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Can I Turn a Temporary Position into a Full Time Opportunity?

December 22nd, 2017

Your recruiter has a job opportunity that they think might be great for you. With one glance, you can tell that they’re right, for the most part. The job is located close to where you live, the schedule and hours work well for you, the conditions and culture seem great, and the responsibilities of the role fall directly in line with what you’ve done in the past and where you’d like to take your career in the future. There’s just one problem: The job isn’t meant to last.

This is a temporary role, and the employers only need someone who can step in while their regular employee is on leave or reassigned to another project. If you take the job, you’ll step in—and probably thrive—but you’ll have to find something else once the contract period ends. So what should you do? Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Don’t immediately say no.

All jobs are temporary (when you think about it) and there’s nothing wrong with extending your search for full time work while you hold down a position, meet some new people, collect a paycheck and learn some new skills. In work, just because something doesn’t last forever doesn’t mean you should avoid the experience altogether. Just go in with your eyes open.

Talk to your recruiter about the changes you’d like to see.

Simply ask your recruiter to find out more about your options. Will this company consider taking you on permanently if the employee doesn’t return? Are there any other possible scenarios that might result in changes to the timeline of the role?

What will you gain for your troubles?

A short-term job (even a very short-term job) might come with some big benefits for your long-term career. If you can gain some assurance that your managers will give you a recommendation or if there’s a chance you can be shifted to another role or department when your contract ends, a gamble you take at the beginning of the process might pay off in the end.

As with all professional decisions and paths that diverge, ask plenty of questions before you make your final decision. If you need help crunching the numbers, contact the Connecticut expert career management team at Merritt.

Is Your Elevator Pitch Costing You the Opportunity?

October 27th, 2017

Here’s a thought exercise that every job seeker should engage in on a regular basis throughout the search process: If you found yourself riding the elevator (or sharing a cab or subway ride) with a crucial networking contact or potential employer, would you know how to make use of that precious time? If you only had about 30 seconds to spend with someone in a position to move your career forward, would you know exactly what to say?

Those in the career management world refer to this 30-second burst of prepared words as an “elevator pitch”, and if your elevator pitch isn’t polished to perfection and ready at a moment’s notice, you may be missing out on opportunities to get ahead. Here are a few common pitch problems that might be affecting your chances.

Your pitch doesn’t exist.

If you can’t yet sum up your candidacy and your qualifications in less than a minute, start drafting your pitch today. Practice delivering it aloud at a speech pace that’s normal and comfortable for you. You’ll be glad you did. Even if you never find yourself riding a literal elevator, you can use your pitch to keep your interview conversations focused and on-message.

Your pitch is boring.

Keep your message exciting and relatable, and start by giving it a purpose and meaning that extend beyond your own career and your own hopes for yourself. Demonstrate how your credentials and your professional goals will benefit others outside of yourself, specifically the person you may be speaking to. Most listeners are more interested in themselves and their own company prospects than you and your personal past.

Tell a story.

Instead of structuring your pitch around a laundry list of reasons why your listener should hire you, shape your speech into a narrative. Give it a beginning, a middle and an end, and find a way to turn your listener (or their company) into the protagonist. If you’re the protagonist, make sure you come off as someone worth rooting for.

Use numbers.

Quantify your claims, accomplishments, and goals as well as you can. Adding numbers to the details of your story will make your pitch easier to put into perspective and easier to remember later on.

Leave room to land your plane.

Your pitch should not build and build and then abruptly cut off when the elevator doors open. Keep an eye on the time available and begin the process of wrapping up several seconds before the metaphorical buzzer.

For more on how to create a winning pitch that can win over a valuable contact in 60 seconds or less, turn to the New Haven County job search experts at Merritt.

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