“I can’t work in a contract position because it looks bad on my resume”

“Temporary jobs look like I’m bouncing around and that’s a huge red flag”

“I’d rather have nothing on my resume than include temporary positions”

“I’m not interested in working in a temporary role. I’d rather just stay at home and look for my next full-time job.”

If I have heard these statements once, I have heard them a thousand times!

Here is the unfortunate fact: the misunderstanding that temp work on a resume “looks bad” prevents many highly skilled people from taking advantage of new opportunities as they come along.

Your job search is enhanced by temp roles.  In fact, 1/3rd of all the contract positions that I have worked on in my recruitment career resulted in a full-time/permanent position.  And many contract jobs are temp-to-hire jobs…  an excellent way to secure permanent employment.

Controversial opinion… career gaps have a more negative impact than temp experiences do on your hireability.

You don’t want to say “no” to opportunities that could expose you to new technologies, new workplaces, new skills, and result in money in your pocket, do you?

Not convinced?

Here are some benefits of temporary employment:

• It can be the best way to fill your work gaps when looking for a new job.
• You can gain valuable experience in new work environments and develop new job skills
• You earn some extra money when you are otherwise unemployed
• Contracts can be flexible or part-time work allowing you to put lots of energy into your permanent job search
• You can gain new insight into jobs that you didn’t know existed and can adjust your career path in accordance with what you learn!

Attention Job Seekers! You are asking the wrong question about temp work!

It is not “Hannah, doesn’t temp work make me look bad?” 

The question is actually “Hannah, how do I add my temporary role to my resume so that it improves my credibility and helps me get a job with a potential employer?”

It’s a mouthful! But asking that question will help you with the mindset to write a great resume.

So let’s get into it!

How to list temp work on your resume

There are some basic formatting elements that can help you list contract work in the best possible light.

Here are some things to AVOID:

• Omitting relevant experience because they were short-term jobs and not permanent jobs
• Leaving large gaps in your career timeline
• Unclear dates of employment causing the prospective employers confusion and questioning your credibility

On the other hand…

Here are some things to INCLUDE:

• Use the format that best represents the number of roles and duration of the contracts that you held (see the two excellent formats below)
• Be honest about the work that you did.  Imagine that you are writing a short job description for the kind of work that you completed on your temporary assignments.  Be brief, but specific!
• Include any extensions that you received for your temporary roles

So let’s get to the details!

Use one of these two formats to list your temp work

There are two different ways to demonstrate contract experiences on your resume.  One for when you have many short-term contracts (less than 2 months each) through one recruitment agency. And one for longer contracts found on your own or for roles through a variety different firms.

Format 1: Contracts through One Recruitment Firm

Recruitment firms are incredible to help you fill employment gaps and expose you to a wide variety of experiences within your field.  They will support you with getting  positions at their client companies.  Not only does this get you a pay-cheque!  It also connects you to professionals in your field and vastly improves your professional network. 

Trust me, this becomes very valuable when looking for a full time job! 

And while some recruiters are better than others, the best ones will try to get you many contract gigs one after the other (especially if you do a great job with their clients).

This resume format is useful for any roles acquired through one recruitment firm and can be used for any length of temp assignment.

Include the following:

• Agency name
• The company name that you were assigned to
• Beginning and end dates of your contracts (I’d recommend month and year)
• Tasks and achievements at each temp role

Here is an example:

Agency A (January 2022 – September 2022)

Company Z (Contract: August – September)

Job Title

• List the main duties that you completed here and length of assignment (i.e. 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years etc.)
• List achievements (with as many hard facts and numbers) here
• Discuss any supervisor feedback or extensions (if provided) here

Company Y (Contract: June – August)

Job Title

• List tasks that you completed here and length of assignment (i.e. 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years etc.)
• List achievements (with as many hard facts and numbers) here
• Discuss any supervisor feedback or extensions (if provided) here

Company X (Contract: January – June)

Job Title

• List tasks that you completed here and length of assignment (i.e. 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years etc.)
• List achievements (with as many hard facts and numbers) here
• Discuss any supervisor feedback or extensions (if provided) here

Keep the description of each contract short and simple!  If the positions were very similar, the reader will glance at each of the positions rather than looking at it in great detail.

Also remember to keep all the contracts in chronological order with the most recent role at the top of the resume.  In this example I included the year that I worked with the agency (2022) in the first line so that I did not need to include the year in the following line with the specific work placement company.

Format 2: Long-Term Contracts

If you have only completed temp gigs that are 2+ months or have worked with multiple agencies, formatting them on your resume is EASY.  Since many long-term contracts are found outside of the help of a recruitment firm, you don’t need to get specific about if you worked with an agency.

Keep it simple, and list it like you would any other job!  The only difference is to make sure you indicate that the role was a contract engagement.

Just like in Format 1, you need to make sure you include some key points:

• Names of the company you worked for
• Name of the specific project if there was one
• Beginning and end dates of your contract (I’d recommend month and year)
• Tasks and achievements at each long-term temporary position

Here is an example:

Company Q (Contract: May 2021 – September 2022)

Job Title

• List tasks that you completed here and length of assignment (i.e. 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years etc.)
• List achievements (with as many hard facts and numbers) here
• Discuss any supervisor feedback or extensions (if provided) here

Company P (Full-Time Position: January 2017 – April 2021)

Job Title

• List tasks that you completed here and length of assignment (i.e. 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years etc.)
• List achievements (with as many hard facts and numbers) here
• Discuss supervisor feedback here

Company O (Contract: November 2016 – January 2017)

Job Title

• List tasks that you completed here and length of assignment (i.e. 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years etc.)
• List achievements (with as many hard facts and numbers) here
• Discuss any supervisor feedback or extensions (if provided) here

*Important Note*

Include a more detailed description for any role that you held for longer than 3 months.  It doesn’t matter if it was contract of permanent!  You need to communicate the tasks that you completed and the value that you brought to the company that you worked with. 

General Tips for Resumes

Did you know that your resume is a marketing document??  The good news is, you can check out this article here.

To wrap up, here are some quick tips to help ensure that your resume gets you the attention that you deserve!

• Keep your resume in chronological order
• Use bullet points
• Ask yourself, “what will the hiring manager want to know about my experience?” and then include that on your resume
• Don’t undervalue your experience.  If you undervalue your skills, then so will the hiring manager

Do you have any other tips for listing contract work on your resume?  If so, comment below or use our contact us page to reach out!  I’d love to include your tips for other job seekers.