The days of studying, getting a job in your area of study and working in the same company until you retire, are long gone. In fact, these days, staying in the same job for too long can actually harm your career's progress, not to mention your own development and self-esteem.
The fact is the working world is changing fast. More and more companies are downsizing their core permanent staff, and are filling the gaps with temporary employees. For these companies, it makes financial sense to do this. Research shows that in the US, one in four workers is a temporary worker, and in the UK, 40% of the total workforce is made up of temporary workers. In this new job climate, flexible staffing or flexstaffing is becoming a better work option for a lot of young people. It basically entails signing up with a flexstaffing agency that will find short stints of work for you, in a variety of organisations.
Some people may say that temporary employment isn't stable and doesn't add much to your CV. This couldn't be further from the truth. 78% of human resources executives (the people in a company who do the hiring) say that they consider a long stretch of consistent temporary work as valuable as full-time, permanent work. Also, if you sign up with an established, respected agency, stability won't be a problem and you will have access to similar benefits as a permanent worker.
When you join up with an agency, essentially the agency becomes your employer, and not the company that they place you in. A good agency will look after you by constantly providing work, giving you access to medical aid, provident funds and insurance. However, you should always research an agency and their credentials before signing up with them. Louise Brouard of Quest Flexible Staffing Solutions gives some advice on choosing and agency: "Look at how long the agency has been running for, how many people are on the agency's books, which industries they place flexstaffers in and whether you want to work in those industries. Most importantly, look at their approach and philosophy, and how they can assist you in building your career."
So, what else is in it for you if you chose the flexible route? Flexstaffing can be useful if you don't want to commit to a certain career path yet, and want to explore different industries and different kinds of work. It will provide you with a constant flow of diverse work experiences while you make your decision, removing the financial strain that comes with job hunting. Alternatively, if you know where you want to work, but can't get a permanent position there, working as a flexstaffer can give you a foot in the door, offering you a chance to prove yourself. Flexstaffing can also contribute to the range of skills you can put on your CV, giving you real, hands-on training and experience in a variety of fields, turning you into a sought-after employee. "We've also found that a lot of our flexstaffers enjoy the business and social networking side of temporary work. They meet people they ordinarily wouldn't meet and have the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals at every placement. Experiences like these will really help if they ever want to start their own business," explains Brouard.
Good agencies will also provide you with opportunities to improve your own skills and job performance, through either formal training and / or workplace learning, or a combination of both. This will not only ensure your on-going job performance but, can also result in the building of credits towards a national, industry recognised qualification which will ultimately allow you to achieve the full qualification which in turn, will increase your own marketability. You'll be assessed in the workplace and have to collect evidence to prove your competence in order to achieve this portable qualification. The government also assists subsidises this process, making it available to most flex staff who were never able to afford tertiary education previously. And it all happens while you're working.
As corny as it sounds, you earn while you learn. Colette Atkinson, head of the Quest Learning Institute, an institute that carries out hundreds of learnerships and similar interventions every year, explains: "All agencies should be assisting their flexstaff in completing learnerships and attaining a formal qualification. It's part of the agency's responsibility to do their bit for skills development in our country. We're in a win-win situation. What better way to address the skills shortage in this country than to give our youth the opportunity to achieve their true potential through training linked to the scarce and critical skills that have been identified by the sector? We are addressing the shortage of skills and individuals get an opportunity to take charge of their lives. The more qualified flexstaffers we graduate from the Quest Learning Institute, the more qualified people we have on our books and the more we can set the flexstaffer up for success, ensuring a solid future career built on useful skills. If you're joining an agency, make sure they have established programmes that do this, and if you're already in an agency you should investigate this option."
There's no doubt, flexible staffing is for people who want to take an active role in managing and directing their own careers, who want stability and flexibility and want to discover their passions and follow them.
