A while back, I interviewed a former client of mine in his mid-20s, who is now in a job he loves for a great employer.

I asked him what advice he would give to someone who has  just graduated and is trying to figure out what job would be a good fit for them.

One of his main recommendations was to use temp jobs as a way to get a clearer sense of the types of jobs and  employers  that would work best for them.

They are also a great way to develop practical skills, industry  specific knowledge, and how to work in a professional environment.

The value of temping came up in a recent interview I did with  Dave Vasconcelos of ProSearch,  a recruiting and staffing agency in Portland, Maine.

One of my questions in our interview was whether new grads would be appropriate for a firm like his.

I asked because I was thinking about the recruiting arm of the firm and how recruiting firms usually focus on higher level positions rather than entry level roles.

To this point, in the article, Should I Use a Recruiter In My Job Search, Biron Clark says the following under the heading of “Who recruiters can help least in their job search”

You’re an entry level job seeker. Most recruiters can’t help you. There are a few exceptions, like college campus recruiters who specialize in entry level jobs. But most companies won’t pay recruiting agencies to fill entry level jobs because they can find enough people on their own. (Remember, employers pay a 15-25% fee if they hire someone through a recruiter, so they have to decide if it’s worth it for each job!)

In his answer, Dave talked about the staffing arm of the firm, which….as all staffing agencies do…helps employers fill temporary positions, including temp to hire.

I excerpted this segment from the full interview because I loved how he framed the concept of temp work and its value to a young person wanting to gain professional experience that will help them land a great job.

He noted how temporary jobs are like internships, which employers place a high value on when scanning new grad’s resumes.

In this 5:38 minute clip, he talks about viewing temp work this way and, near the end, adds a bonus bit of advice for people who want to position themselves for a promotion.

BTW…the full interview, which is incredibly informative, will be in a future post.