While a full-time, permanent position is the ideal for most professionals in the workforce, temporary positions can be a great option for many people who find themselves looking for additional income and/or experience while pursuing that permanent job. Below, we have listed several situations where temporary work could be beneficial to your search for a permanent position. Although, our list is definitely not comprehensive; temporary work can be a great option for just about anyone.

• Recent Graduates: Temping is a great option for recent graduates who do not have a permanent position lined up upon graduation.

• Temp work can help give college graduates more real world, professional experience to add to their resume, especially if they did not complete any internships or work study programs while in school.
• Also, temping can help fill in the employment gap on your resume between graduation and starting your first permanent position. Potential employers will be impressed to see that you have been working and gaining experience while pursuing more full-time work.
• Temp work can help get your foot in the door with a company that you would not otherwise have access to. If the company you are temping for is pleased with your work, they could consider you for any full-time openings they have.

• Professionals In Between Employment: Temping is also a great option for more experienced professionals who find themselves in between permanent positions.

• As for recent graduates, temp work can help fill in employment gaps on your resume.  Even if the temp work you are doing isn’t exactly relevant to your career goals, at least you can show a potential employer that you have not been sitting idle while searching for a new position.
• Temporary work is also a great source of income for those in between jobs. While you probably won’t make as much as you were in your last permanent position, a little money is better than no money.
• Temp jobs can also help expose you to new industries or environments that you might not have had the opportunity to explore otherwise. You might find a new interest or change your career goals after having a great experience temping within a different industry.

• Not Quite Yet Retirees: Temp work is an excellent option for professionals who have decided to end their full-time careers, but aren’t quite ready to stop working altogether.

• A lot of experienced professionals who have decided to retire from their full-time jobs are still looking for part time work to bring in a little additional income or help fill their suddenly empty schedules.

Temp work is a great option for these not quite retired professionals, because they can do short term or daily assignments, without making a long-term commitment.

Phone interviews are becoming increasingly popular because they provide a great way for employers to narrow down their pool of applicants prior to in-person interviews. For that reason, it’s important for you to ace your phone interview if you want to move on to the face-to-face round. The Los Angeles Times published a great article on phone interviews in their latest Sunday issue, so we’ve summarized the important points below.

1. Avoid Distractions:
   • While on the phone with a potential employer, you should distance yourself from any distractions. This includes your computer, iPad, smartphone, or even your roommates.
2. Be Articulate:
   • Your voice is the only tool you have to express yourself on a phone interview, so make sure you speak articulately and clearly. You also want to avoid trailing off or rambling when answering the hiring manager’s questions. Pausing occasionally will help your interviewer to process what you are saying and digest the information fully.
3. Prepare Yourself:
   • A phone interview is a great time to ask any preliminary questions you might have about the job opportunity, so you should have a list prepared before the call. Also, keep the job description handy and look up some information on the company to make sure you are fully informed.
   • It also helps to brainstorm examples of your past experiences that you can talk about on the phone interview. For example, compile a list of examples where you took initiative, demonstrated your organizational skills, or worked as a team player.
4. Be Yourself:
   • It can be difficult to convey your personality over the phone in an interview, but don’t forget to be personable and friendly. While you want to maintain professionalism, you also want to be yourself.
   • Don’t come across as if you are reading a script when speaking to a hiring manager; you want to come across confident and friendly, not rehearsed. Smiling while you talk can help improve the sound of your voice and put more energy into what you’re saying.
5. Express Interest:
   • At the end of the phone screen, be sure to thank your interviewer for their time and consideration. If you are interested in moving forward with the interview process, don’t be afraid to say so! Hiring managers will be more inclined to move forward with applicants who are visibly interested in and excited about their open position.

If you have taken significant time away from work – whether by choice or by chance – re-entering the workforce can be a daunting challenge. Learn how to make your transition back into the working world a little easier by reading our advice below:

1. Try Temping:

• Temping is a great option for re-entry workers. Working temporary assignments is a great way to sharpen your skills and transition back into a work routine.
• Temp agencies commonly work with re-entry workers, so they won’t be as wary of the gaps in your resume as a hiring manager looking to fill a permanent opportunity would be.

