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As you continue to search for a full-time job, you might be filling your free time with temporary jobs. This is an excellent way to keep busy, improve your skills and show potential employers that you are committed to your career. When it comes to adding the temporary employment to your resume, there are some people who say it is bad to have it on the resume and others say it is good to have on a resume.

Let’s look at both sides of this question, to help you decide what’s best for your job search. 

DO: List Temporary Employment on a Resume

Since temporary jobs are jobs, you should always list them on your resume when looking for other temporary work, part-time work or full-time work. This is an excellent way to prove to employers that you are actively looking for work and are staying busy while in-between permanent jobs.

Now, even though some people believe that listing temporary employment on a resume is good, you should not list all of the temporary jobs you have worked. What you should do is list temporary jobs that are related to the job for which you are applying when looking for full-time work. This will help you target employers much easier and show the employer how you continued to improve your skills within the industry while in-between full-time jobs.

Another tip here is to avoid listing temporary positions that are more than 10 years old, even if they are related to the industry in which you are trying to find a full-time job. When you keep your resume to the previous handful of years, it makes it easier to read for employers.

DON’T: List Temporary Employment on a Resume

On the other side of the argument, some people will tell you to never list temporary employment on a resume. One reason for this argument is that temporary work might paint your career in a bad light even if you have worked these jobs to improve your career skills within a specific industry.

Another negative to listing temporary employment on a resume is that the jobs might not have been associated with the industry in which you are looking for full-time work. If this is the case, then you should absolutely keep the temporary employment off your resume.

If you have worked four or five temporary jobs within the same industry or career, it is not effective to list all of them on the resume. Instead, just list two or three of them so the employer is not looking at the same information over and over again.

After looking at both sides of the argument, it looks as if the answer depends on each individual person’s situation when creating a resume. Take a long look at the temporary work you have performed and then make the decision based on the job for which you are applying before you write the resume. If you need support with your resume, and how to list your temporary jobs on this document, be sure to get in touch with your recruiter at Davis Staffing in Hammond Indiana.