7 Tips to Turn a Temp Accounting Gig into a Permanent Role

What Do You Need to Be Offered a Permanent Job?

Companies hire for temporary accounting jobs for many reasons. It may be to fill specific roles for project work, to cover for maternity leave, to boost staff numbers during busy periods, or to increase expertise flexibly.

For accounting professionals, a temporary accounting job may be more suitable to your circumstances. It can also be a fill-in job while you are searching for a permanent role – or it could be a job that turns into a permanent placement.

Temp-to-perm accounting jobs are becoming more common, and they can be fantastic news for jobseekers and employers. They give both parties a chance to assess the option of transferring the arrangement to a permanent one. Here are 7 tips to help you guarantee your temp job becomes an offer of a permanent role.

1. Be Reliable

Always be on time, do your work well, and fit in with your team. Bosses and colleagues want to work with reliable employees. Make others realize that they could not work as effectively or efficiently as a team without you.

2. Be Enthusiastic

Before deciding to offer you a permanent role, an employer wants to know they are getting an employee who is committed and enthusiastic. Show that this job means more to you than a paycheck. When workflow is high, arrive early and offer to stay late. Think like a permanent employee.

3. Be Consistently Valuable

You’ll have set targets and have KPIs to meet. Your job is to make sure you do so – and more – to show your value consistently. Don’t stop with your work. Help others when possible, to show your value to both the company and your colleagues. When it comes to reviewing for a permanent role, your boss will have the evidence of your results and your colleagues will be on your side.

4. Be the Fresh Approach Needed

Your knowledge and experience helped to land you the temporary job. Use this to bring a fresh approach to processes and procedures if it could aid efficiency and improve productivity. Bringing new ideas and creativity to the table will help to get you noticed as the innovative employee the team is currently lacking.

5. Be a Relationship Builder

Network within the company and get to know your colleagues and the managers who make hiring decisions. Introduce yourself to others and learn people’s different roles within the company, and you’ll ensure that word gets out about the star temp in accounting. You’ll also learn about other opportunities the company may have to offer you.

6. Be a Good Communicator

Of course, your technical accounting skills and experience are needed, but it is your interpersonal skills that could make the real difference. Soft skills are in high demand – they empower better teamwork and help to retain and grow the client base.

7. Be Open

Don’t keep your desire to become a permanent employee a secret. Discuss your career goals with your boss, and ask to be considered as a permanent addition to the accounting team. Early on, ask how you will be measured for the transition from temp to perm, but don’t be too aggressive in your pitch. You must show patient enthusiasm.

Is a Temp-To-Perm Accounting Role Right for You?

If you are between accounting and finance jobs, or just starting out, the jobs market can be tough. Taking a
temp-to-perm role helps to keep your bank balance in the black, while building your network and experience. It is far better to fill your time productively than to have a major gap on your resume. A temp-to-perm role will give you a real flavor of what it will be like to work with new colleagues in a new company, without having to make a decision that you may regret a few months down the line.

To make sure you get the offer of a permanent role from a temporary position, put the seven tips we’ve described into action from day one. For a confidential discussion about your career and to explore the potential a temp-to-perm accounting job provides, contact 6 Degrees Group today.

Take the next step in your job search today