2. Network:

• Re-entry workers typically have a lot more networking opportunities than a recent graduate or young professional.
• They have already spent several years working, so they have developed business contacts within their industry. These contacts are great networking tools and can be used to help them get their foot in the door with a great organization.

3. Freshen Up Your Resume:

• The rules of resume writing have probably changed since the last time you were looking for work, so make sure you update your resume accordingly.
• If necessary, speak with a job counselor or career center for assistance. Make sure your resume best presents your developed skills and experiences, and also adheres to modern resume rules.

4. Put Together a Portfolio:

• Before you even have a job interview, you should create a portfolio showcasing some major projects or presentations you completed earlier in your career.
• Providing a visual representation of what you have to offer a potential employer can help you show them the value you could bring to their company.

5. Update Your Knowledge:

• Re-entry workers should make sure that their technical skills and industry knowledge is up to date before applying for new positions.
• If necessary, seek technical classes in order to update your computer or software skills. Also, research your desired industry to make sure you are up to date with current events and changes.

6. Gather References:

• If possible, try to get recommendations and references from your former supervisors and coworkers.
• Submitting great references and letters of recommendation with your resume can help prove to potential employers that you are worth interviewing.

The majority of offices in Washington adhere to a business casual dress code, but many professionals have trouble discerning exactly what that means. We have provided some basic standards below to help you learn how to dress business casual without breaking the company dress code:

What is appropriate?

• Dress pants
• Blouses
• Skirts or dresses that reach the knee, paired with stockings in the winter
• Polo shirts
• Button down shirts
• Closed toe shoes
• Khakis or slacks
• Sweaters

What is not appropriate?

• Jeans
• Sneakers
• Hats of any kind
• Open toe shoes or sandals/flip flops
• T-shirts
• Shorts
• Cargo pants
• Athletic wear
• Sweatpants and sweatshirts
• Tank tops or sleeveless shirts
• Revealing clothing
• Tights/leggings

Many offices do have exceptions to these rules. For example, your company might adhere to a business casual dress code, but allow their employees to wear jeans on Fridays or sandals in the summer. You should definitely confirm these exceptions with HR before dressing inappropriately without knowing. Don’t assume that you’re allowed to wear jeans since you see someone else wearing them. Before starting a new position, you should ask your HR department what the appropriate dress code is, and if you work for a staffing agency, you should ask a recruiter about their dress code policies to make sure you are aware of any exceptions and rules. As a temporary employee, you should treat every assignment as an interview, since it could potentially turn into a permanent job. Dress for success and you will be sure to not only impress your employer, but also boost your own self confidence in the workplace!

Have you ever gone on a job interview where you feel like things went well, but then you don’t receive an offer? Instead, the hiring manager tells you, “You are a strong candidate, but unfortunately we chose someone who was a little more qualified for the position.” In this situation, you are probably dying to know who that other candidate was and what they had to offer that you didn’t. Below, we have created the “perfect candidate” – the person who walks into a job interview and wins over the hiring manager every time. Here is what the perfect candidate has to offer:

The perfect candidate:

• … is always dressed appropriately for an interview. They look polished and professional, and they wear a confident smile.

• … brings their resume with them to every interview. On their resume, they have few to zero gaps in their employment history and a clear progression of growth throughout their career.
• … is always on time and prepared for their interview.
• … seems eager, excited, and interested in the open position.
• … answers the interviewer’s questions with thoughtful, clear, and articulate responses. They do not say “um” or “uh” to fill in gaps in their thought process.
• … can clearly explain why they are interested in the open position and why they are qualified.
• … has received great references from their former supervisors supporting their claimed experience and qualifications.
• … is easily reachable for potential employers. They answer their phone, respond quickly to emails, and/or return missed calls promptly.

No matter what position you interview for, you should always aspire to be the fabled “perfect candidate.”  You will definitely have competition for every job you seek, so make sure you are presenting yourself as the best candidate out there!

Unless you get an offer from the first job you apply to, you will probably face a lot of rejection during your job search. Maintaining a positive, upbeat attitude can be the key to a successful job hunt, so don’t let the rejection get you down.

