Your work for the PACE Staffing Network or any other  temporary or contract staffing company can be very important to your future job search, demonstrating your work ethic (when in between jobs) plus showcasing specific skills and work qualities that you have developed while working on an  interim basis.

Here are some rules of thumb on how to include your time as a “temp”
or “contractor” on your resume…

1. Always indicate on your resume the time you spent working as a temporary or contract worker.   Most interviewers pay attention to “gaps” in your employment and will want to know what you did while in between jobs.  If you operated as a temporary or contract worker in between jobs, state that fact clearly.  It will almost always work in your favor and will avoid being eliminated as a job candidate for “failure to disclose.”

2. List PACE’s name or the name of the staffing firm who placed you on the assignment, as your employer. Include the length of time you worked for us in total, even if you elect to list each assignment separately.

3. It’s your decision if you want to list each temp assignment separately while describing your work at PACE or just describe an overview of all your temp / contract assignments with PACE.

a. Listing each assignment separately has the benefit of demonstrating your versatility, flexibility, and ability to learn and handle different types of work requirements. Just remember if there are too many assignments to list without detracting from your work history that you want to feature, you can summarize your work as a temporary or contract employee with an overview description:

b. If you elect to list each assignment, don’t leave any assignment off your list. We’ve personally seen situations where one of our temporary employees being considered for direct hire either was not offered a job or had a job offer rescinded because they failed to disclose specific temporary assignments.

c. The other option is to describe in general terms the variety of assignments you did while you were our temporary employee.

For example: “I worked on a variety of short term (1-2 month) assignments in the healthcare field including customer service, administrative support, and project management.  I received positive reviews of my performance on each assignment.  A list of specific assignments I accepted and completed will be provided upon request.”

d. If you worked for us on one or two longer term assignments, we think it’s preferable to list each assignment separately. Describe the work you performed, the goals you achieved, and the ways in which your work contributed to the organization’s outcomes.  You will want to feature your level of commitment to each assignment and what you and/or your team accomplished.

4. During your interview, be prepared to explain how your work on temporary assignments contributed to your development as an employee and prepared you for the jobs you are applying for now. For example, “I needed to learn the details of this job in 3 days so that I could get on the floor quickly to help customers.  The training program for this job was normally 3-4 weeks, so the entire team had to get up to speed very quickly.”

Summary / Overview

While working for PACE, how you handle your temporary assignments on your resume is up to you.  We believe your time working as a temporary or contract employee will always speak well of you as an employee.

How you describe your employment as a temporary or contract worker depends on how long you worked in each of your interim roles, and how relevant that specific work experience is to the type of job you are seeking now.

NEVER OMIT information on your resume or application that will be revealed by an employer who is checking your background or employment history.  IOW, if you elect to list your temporary/contract assignments,  make sure you list them all, even those that didn’t work out as planned.   

This article was written by Jeanne Knutzen, the owner, President, and founder of the PACE Staffing Network, an award winning staffing agency in the Greater Seattle area for over 35 years.   If you are looking for temporary or permanent job placement, register with PACE by Clicking Here.

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