly newsletter for recruitment and career management professionals: "As active as the temp business has been, I believe that it will undergo some dramatic scale backs as the economy gets back to normal. If the temp firms are saddled with providing a full plate of benefits, equivalent salaries and the like then add a profit margin, what advantages can they possibly offer to those companies wishing to employ their temp workers? When this parity occurs, it will be just as simple and cost effective to hire full timers."
Nevertheless, until a downtown in this field becomes obvious, professionals with niche expertise will have opportunities to command fees that are 20 percent to 40 percent more than what regular staffers earn, while maintaining relatively more autonomy and less involvement in office politics than salaried employees. On the other hand, you'll likely forfeit such standard and fringe benefits as health insurance and paid vacations, as well as full integration into the corporate culture. You also won't receive much recognition for your efforts, and you may not even get to witness the results of your work.
Temporary jobs work best for the independent, adventurous type of manager or executive who enjoys change and challenge, and isn't concerned with long term job security. Willingness to relocate is also a plus, since placements can range from a few weeks to a year or more. "When gauging the length of an assignment," says Alan Feder, president of Advance Positions Inc. in Marlboro, NJ, "a good rule of thumb is to triple the employer's estimate."
Unfortunately, there's a limit to repeat business in temping: the IRS requires that you may not work as a temp more than 1000 hours a year (125 eight hour days) for any single client.
To compound the bad news, as an individual dealing with agencies that specialize in interim executive assignments, the odds of landing employment at any given time can be quite poor. Many agencies maintain databases of 5000 or more names of executives and professionals who are likely to be qualified and available for engagements, making the competition especially fierce. Getting work often involves making yourself known as someone who stands out from the crowd in some special way. Try to identify and convey your key qualities in a brief cover letter accompanying your resume.
Many executive temps feel the best strategy is to register with multiple firms, particularly those that specialize in your industry or function. Art Fasakas of New York City decided to try a different route. While he approached temping with no expectation of landing positions equivalent to his skills, he was still surprised by what he found.
