Six Questions to Ask Yourself to Determine if a Temp Job is Right for You

Are you unemployed or a student? Do you need to supplement a freelance-writing or art career? Or maybe you're retired but still want to do something and earn a little money. A temp agency, such as Manpower, may be just what the career counselor ordered. But first, see if a temp job is for you.

1. Are you a quick learner? Although you don't have to be an IT specialist, you do need to be computer savvy as far as the basics go. Almost every temp job requires some work on the PC. You will be shown what to do, but you do need to be able to pick it up pretty quickly. After all, you are usually covering a position for only days or weeks, and the company can't spend half of it trying to teach you how to use a computer.

2. Do you like different working environments? If you can adjust to every kind of office environment--from casual to very professional--then you should work out. At one job you can wear jeans; at another you may need a suit to blend in.

3. Do you like having a lot of vacation time? Because you will certainly get it when you work for a temp agency. And it won't be paid vacation time. Sometimes you will work for several weeks in a row, and other times you may not get an assignment for several weeks. You need to have other income to supplement what you get from a temp agency.

4. Do you have your own health insurance? Temp agencies, except for special kinds of long-term relationships, do not provide adequate health insurance, so don't expect to get any. You need to have health insurance from another source.

5. Can you bond quickly and sever professional relationships just as quickly? You must be able to get along well with your boss and/or colleagues in your assigned company, follow directions, take your work seriously--even if you're there for only one day--and stay away from office gossip. And then, as soon as you get to like people at the job, it ends and you need to be able to disassociate yourself from the staff. That is often the hardest part of the temp job.

6. Can you occupy yourself if you have extra time on your hands? Sometimes you don't get enough to keep you busy at a temp job and you must be creative to keep yourself from getting bored or falling asleep. By the way, I'm writing this article during one of my best temp jobs. (Always ask if you can use the PC for personal reasons if you finish your work.)