If you've recently filed for unemployment insurance, you know that the clock is ticking on finding a new job. Fortunately, temporary employment services can throw you the lifeline you need to find permanent employment.

Catalog Your Skills

One of the first steps an employment placement service is likely to take is to help their clients take advantage of all the skills they possess.

Hobbies: Not all skills are acquired and honed in a formal setting. Whether you like cooking on the weekends, tinkering in your garage with small engines, or sewing gifts for your friends, your hobbies utilize skills that can help your job placement specialist find you temporary employment. Once placed in a temporary employment position that utilizes a hobby-based skill, you might find that you enjoy the work and have an aptitude for the position, which might turn into a new career.

Work Adjacent: Although your employment history is a good place to start with your job placement specialist, adjacent work-related experience can be harder to pinpoint. For instance, if you managed a restaurant, your work experience extends beyond simple management. Your job placement specialist can coax out all of the adjacent skills you learned from each of your jobs. After all, doesn't managing a restaurant require hiring, firing, managing payroll, placing orders, etc.?

Getting a Taste

Temporary employment can sometimes feel like sampling jobs like you might hors d'oeurves at a party. Getting a sample with many companies, even for similar positions, can put you on the path to finding a permanent position.

Shadowing: One of the easiest ways to quickly get new experience with multiple employers is to set up shadowing opportunities. These shadowing appointments can be a cross between a job orientation and job training session. Both you and your potential employer can get a sense of how compatible you might be.

Weekly Contract: Some temporary employment service providers looked to set their clients up with one-week contracts. These short contracts can liberate both you and your potential employer from feeling like you need to make a more long-term decision too quickly. Before signing a one-week contract, make sure you clearly understand the compensation scheme, the payout date, and any apparel requirements the job might have. If, after a few days on the job, you think the job might hold some potential for the future, you should approach your temporary employment service provider about extending your placement.