Grow a thick skin and accept that you probably won’t hear back from most of the jobs you apply for. Interviews can be difficult and some hiring managers will want to challenge you, so be prepared to work for the job you want. A thick skin will definitely help you withstand the rejection you may face over the course of your job search.

It’s also important that you don’t take the rejection personally. You have certain experiences and skills that you can offer an employer and they might not be a perfect fit for every job opening. It’s not your fault (or the employer’s) if you don’t have the exact perfect skill set for the job you want, so don’t take it as a personal slight if you don’t receive an offer.

You should learn from your experiences during your job search, whether they are positive or negative. Each interview you go on can serve as practice for future interviews. Every interaction you have with a potential employer will further develop your professional communication skills. Rather than be disappointed in a missed opportunity, use it to improve yourself so you can increase your chances of getting the next job you apply to.

Lastly, whatever you do, don’t give up! The only way you will get a job is to keep applying, interviewing, and putting yourself out there. Don’t get discouraged by the rejection, use it as inspiration to work harder!

Unfortunately, there are plenty of myths and antiquated ideas about job searching that job seekers acknowledge as hard fast rules. We have chosen to highlight a few of these myths that we find particularly irksome below:

1. Your resume should only be one page.
   • The one-page resume rule seems to have been around forever, but reducing your work history to one page can be a critical mistake for job seekers.
   • Hiring managers would much rather see your entire work history laid out on three pages worth of resume than have you exclude relevant work experience in order to fit everything on one page.
2. Your college major will determine your entire career.
   • While there are certain career paths that require particular majors, such as engineering or mathematics, your college major does not have to dictate your entire career.
   • When choosing the perfect applicant for a job, hiring managers consider a whole lot more than what your major was in college. Relevant experience, applicable skills, and personality are all additional factors in a hiring manager’s decision.
3. You should apply for every single job posting that you are interested in.
   •  If you are not fully qualified for a job posting you see, don’t waste your time applying for it. Job postings typically list qualities or experiences that applicants must have, but a lot of job seekers seem to ignore them. Being interested in a job and believing you can do it does not make you a qualified applicant.
   • Wasting your time applying for jobs you will never get is a big mistake for job seekers. Focus your attention and effort on jobs that you feel you are honestly qualified for and believe you can get. This will eventually lead to a much more successful job search in the end.
4. You need to have an objective or mission statement on your resume.
   • Listing a specific objective statement on your resume can lead hiring managers to believe you are only looking for one particular kind of job and won’t consider you for other opportunities.
   • On the other hand, having a broad, generic objective statement on your resume is basically useless. Objective statements serve no real purpose and are therefore unnecessary to include on your resume.
   • Instead of an objective statement, use your cover letter to let hiring managers know what you are looking for and why you feel qualified.
5. Companies and hiring managers will never be able to see my social media profiles.
   • Many professionals believe that their social media pages are hidden from the eyes of hiring managers. They change their names on Facebook or change their privacy settings assuming that no potential employer will ever be able to see their pictures and posts.
   • The truth is, it’s not that hard for a potential employer to see some, if not all, of your pictures and posts on social media.
   • Changing your name on Facebook to a combination of your first and middle name or even replacing it with a completely made-up name will not deter an employer who wants to find your profile. If the email address that you use to sign onto Facebook is the same email that you put on your resume, all employers have to do is search that email address on Facebook instead of your name. The profile linked with your email address will come up no matter what you’ve changed the name on your profile to.
   • Also, with constantly changing privacy settings on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, it’s easy for old photos or posts to suddenly become visible again if you haven’t taken the time to update all of your privacy settings.

While a full-time, permanent position is the ideal for most professionals in the workforce, temporary positions can be a great option for many people who find themselves looking for additional income and/or experience while pursuing that permanent job. Below, we have listed several situations where temporary work could be beneficial to your search for a permanent position. Although, our list is definitely not comprehensive; temporary work can be a great option for just about anyone.

