From Temp to Hired: Flexible

This is part three of our series on how you can increase your chances of turning your temporary job into a full time position with the company to which you are assigned. In part one, we covered how important it is that you have perfect attendance. In part two, we discussed how, after attendance, having a great attitude increases the likelihood that you are considered.

Being flexible is very much a part of your attitude, but we thought is deserved its own post.

Bending Over Backwards

When you are hired for a temporary position, you are being assigned to perform a certain set of tasks. But no job description is ever really complete. The company you are working for may ask you to perform the same tasks from day-to-day, but sometimes something happens and some other task needs to be done.

Being flexible means helping the company you work for do whatever needs doing, whenever it needs done, and however it needs to be done. Employees who are flexible are thought of as team players.

When you are flexible and willing to take on any task, your employer thinks of you as someone that they can count on do whatever needs to be done. Your employer often doesn’t know what kind of projects that are going to be thrown their way, and they value employees who are willing to help them get the job done—even when no one knows what the job will actually require.

Employees who are not flexible or who are unwilling to take on the tasks that need to be done aren’t likely to be considered for full time employment. Your employer may not be able to predict the changes that they are going to have to deal with, and they need to know they have a team who will get the job done. They can’t afford to have employees who are inflexible.

Here is a quick example. A product shipment is late. The company expected it anytime. They struggled with sending their employees home, as they knew they counted on the pay. But there was no work for them to do. So they decided to have the employees clean the facility until the shipment arrived. Some employees left, believing it wasn’t their job to clean the facility. They didn’t recognize the gesture, and they didn’t recognize the need to be flexible.

Being flexible would have been a better choice, and it is the right choice–if you want to be considered for full time employment.

Three Tips

Be Willing: You increase your potential for full time hire when you are flexible and willing to do whatever needs to be done, even if it isn’t part of the job description that you were given, and even if you haven’t done the same kind of work in the past. Your willingness to try makes you a more valuable employee.

Take Initiative: Sometimes there are things that need to be done that are a little more difficult or a little more challenging. Taking on those projects and tasks without having to be asked will show your commitment to being flexible and helping your company get the job done—regardless of what that job is.

Volunteer: Whenever your supervisor or manager asks for volunteers to tackle a project or task, make sure you volunteer. Your employer keeps score. They know who they can count on to help them and who isn’t flexible enough to go the extra mile. Your employer will see you in a positive light and may even reward you with better assignments in the future. And, of course, they will be more interested in keeping you as full time employee when and if the opportunity arises.