We’ve spoken to a graduate temp and a parent returning to work after having children. In this third part of our five part series about office support temping in London, we talk to Rebecca about how her role has changed from temporary to permanent and whether this was a strategic decision.
The Temp-to-Perm Temp
A temp-to-perm temp is simply an individual who started out in a temporary role and their employment was then made permanent, or an individual who is temping with the hope to secure a permanent position. As a London recruitment agency, we see this scenario a lot. For employers and candidates alike, the temp-to-perm role is akin to ‘trying before you buy’. We spoke to Rebecca about her experience.
Why did you start temping?
I really wanted to start working in HR. However, after graduating in 2017, I found it impossible to find an employer to take me on. I had no relevant experience, so I guess that was understandable. Also, it was still in the wake of the Brexit referendum and employers didn’t seem to want to take on permanent staff full stop. So I joined Love Success and started temping in office support jobs in London. They knew I was keen to move in to HR so once I had some generic experience they put me forward for a temporary HR assistant role in a law firm.
Did you and your employer always think it would move to a permanent role?
I really hoped it would after my first week! I absolutely loved working in a busy HR department and the team are great people. My initial temporary contract was for 6 months. My boss told me at about the four-month mark that they were hoping that they could move me on to a permanent contract. Since then my boss said that she likes using temporary jobs as a way of testing out a candidate properly before making a long-term decision, so I guess she always had the possibility in the back of her mind.
Do you think you would do a temp-to-perm role again in the future?
I don’t know because it will really depend on the opportunities available to me. I have no intention of leaving my current employer for the foreseeable future. They are supporting me to gain my CIPD qualification and they have a clear promotion route for me to become an HR officer in due course. However, I wouldn’t be in this position if I hadn’t done temp-to-perm temping, so who knows?!
If you could give those doing temporary jobs in London some advice, what would you say?
Treat it as a permanent job, with the same commitment and investment. By proving yourself to be an invaluable part of the team, who is committed to the long-term goals of the organisation, then they’ll want to keep you. Take this approach from the moment you show an interest in the temp role, so interview as if it’s your dream position.
Learn how to interview for temporary jobs in London. You can also learn about how to find temp work in London, which may prove to be the springboard to a permanent position. In parts 4 and 5 of our series, we’ll be talking to student temp and a career temp.
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