• Recent Graduates: Temping is a great option for recent graduates who do not have a permanent position lined up upon graduation.
  • Temp work can help give college graduates more real world, professional experience to add to their resume, especially if they did not complete any internships or work study programs while in school.
  • Also, temping can help fill in the employment gap on your resume between graduation and starting your first permanent position. Potential employers will be impressed to see that you have been working and gaining experience while pursuing more full-time work.
  • Temp work can help get your foot in the door with a company that you would not otherwise have access to. If the company you are temping for is pleased with your work, they could consider you for any full-time openings they have.
• Professionals In Between Employment: Temping is also a great option for more experienced professionals who find themselves in between permanent positions.
  • As for recent graduates, temp work can help fill in employment gaps on your resume.  Even if the temp work you are doing isn’t exactly relevant to your career goals, at least you can show a potential employer that you have not been sitting idly while searching for a new position.
  • Temporary work is also a great source of income for those in between jobs. While you probably won’t make as much as you were in your last permanent position, a little money is better than no money.
  • Temp jobs can also help expose you to new industries or environments that you might not have had the opportunity to explore otherwise. You might find a new interest or change your career goals after having a great experience temping within a different industry.
• Not Quite Yet Retirees: Temp work is an excellent option for professionals who have decided to end their full-time careers, but aren’t quite ready to stop working altogether.
  • A lot of experienced professionals who have decided to retire from their full-time jobs are still looking for part time work to bring in a little additional income or help fill their suddenly empty schedules.
  • Temp work is a great option for these not quite retired professionals, because they can do short term or daily assignments, without making a long-term commitment.
  • Professionals with a full career under their wing have years of experience to offer staffing agencies. They are typically viewed as more reliable, hardworking temps than professionals with very little work experience.

The aforementioned groups of professionals all make valuable candidates for temporary work and should consider picking up temp assignments if they are in the job market. Although just about anyone who finds themselves out of work should definitely consider temping. The only reason we would deter a candidate from considering temporary work is if they already have a steady, permanent job with a stable salary.

Finding a job is not always easy, but it’s especially difficult today considering how tough the job market is. Prepare yourself for the challenges ahead by accepting the basic truths we have listed below:

•  You’re not guaranteed to get a position because you think the job description is a “perfect fit” with your background.
• The cover letter you spent hours slaving over might never be read by a hiring manager.
• Every hiring manager or recruiter you deal with during your job search might not be as nice, understanding, or polite as you are.
• Even if you are the perfect fit for a job opportunity, there is always the possibility that someone else out there is an even better fit.
• You may never hear back from the hiring manager who told you he would let you know whether or not you got the job by the end of the week.
• You might to have to send out dozens or even hundreds of resumes/applications before landing a job offer.
• The job postings you apply to (and get excited about) might already be filled.
• There are hundreds, even thousands of people out there competing to get the same jobs that you are applying for.

Finding a job is definitely hard work, and you are probably going to face a lot of rejection before successfully landing an offer, but you shouldn’t let these realities dampen your spirit. The ultimate keys to a successful job search are a positive attitude, confidence, and determination. As long as you accept the challenges that lie ahead of you and face them head on, you will surely be successful in the end. Check out some of our previous Employment Tips for more advice on how to improve your chances of successfully landing a job in a difficult market.

As we mentioned last week, searching for work can be a full-time job in itself. Although, there are also some easy changes you can make in less than five minutes that can greatly increase your chances of finding employment. We have shared a few examples below:

1. Update your email address: The email address listed on your resume should be professional, not personal. For example, john.doe@gmail.com is much more professional than johnnyd1422@gmail.com.
2. Update your voicemail greeting: Again, you should aim to have a professional voicemail greeting attached to the number provided on your resume. Instead of, “Hey it’s me, leave me a message,” you should use, “You’ve reached the cell phone of John Doe, please leave me a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.”
3. Read your resume out loud: Reading your resume out loud can allow you to hear minor wording errors or notice spelling mistakes that you might have missed while reading it on your computer. The eye is apt to scan over any mistakes and correct them automatically in your head as you read, but your ear can’t be fooled as easily.
4. Get a haircut: Looking professional and polished in an interview can be the key to receiving a job offer. Always be prepared for an interview and maintain a professional appearance by getting your hair cut regularly.
5. Set your alarm: If you are a recent college graduate or a young professional looking for their first full-time job, you are probably not used to a regular nine to five schedule. If you keep your sleep schedule regulated while you are unemployed you will have a much easier time transitioning into full-time work. Also, that age-old saying about the early bird catching the worm applies to job searching, too!