A spell of temping on a resume used to be a red flag to prospective employers. “When the word ‘temp’ came up, people would react with ‘That’s for losers,’ or ‘That’s for people who can’t get a real job’,” notes Jackie Ducci, CEO of Manhattan-based recruiters Ducci & Associates and author of an insightful new book, Almost Hired: What’s Really Standing Between You and the Job You Want.

Those days are gone. “I often recommend temping, especially for new grads who haven’t quite figured out yet what they want to do,” Ducci says. “It can also be a great idea for people who want to explore new careers. Working as a temp in a field that interests you gives you a chance to ‘try before you buy.’”

Meanwhile, employers struggling to find enough available talent are more willing these days to consider hiring current or former temps for permanent full-time openings. A few months ago, when finance staffing company Accountemps surveyed almost 3,000 senior managers across a wide range of industries, nearly three-quarters (71%) said they now see even candidates with long histories of temporary work as comparable to those who worked in full-time jobs.

Not only that, but the same report says 53% more employers than two years ago are using temps to fill in for a while on specific projects, or as stopgaps until the right full-time candidate comes along.

The right full-time candidate just might be you. Let’s say you’re filling in for a new mom who’s out on maternity leave, and she decides not to come back. If you’ve done a great job standing in for her, that permanent job might be yours for the asking. “I’ve seen plenty of companies who never really planned on hiring through a temp agency wind up so pleased with their interim hire that they offer that person a job,” says Ducci. “Why go conduct a full search if they have a perfectly capable person, who knows the job and wants to be there, already sitting in the seat?”

It’s relatively easy to stand out as a star when you’re temping, Ducci notes in Almost Hired. “Unlike headhunters and recruiters, temp agencies will tend to represent pretty much anyone remotely qualified who submits a resume. They have tons of hours they need to cover each week, and it’s hard to find enough reliable people.” Assuming you’re not only dependable but “presentable and professional, with skills to bring to the table,” she adds, you’ll probably be in demand and working steadily.

For new grads and late bloomers who haven’t yet chosen a career path, spending a few months here, a few weeks there, and a few days somewhere else is a chance to get to know lots of different businesses, people, and workplace cultures. “Every experience will help you figure out what you want in your ideal position and employer,” Ducci says.

That can prevent some costly mistakes. Suppose, for instance, you’ve just earned a four-year degree and , before heading off to law school, you opt to sign on with an agency that specializes in providing temps to law firms. What better way to get a close-up look at the nitty-gritty of how attorneys actually spend their days? You may love it, and get even more charged up about joining the profession than you already were. Then again, you may realize that practicing law would make you miserable. In that case, you’ve just saved yourself three fairly grueling years of school (and possibly a fresh pile of student debt), and the hassle of looking for a whole different line of work later on.

The only real risk of temping for more than a few months is that you might someday run into one of those hiring managers —29%, according to the Accountemps poll— who still look askance at job candidates who’ve hopped around from one company to another. “If an interviewer asks you why you haven’t ‘settled down’ in one place, you can honestly say that you did, by working for the same temp agency for however long it was,” Ducci points out. “The agency is, or was, your actual employer —not its short-term clients.”

Then, she suggests, explain why you liked working for that agency (if in fact you did), and talk a bit about “how the overall experience helped you figure out your next career move —and how it made you a great fit for this job that you’re interviewing for right now.” Sweet.

对于以前的用人单位而言，简历上出现临时工的字样就像是发出了一个危险信号。位于曼哈顿的猎头公司Ducci & Associates的首席执行官杰基·杜奇说：“看到‘临时工’这个词，人们往往会觉得‘失败者才会做这种工作’或‘无法找到一个真正工作的人才会做这种工作’。”杜奇还著有《差点被聘用：你和心仪的工作之间差了点什么》（Almost Hired: What’s Really Standing Between You and the Job You Want）。

今时不同往日。“我经常推荐人们做做临时工，尤其是那些还不太确定自己到底想干什么的应届毕业生。”杜奇说，“对于那些想试试新岗位的人而言，这也是个好办法。在感兴趣的领域做做临时工，让你能有机会‘先试后买’。”

与此同时，招聘者在苦苦寻找对口人才的过程中，如今也更愿意考虑聘用临时工或以前曾经做过临时工的求职者来填补长期岗位的空缺。几个月前，金融人力资源公司Accountemps对多个行业近3000名高级经理进行了调查，其中近四分之三（71%）的受访者表示，现在他们发现，即便求职者长期从事临时工作，他们的能力与长期从事全职工作的竞争对手也不相上下。

不仅如此，该报告还指出，愿意用临时雇员暂时填补特定项目职位空缺或者在合适的全职候选人出现之前临时填补职位空缺的雇主比两年前增加了53%。

这个合适的全职候选人可能就是你。假设你正在顶替一位正在休产假的员工，而她决定不回来上班了。如果你在这个岗位上表现出色，那么这份工作可能就是你的了。“我知道有很多公司，他们之前从没有想过要通过临时工服务中介招聘，最后却对招到的临时雇员十分满意，进而提供了一份长期工作。”杜奇说，“如果有一个完全能够胜任、熟悉这份工作而且想要这份工作的人已经坐在这个位置上了，何必还要去苦苦寻觅其他人呢？”

杜奇在《差点被聘用》一书中指出，临时工更容易脱颖而出。“与猎头和招聘人员不同的是，临时工中介机构往往会代理几乎所有有资格提交简历的人。他们每周都要工作很长时间，仍然难以找到足够可靠的求职者。”她补充道，如果你不仅可靠，而且“得体、专业、有能够拿上台面的技能”，很可能会成为炙手可热的人选，能够稳定获得工作机会。

对于应届毕业生和尚未选定职业道路的晚熟者来说，在这待上几个月，在那待上几周，再在其他地方待上几天，是一个了解不同行业、不同人群和企业文化的机会。杜奇说：“每一次经历都能帮助你理清你理想中的工作和雇主是什么样的。”

这样做可以避免犯一些代价高昂的错误。比如说，假设你刚刚本科毕业，在去法学院深造之前，你选择和一家专门为律师事务所提供临时工的中介机构签约。还有什么更好的方法能像这样近距离地了解律师们日常工作生活的真相呢？你可能会喜欢，对加入这个你已经置身其中的行业感到更加激动。然而，你也可能会意识到当律师会让你觉得很痛苦。如果是后者，这样你就已经省下了三年相当艰辛的读书生活（也可能还有一笔新的学生贷款），还省下了日后找一份和专业完全不同的工作的麻烦。

长期打临时工唯一真正存在的风险是，有一天你可能会遇到这样一些招聘经理——Accountemps的调查显示，29%的招聘经理仍然对不断跳槽的求职者持有怀疑态度。“如果面试官问你为什么还没有在一个地方‘安定下来’，你可以诚实地说你已经安定下来了，因为你已经为同一家临时工招聘中介机构工作了很长时间。”杜奇指出，“你的真正雇主是（或者曾经是）这家临时工中介机构，而不是它的短期客户。”

她建议，你可以接着解释一下你为什么喜欢为这家中介机构工作（如果你真喜欢的话），并谈谈“你积累的经验如何帮助你决定下一步的职业发展，以及如何让你成为现在正在面试的这份工作的合适人选。”（财富中文网）

译者：Agatha