Bridge Insights

Is a Temp-To-Hire Job Right for Me?

Mar 27, 2020

When making your next career move, it is important to consider the responsibilities, culture, and future opportunities a new job can offer. One component you may have overlooked when envisioning your next job is the format of the role.

Job format encompasses things like full-time and part-time work as well as your status as a temporary or permanent employee; along this employment spectrum lie temp-to-hire roles. There are a lot of misconceptions about temp-to-hire employment, and these often lead job seekers to turn down great career opportunities. You may be surprised to learn that temp-to-hire employment has many benefits and may actually be the best option for your next career move.

So, is temp-to-hire right for you? Let’s find out:

What Exactly Is Temp-To-Hire?

Temp-to-hire is a working agreement in which a candidate is initially hired temporarily with the possibility of becoming a permanent employee upon assignment completion.  The key word here is “possibility”; during the temporary assignment period, employers will evaluate your performance, cultural fit, your overall satisfaction level, and a few other things before extending a permanent job offer.

You wouldn’t buy a car without test driving it! Temp-to-hire employment can help you feel confident you are making the right decision.

The Pros

Your job impacts the quality of your life, and it is important to feel confident that you are making the right decision. Temp-to-hire roles are a great way to give jobseekers some hands-on experience working in a role before committing to a job.

Temp-to-hire roles give you as the job seeker the opportunity to learn about the company and gain valuable first-hand experience in a position; temp-to-hire positions allow job seekers to “try before they buy” and experience the day-to-day workflow of a position before fully committing to the job. Even if a temp-to-hire position doesn’t turn in to a permanent role, job seekers can still benefit from the work experience gained.

In addition to serving as a resume booster, temporary employment can help you acquire new skills, learn about an industry and/or position, and network with individuals who can help further your career.

Temp-to-hire job opportunities sometimes get a bad rap because they are viewed as less stable than permanent employment, but the reality is if you work in an at-will state that safety net is pretty much the same regardless of job status.

The Cons

Even though temp-to-hire roles do tout a lot of benefits, they are not for everyone. It is important to know that while you are on assignment as a temporary employee you will most likely not be eligible for that company’s benefits. This is because while on assignment, you are an employee of the employment agency that placed you.

But that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck when on assignment! There are plenty of employee benefit options that are specifically tailored for temp-to-hire and contingent employment.

Other considerations are things like paid time off, sick days, 401K, and national holidays; because you are technically not an employee of the business, the “perks” you are eligible for will be different from your colleagues who are permanent employees. For this reason, it is important to ask questions to make sure you understand what those differences are and how they will change once you are offered permanent employment.

When comparing this against a direct-hire position, it is important to keep in mind that most companies have a “probational period” (usually for about 90-120 days) before a direct-hire employee is eligible for benefits, so being unable to participate in employee benefits may be a non-issue for you.

Every company has different policies on employee benefit eligibility, so it is important to be educated on the differences, and if/how they will change as your employment status changes.

Conclusion

Temp-to-hire employment is the ideal arrangement for a wide variety of hiring scenarios. The temporary working period that this format allows is mutually beneficial for companies and employees.

Just in the same way you wouldn’t buy a car without test driving it, temp-to-hire employment can help you feel confident you are making the right decision. Even though temp-to-hire employment comes with its fair share of benefits, only you know your current situation, and it is important to consider the pros as well as the cons when deciding if temp-to-hire employment is right for you.