Despite the general consensus that employment figures are starting to rise again, the green shoots of recovery remain tentative – at least for the moment.

Many people have had to turn to temporary work to make ends meet. People who are fresh to the job market straight out of education join those who have lost jobs due to the tough economic times in finding themselves turning to employment agencies to find work either in or outside of their usual field.

Increasingly some businesses that have had to reign in expenses have been turning to employment agencies to avoid many of the short term costs of directly employing staff themselves.

Fresh challenges

Many people who once found themselves having to turn to temporary work have found (sometimes to their surprise) that they have really enjoyed the fresh challenges and differing working environments that temporary work brings. Roles such as project management jobs lend themselves quite well to this, as one project draws to an end it is possible to start looking for the next challenge which might be quite different.

Having a safety net can be useful as it is not always possible to find another job immediately after the last but that safety net could be working from home in a temporary role or something well outside of what you would normally be doing.

Varied experiences

Temporary work also means regularly meeting and working alongside different people. They may have had experiences similar to your own or they might have found themselves in a similar position to you for a whole host of different reasons. Either way there is much to be learnt from them.

Greater potential

These experiences could also put you in a stronger position for recruitment later down the line. With an open mind a little flexibility it is possible to find yourself in all different sorts of temporary roles where you will be able to pick up many different transferable skills that you may have otherwise not got.

Being able to fill your CV with examples of working outside of your usual comfort zone demonstrates you are driven, motivated, keen to learn and diligent in all your pursuits – all traits which are valued by prospective employers.

Freedom and flexibility

On top of the practical benefits, temporary work allows you to share many things with those who are self-employed. You’ll get greater freedom and flexibility when it comes to your work and essentially you can pick and choose which jobs you take and which you do not. Registering with an appropriate agency for the industry you want to work in is obviously the first step but from here you are your own master.

This is a guest post for TheEmployable