Should I take a temporary job to cover an employment gap?
Posted over 3 years ago by Ellie Tibbs
If we told you the volume of permanent applications has substantially increased in recent months, you wouldn’t be surprised, but what if we told you about the temporary side.
Though we have seen an increase in the volume of applicants for temporary and freelance roles, this is a much most modest increase compared to what we have seen in permanent recruitment.
Rightly so, if in a difficult financial position or looking to get out of an unsatisfactory job you are likely to be searching for a permanent solution, desperate to get out of your current situation and not fall into a hole of continuous job searching.
Whilst this is a positive mindset to have in the long-term, during the immediate period you are likely to be at a loss as unemployment chips away at your finances and continual job rejections tip you over the edge.
To help bridge this gap, have you considered taking on a temporary or freelance role to cover you during the short-term whilst you search for the long-term?
Should I take a temporary job to cover an employment gap?
Although we can promote the benefits of freelancing on a temporary basis, it is arguably a biased perception - of course we think this is a great route to take if you are in a career rut, but you may not entirely believe us. This is why we reached out to two of our freelance candidates to get their thoughts.
Marketing & Communications Officer
“Freelancing was the perfect solution for me when I was in between jobs. I had just bought my first property when two weeks later I was made redundant, so I really needed some income fast but at the same time I wasn’t sure what role I wanted to go into. Freelancing gave me the opportunity to explore what areas of marketing I really enjoyed whilst also being paid, giving me the peace of mind that my new property that I had worked so hard for would be safe. I was lucky to eventually gain a permanent role with the company I freelanced at as the employer was not only happy with my work but they too got to see if I was a right fit for them.
Using a recruiter like Pitch to begin my freelance journey provided quite a few perks. As I went through a recommended umbrella company, all my tax and national insurance was sorted easily - removing any hassle for myself.
Creative Artworker/Designer
My experience of freelancing has always been a great one. It allows individuals to see how lots of agencies work and gives you great exposure to lots of talented designers. Whilst freelancing I was offered multiple full time roles and freelancing allowed me to see if that agency was the right fit for what I was wanting before signing a contract. It is also ideal for the agencies to find candidates for jobs they have.
After freelancing for some time I did take a role at one of Birmingham's top agencies due to enjoying it there so much and getting the opportunity to work on so many great clients. This was after a freelance placement set up by Pitch.
If you are interested in taking the freelance route to cover a gap, feel free to reach out to our freelance and temporary team for more information about what options are available to you.
