Page Personnel Belgium Logo

Language

  • Nederlands
  • English
  • Français

Main menu

  • Home
  • Candidates+

    Searching for a job?

    • Searching for a job?
    • Job search
    • Submit your CV
    • Find a Job through Mypage
    • Join PageGroup
    • Join our Shared Services Centre

    How can we help to drive your career

    • How can we help to drive your career
    • Career Advice

    Search for jobs

  • Employers+

    Looking to hire?

    • Looking to hire?
    • What set us apart?
    • How we work
    • Management advice

    Our expertise

    • Our expertise
    • Accounting & Finance
    • Banking & Financial Services
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Marketing & Communication
    • Procurement & Supply Chain
    • Sales Administration
    • Sales
    • Secretarial & Business Support
  • Temp+

    Temporary solutions

    • Temporary solutions
    • For candidates
    • For employers
  • Insights & Advice+

    Career Advice

    • Career Advice
    • Job search advice
    • CV and cover letter
    • Interview tips
    • Growing your career
    • Work-life balance

    News & Insights

    • News & Insights
    • Market updates
    • Studies
    • Media releases

    Management advice

    • Management advice
    • Attraction and recruitment
    • Development and retention
    • Induction and engagement
  • About us+

    About us

    • About us
    • Michael Page
    • Page Executive
    • About Page Group
    • Top Employer 2021
    • Discover our Barcelona Shared Services Centre 

    Join PageGroup

    • Join PageGroup
  • Contact+

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Looking to hire?
    • Our best candidates on your inbox
    • Submit your CV
    • Feedback
My account
Saved jobs (0)

Language

  • Nederlands
  • English
  • Français
Saved jobs (0)
My account
My account
Search for a job

You are here

Home>Advice>Career Advice>Growing your career>Office etiquette for temporary workers

Office etiquette for temporary workers

It’s your first assignment, but you’re a temp – so that means planning your next move. If you put yourself in an unassailable position you’ll have an edge when you decide to move on. So, how do you secure your place in company history as ‘the temp that got away’?

“First impressions count for double when you’re a temp, because you have less time to convince your manager and colleagues of your worth than when you have a permanent contract,” says Olvier Dufour, Executive Director of Page Personnel Belgium. “It’s why I’m very surprised that temp jobs are sometimes still perceived as ‘less’ than permanent ones. I would say it’s exactly the opposite: as a temp worker you need to be extremely skilled. Rather than an admission of weakness, it’s a sign of professional strength to take on a temp job – because not everybody is up for it.”

So, what do you need to do to leave an impeccable first impression as a temp? These are four key steps.

1. Finely tune your technical skills

First things first, you need to have your technical skills finely tuned, especially those ubiquitous software packages. Word, Excel and PowerPoint are the holy trinity of office applications and you should be an expert at cutting and pasting, Excel formulae and PowerPoint fades.

2. Don’t neglect your soft skills

Soft skills are key for temp workers, with the ability to multi-task and deal with internal and external customers topping the wish list of many employers. As a temp worker you need to walk a fine line between being assertive and becoming too dominant. “If you talk too much, people will find you presumptuous, but if you don’t say anything they will see you as being timid,” says Olivier Dufour.

3. Build your reputation

Once your feet are under the table and you’ve impressed everyone with your efficiency and diplomacy, there are a number of ways you can build your reputation even further.

  • Ask questions to prove your enthusiasm
  • Seek out extra assignments
  • Exceed the expectations of your colleagues
  • Get to know staff in other departments
  • Make sure your supervisor has a copy of your CV

4. Stay positive

Above all, you should remember to stay positive. If your co-workers refer to you as ‘the temp’ when you’re in earshot, don’t let it demoralise you. An upbeat demeanour and grace under pressure will earn the respect of those around you, ensure you have a good overall experience and may even secure you a permanent position – if that’s what you’re after.

Browse our live jobs and find you first temporary position today.

 
Previous article
4 steps for managing your manager
Read article
Next article
4 common interview questions for temps
Read article
Looking for a new opportunity?

Sign up to receive job alerts

We will let you know when any new !keyword jobs are available. | We will let you know when any new !keyword jobs in !location are available.

Topics

  • Career Advice
  • Management Advice
  • Market updates

Popular Articles

Popular articles

  • Tough interview questions and how to answer them
  • The evolution of the modern secretary
  • 10 questions for work/life reflection
  • How to optimize your CV so it stands out
  • A pleasant working environment is worth more than a high salary
  • How to negotiate your salary

Tags

Career path
Interim
Temp
Page Personnel Belgium Logo
  • Follow us on FacebookFollow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on LinkedInFollow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on TwitterFollow us on Twitter

Useful information

  • Site map
  • Recruitment Terms and Conditions
  • Accessibility
  • Cookie policy
  • Privacy policy
  • Country
  • Our response to COVID-19


   

 

Our Expertise

  • Accounting & Finance
  • Banking & Financial Services
  • Customer Service
  • Engineering & Manufacturing
  • Human Resources
  • Insurance
  • Logistics
  • Marketing & Agency
  • Procurement & Supply Chain
  • Retail
  • Sales
  • Secretarial & Business Support

Employer Centre

  • Submit a job
  • Our best candidates in your inbox

About Page Personnel

  • Corporate website
  • Investors site

© Page Personnel (2020)