How to Include Temp Jobs on Your Resume
Posted July 26, 2013
When you’re putting together your resume, you need to figure out how to include any temporary jobs you might have had. And if you’ve had several, this might be tricky—you don’t want to look like a job hopper or present so much information that your resume looks cluttered.
Do you list the agency that placed you, the name of the company at which you worked—or both? Do you have to mention that the work was temporary or project-based? Your goal is to list these experiences while keeping your resume easy to read.
Here are some writing and formatting tips to help you pull it all together.
If you’ve worked several jobs for one agency:
Use the name of the staffing agency where you’d normally list the company you worked for, and list the corresponding dates of employment.
Summarize how many assignments you completed, in what areas or industries, and for how long in each.
List the clients you worked for, especially if any of them are industry leaders, well known in your area, or relevant to the company to which you’re applying. Include any important duties or accomplishments.
For example:
Agency Name – Location (Full Date Range)
Your Title, Company Name
Short overview of your responsibilities…
• Achievement
• Achievement
Your Title, Company Name
Short overview of your responsibilities…
• Achievement
• Achievement
If your placements were more long-term or highly relevant to your job search:
Take an approach that highlights the company at which you worked (and less so the agency). Here is how that could look:
Title, Company Name (via Agency Name) (Dates)
Short overview of your responsibilities…
• Achievement
• Achievement
Some people suggest not even naming the staffing firm or temporary agency in certain scenarios, but if you don’t, you can look dishonest. What if a potential employer calls the HR department of a company you worked for as a temp? Even if you were there for a month, they might not know who you are. Or they’ll tell the employer the truth about your situation.
Regardless of how you list temporary placements or project-based work on your resume, your number one priority is to make sure it’s clear, easy to digest and sells your skills and experience.
Temp experience on a resume should show that you are can thrive in multiple corporate environments or succeed at a wide range of projects. If you’re interested in beefing up your resume—or your bank account—with a great temp job in the Southeast, just contact Team Ambassador!