Temps or temporary workers come from all walks of life. They come from different career fields, educational backgrounds, and lifestyles. They are men and women. Some have Ph.D.'s. Some have G.E.D.'s. They are recent graduates or experienced business owners looking for new careers. They are between jobs or school semesters, or are looking for extra cash after they retire. There are temps who view short-term situations as cushions to support their art or particular passion in life, and others who see temping as an opportunity to broaden their horizons and be exposed to a variety of businesses and people. Temps are new mothers, seasoned professionals, artists, entrepreneurs, etc.— there is no clear image of what a temp looks like, however, there are some general values and personality traits that make an individual more inclined towards temporary work. Here are some of them.
Traits That Make For a Great Temp Candidate
- Positive attitude
- Flexible
- Assertive
- Independent
- Go-getter
- People-oriented
- Self-disciplined
- Resourceful
- Has strong self-image
- Good sense of humor
- Ability to learn new things quickly
- Good physical health
- Able to set emotional boundaries for yourself and others
- Willing to take instruction and ask questions
- Adventurous about new situations and people
If you exhibit most or all of these qualities, chances are you are a great candidate for temporary work. It means that you have the ability to insert yourself into a new environment and navigate within it because you enjoy meeting new people and can quickly assess a situation. It means that you are willing to figure out what needs to be done and accomplishes these tasks, whether working on your own or taking instructions from others. It also means that you possess the self-respect to be assertive about getting new assignments, and not letting people take advantage of you. On a practical level, you are realistic about financial and health constraints—your cash flow can survive job lulls and you don't take assignments that jeopardize your health.
On the other hand, if you exhibited fewer traits than more, consider going over this list:
Traits That Do Not Make For A Great Candidate
- Strongly territorial
- Tendency to take things personally
- Shy
- You feel distressed when asked to switch gears in the middle of a project
- Have a lot of financial overhead (ex: car and house payments, credit card debts, or ongoing medical expenses, etc.)
- Has dependents at home
- Has recently undergone a major change or personal crisis in life (ex: divorce, serious illness, death in family, etc.)
If you exhibited more qualities from this list, then the former, chances are you are not a good fit for the temporary work lifestyle. However, if the traits you exhibited are those relating to your current life circumstance rather than personality, it might just not be the right time for you and that could change in the future. People with many ongoing expenses, dependents, or chronic illnesses are less suited for the lifestyle because they have enough pressure without the transitions and change of temporary work. Those who are undergoing personal crises are also not particularly suitable for the temporary lifestyle because they often require a more consistent and supportive work atmosphere.
Conclusion:
Temp work requires both emotional and financial risks, even if you plan to temp for a short time. Transitions can be fatiguing and job lulls are also possible. However, long-term temps are workers motivated by more than a consistent schedule and income. Flexibility and variety are two values that NEED to be important to you, more so than paid vacations, holidays, retirement plans, and health insurance. If you have a strong passion and purpose in life, and a passion to make the temporary lifestyle work for YOU, you are the perfect candidate.
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