Are you one of those people who cannot decide what career is the right one for you? Or maybe you are already settled in a career and have decided that you are ready for a change but have no experience in the fields that interest you.

Instead of wasting your time in a position where you cannot learn and grow with the company, why not try temping? It is a great way to gain valuable, on the job experience while opening yourself up to new opportunities.

“We prefer to call the staff ‘contract employees’,” explains Laura Jackson, recruitment manager at Bermuda Executive Services Ltd (BES). “The positions we fill vary a lot from what would be considered traditional temporary roles.”

Employment agencies have been outsourcing their staff to fill vacancies in every aspect of the business environment- from office junior, file clerk and executive personal assistants to senior level managerial roles.

“In recent years we have found that temping has increased in popularity,” says Maryanne Scott, the personal assistant to the secretary at SOS Limited and CapCar Temporary Services (SOS).

“High school graduates who are undecided about career choices use temping as a means to add work experience to their résumé, where more seasoned workers try temping to ‘test’ the job market until they land their dream job.”

Both agencies require candidates be self-motivated with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, along with a willingness to work hard:

“A successful temp is one that is flexible, has a solid work ethic, integrity, and a good attitude,” explains Ms Scott.

A thorough screening process ensures that clients will be getting the best of the best.

“There is an in-depth registration procedure involving a face-to-face interview, interview training, and skills assessments,” Mrs. Jackson elaborates. “After an initial meeting we conduct full reference checks on all potential candidates and if required, this can also involve a full background check.”

But not only will the client be satisfied with the contract employee they are sent, the candidate is provided with enough information to decide whether they wish to pursue the opportunity. This ensures a close match between candidate and position.

“The absolute minimum education level expected of a contract employee is a high-school diploma for a young office junior, but these specifics vary depending on the position,” Ms Scott furthers.

And where BES offers in-house IT tutorials and skills testing for all of their active employees, SOS promises that they will be available for private meetings if their employees are having difficulty in certain areas of their assignments.

Both companies value their open door policy, offering career counselling, advice and guidance, all in aid of developing their employees career options.

There is no set duration for how long someone should temp - this usually depends on the situation- but according to Mrs. Jackson, the Employment Act does stipulate how long a person should work with a particular company before that company should offer them a full-time position. Contract employees will usually temp for a minimum of one month.

“We do facilitate placement of our employees into permanent positions, and use the temporary process to introduce candidates to clients who may be seeking to fill permanent roles,” says Ms Scott.

This is a service which both agencies provide for their clients.

“We also have employees who choose to temp as opposed to obtaining a permanent position, though,” adds. Mrs. Jackson.

As contract employees are employed by agencies, the agency takes on the responsibilities of employer, managing payroll, insurance, taxes, conflict management, guidance, support and any other employee related issues.

“We pride ourselves on ensuring our staff are compensated for the level of job in which they are assigned,” notes Mrs. Jackson.

Overall, temping is a great way to try out various work environments, while enabling the contract employee to meet new people, network, and display their abilities.