Making The Transition

Returning to work after a significant break can be extremely daunting for most people, whatever the reason for being out of work. For those returning after having children however, the working world may seem like another world away. The fast moving pace of business and technology might intimidate parents who feel ëout of touchí with business trends when making the transition from parenting to working life. Temping is a popular choice of employment for many and can be the ideal solution for those wanting to ease themselves back into work. Alan Patterson, Senior Commercial Consultant of Carlton Resource Solutions (Carlton) discusses the benefits of temping for people returning to work after children.

Alan says, ìWhen taking a break from work to bring up children, going back is not simply a question of finding an appropriate job and applying for it. Chances are that if you are a parent returning to work after a significant break, you may lack confidence in your abilities and be unsure of what the workplace is like since the last time you worked. Temping can be a valuable way of gaining fresh experience and can help you decide upon the sort of work place that best suits you, without a full commitment.

ìGetting back to work after a career break can seem scary and many returners who find themselves in this position just donít know where to begin. First stop would be a recruitment consultancy who can assist you in finding a job at many levels across a range of disciplines. At Carlton, we find that temping fits in well with family life as it allows you to work flexibly, fitting in work around home life.î

Temping is often unfairly seen as an inferior choice when compared to permanent work. However, the benefits of this type of work are considerable. Working temporarily allows mothers to receive an income and maintain NI contributions towards their pension, an issue that has received media attention lately. As well as the financial benefits, temping has many personal benefits too. Alan highlights these:

ìThe nature of temporary work means you can choose work hours and days to suit your lifestyle as well as which companies you want to work for. Temping for a period of time after having children can have its advantages in the long term, giving you valuable and varied experience across a variety of sectors, working cultures and management styles all in a reasonably short period of time. This in turn gives you the chance to hone your existing skills, enhance your CV, test yourself in different working environments, work out your relative strengths and weaknesses and decide the type of company or sector you would like to pursue in the long run.

ìUse a temporary job to get your foot in the door of a desirable company when no permanent positions are available; you may then be able to apply for something more permanent positioning in the future. Employers can often use temping as a way to assess a personís suitability and compatibility for a particular position. Temporary to permanent positions are a popular method of long term assessment for employers.î

Alan concludes, ìIt is important not to be disillusioned if you have been out of the workplace for a while. Consider temping as a way of easing yourself back into the working environment and building up some fresh experience. This will give you time to decide on the role and type of company that best suits you.î

Established in Aberdeen in 1981, Carlton Resource Solutions (Carlton) has grown and developed to cover all geographic regions through its operational hubs in Aberdeen and London. Recruiting for a wide range of technical and non-technical opportunities, Carlton matches candidates to employers across the full spectrum of occupations in the accountancy and finance, commercial, HR and training, industrial, information technology, technical and engineering disciplines, in both public sector and other corporate environments. Carlton recruits for permanent, contract or temporary placements. For more information call 01224 650500 or visit: