You have to start somewhere in your career, and it’s often a really good idea to begin your career in social media (or something approximating it) using the services of a temp firm.
Temp firms work like this: they have jobs that last from a few hours to several months and serve as the broker between you and the company that needs you. I know a fair amount about this because I worked in the field for almost ten years.
The advantage for both employer and employee is that you get to try each other out: will the employer think that you have the ability and skills to be an effective member of their team, contributing to their social media efforts? And from your perspective: do you like the work, the culture and the people? Temporary 
assignments, although they do not offer the security of a permanent job (at least initially) often offer benefits like health insurance and are a great way to take a job for a test drive. You can gain exposure to a variety of companies and employers, hone your skills, learn about different aspects of what you are trying to do and most importantly, gain valuable job experience.
Finally, using a temp agency can reduce the job search pressure that you may feel. Usually, your only interview is with the temp agency itself. They assess your background and skills and make the decision to place you in a job. It’s one interview, and from a successful interview, you get put on a list of candidates for multiple jobs that come in. It’s that easy.
Top 10 Tips for Finding Temp Work and Contract Gigs
- Understand how agencies work. Temp firms put people on their payrolls and then send them into short-term temporary assignments that could be either part-time or full-time. Temp agencies withhold taxes, Social Security and unemployment from a worker’s paycheck, like any other employer.
- “Temp” and “contract employee” could mean the same thing. Some agencies call low-paid, administrative or light-industrial jobs that require little or no training “temp” jobs and higher-paid, managerial or white-collar jobs “contract” jobs. Regardless of the term, the individuals are employees of the temp agency.
- Not all contractors are alike. Contractors who work through temp agencies shouldn’t be confused with independent contractors who set their own hours, use their own equipment and bill a company directly for their services.
- Not all temp firms are alike. The temporary staffing industry has grown tremendously in recent years. As a result, it’s possible to find agencies specializing in specific industries, locations or job seekers–including blue-collar workers, doctors, lawyers and upper-level managers.
- Don’t sign on with the first agency you visit. You wouldn’t go to work for just any company. The same holds for temp agencies. Visit several to find a good fit.
- Use the opportunity to polish your resume and interviewing skills. If you haven’t looked for a job in a while, use your staffing agency appointment to freshen up your resume and interviewing skills.
- Play the field. There’s nothing wrong with signing up with multiple agencies. The more firms you register with, the more likely you’ll get work.
- Some work is better than none. Take whatever temp work is offered, even if it’s not exactly what you want to do long term. A temp assignment is a good way to keep your work history current, and that gives you a psychological edge with future employers.
- Treat a temp job like a real job. Some people go into a temp placement thinking they don’t have to do their best because they’re short-timers. But that’s shortsighted, Renick says. Show up every day. Be on time. Stick it out until the end of an assignment.
- Hard work pays off. “If you’re a star, it [may] lead to a full-time position.”
Most social media jobs, however, are not those for which you can slide in a person for a few days and get the same level of productivity. It’s hard to imagine taking over a blogger relations program and a Twitter feed simply because most social media positions are constructed around building and maintaining relationships. You can’t drop in a person in a position for a few days and expect her to pick up where the absent employee left off.
So if you need that foot in the door, think about starting your career in social media working for a temp firm.
