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It’s not uncommon, given today’s uncertain job market, that candidates often find themselves with one or more temporary assignments under their belts while they hope for a more permanent job. If you are in this boat, don’t discount your temporary work history as something that cannot be included on your resume. In fact, recruiters prefer to see ALL the work that you have performed as an indication of the full range of skills and abilities you have.

Why Temp Work Belongs On Your Resume

Temporary jobs in Jackson MS are often viewed by recruiters as a positive aspect of a candidate who is willing to try new things and take on challenging tasks, while proactively seeking a long-term career. But, the question remains – how do you add these temp jobs to your resume the right way?

4 Steps to Add Temp Jobs to Your Resume

To help you get this accomplished, here are some guidelines from a professional resume writer and career coach.

  1. Use a professional resume format that is chronological. There are some good resume templates out there, but when it comes to adding temp jobs to your work history, you’ll want to go with a chronological format. This resume format allows for additional lines of text for each job and gives the recruiter the full picture of your work history in one organized fashion. It’s also easier on the eyes when reading it.
  2. Add the staffing agency as your employer. In a temporary contract agreement, you are working on behalf of the staffing agency, not the company you are assigned to for the duration of the contract. To add temp job(s) to your resume, you will list the name of the staffing agency as your actual employer. Be sure to add a blurb about the company specialty areas just underneath the staffing agency, and add the full dates of employment (starting date to end date) to the right of the agency name.
  3. Include each temporary job in a list under the staffing agency. Once you have added the staffing agency as your employer, then hit your tab key and add the name of the company with the dates you worked on that assignment to the right. You can then add an assignment name, and the description of the kind of business it was (not your job description).
  4. Highlight your achievements in each temp job. Add 2-3 accomplishments under each company name in your list of temp jobs. Think of what you learned, what new skills you developed, the new tasks you did, and any praise or recognition you received while on the job. Can’t think of any? Get in touch with your temporary agency and ask the recruiter to see if the client provided any feedback about your performance.

Still need a little more guidance on adding temp jobs to your resume? Here is a brief example of the above so you can see what it looks like in the work history section. Click on the link for the PDF document below (it will open with Adobe Reader in a new screen).

Example of Adding Temp Jobs on Resume


4 Responses to “How to Format Temp Work on My Resume”

  1. Lisa Hercules

    I found the information very informative and helpful. I was leaving the most important of my resume out. Thanks

    Reply

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