Gather Little by Little

This article is part of the Ask the M-Network series. Molly submitted a question and asked:

I have had 2 temp jobs that said that they were temp to hire, but I had not been hired. During both times, I have had family members pass away, which left me an emotional mess. 2 out of the 3, I was not able to attend their memorial’s and since temp placements don’t give time off for bereavement, I had to work. Both of the potential employers ended up not hiring me. I did explain myself to them, but didn’t seem to care. What should I have done?

Pinyo from Moolanomy says:

I think the important thing is not to second guess or blame yourself for any of this. You went through some tough time and made the best of it. Instead, focus on what you can do now to gain full-time employment. In the mean time, don’t forget to look for additional income opportunities that you can work on your spare time — i.e., when you’re not looking for a job.

On a side note, if you worked more than 18 months at any of your two temp jobs, you many have legal leverage against them. If you do work full-time continuously more than 18 months, check with an employment lawyer to see if you have a case. The lawyer will be able to tell you right away what these employers owe you, if any.

Patrick from Cash Money Life says:

You can’t blame yourself when a temp job doesn’t turn into a full time position, and you certainly can’t blame yourself for the tough times you and your family went through. You gave it your best shot at turning your temp work into a full time position, but not all temp jobs become permanent positions. The best thing to focus on now is finding a full-time position. Utilize your network of former coworkers, former employers, other professional associations, or other people you know to find job leads.

You most likely have a few extra hours now that you aren’t working full-time, but that doesn’t mean you should send in a few resumes and relax the rest of the day. Looking for steady employment is a full-time job. In addition to job searching, you can consider improving your marketability by earning professional or certifications, or increasing your income with alternative income streams such as starting a small business, selling things on Ebay, freelancing, consulting work, etc.

You should also look into unemployment benefits to see if you qualify. Each state has slightly different unemployment benefit rules, so be sure to check with your state unemployment bureau for more information. Best of luck in finding new work.

My reply

As Patrick and Pinyo said, I think you did the best you could have done under the circumstances. If the employers chose not to hire you, than there is nothing more you could have done. Given the current state of the economy and hiring status of most employers, I am not sure you should assume they didn’t hire you because of your family situations. Remember temp to hire just means the employer has the option of hiring you. It does not mean that they have to nor even intend to.

I’d recommend just moving on and not dwelling on it. You did the best you could under the circumstances. Chalk it up as good experience and move on to the next opportunity. Wish you the best in your search, and keep us posted on how things are going! Thanks for your question.

Readers, what would you suggest? Did Molly handle the situation the right way? What’s your take? Add a comment!