That title is a good question. Why would a qualified, experienced job seeker take a temporary job when her long term goal is a full time, regular, years-long job?

Here are just a few of the reasons we’ve seen play out in our candidates’ and employees’ lives recently:

“I’d rather be working than not working.”
Many jobseekers simply decide it is better to be working than not working. You can work short term, temporary assignments while maintaining your unemployment status and benefits. Meanwhile, you will have income, and a resume that makes clear that you’ve been working, growing and learning throughout your job transition.

“I’ll update my skills and keep my resume current.”
Our industry is changing, and quickly. Just look at the new TRID regulations for an example of the current learning curve. Temporary positions offer you a way to update your skills and stay both current and marketable while you search for that long term opportunity. A temporary job may even turn into that perfect long term position. It often does, for many of our employees.

“Working is the best way to ride out the industry’s hiring cycle.”
Traditionally, hiring in the real estate industry slows in November and then picks up again toward the end of February. Working temporary positions during the industry slowdown gives you the chance to show managers what you can do, which may well make you the selected candidate for new long term positions that open in Spring.

“I’ll work while these long term hiring processes drag on.”
he hiring process for long term positions often takes three weeks to come to a conclusion.

That’s multiple interviews, heavy competition and days or sometimes weeks waiting on background checks, reference calls and employment verification. After all of that waiting, if you aren’t chosen for the position, you are back to square one, sending off resumes in response to ads.

Because companies in our industry open temporary positions when they need a team member right away, the hiring process moves much more quickly, and candidates are often working within a few days, gaining news skills, experience, and a paycheck while they wait to hear about the long term opportunities for which they have applied.

“All I need is a foot in the door.”
Why not network while getting paid?

When you accept temporary positions in your specialized industry, you accept the opportunity to meet managers and colleagues in your specialized industry, all while getting paid. Each temporary assignment is a chance to meet and impress industry managers you might not have met otherwise – and to develop your “soft skills” as you successfully adapt to the culture and expectations of different companies and teams.

“I’ll kill two birds with one stone, and meet a recruiter while I earn a paycheck.”
Most of our employees come to us through a referral – a co-worker, a colleague, a former boss or a fellow member of an escrow association who recommends A Team.

We like helping title, escrow and mortgage professionals find and land good jobs, and we like connecting people in the industry. Getting on our radar screen and showing us what they can do as motivated professionals has led to that perfect long term job for many jobseekers.