9 Tips for Turning Your Temporary Healthcare Job into a Permanent One

This article was originally posted on The Huffington Post. Below is an excerpt of the story. Read the full post on –> The Huffington Post

9 Temp to Perm Tips
Being prepared and professional is just the beginning. Here are some tips that might help you get ahead in your goal for turning your temporary job into a permanent one.

1. Use your contacts. While you’re looking for work (temporary or permanent), be proactive. Reconnect with former bosses and co-workers; they might prove invaluable when it comes to networking.
2. For higher-end jobs, college degrees are still important. It doesn’t matter how good your skills or experience are. If the advertisement says they want a degree and you don’t have one, your resume will get trashed and you’ll look foolish for sending it. Don’t waste your time — move on to the opportunities that fit.
3. Be flexible. Demonstrate to your staffing agency that you’re open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. This is especially true of those who are older and more experienced. Some companies want to make sure they’re hiring people who’ll go with the flow.
4. Do your homework. Temporary employees can take advantage of having a foot in the door. Being on site enables people to better identify which skills are required in order to become permanently employed.
5. Get to know the company. What kind of products or services do they offer? Who’s the competition? The more you know about the business, the more valuable you become, and the easier it is for the agency to get you a permanent gig.
6. Start as you mean to go on. One way to gain an advantage when a permanent position opens up is to learn about your company’s way of doing things: their brand, their values and codes of conduct. Beyond reading the company manual, which can be of help, one of the ways you can do this is to learn about the company’s key players (yes, even those you might not click with). The sooner you understand the way things work, the faster you can discover if you fit in; if so, then you can figure out how to best stand out from the crowd.
7. If there’s extra work to be done, volunteer to do it. Being willing to take on projects or tasks even if they’re not your job shows a solid work ethic and flexibility. That’s what companies are looking for. Just make sure it’s in the spirit of being indispensable to your manager — not a potential replacement for them!
8. Make an effort and let others get to know you. If you want permanent employees to treat you like part of the team, act like it. If you see they need help with something, offer it. Even if they say no, they’ll usually open up to you and know they can turn to you if need be.
9. Let others help. Your staffing agency has an established relationship with the company (that’s how you got hired). Let them be your advocate for a permanent position.