Years ago when I was a community manager I had a season of time when I relied heavily on temporary associates to maintain the staffing requirements of my office. There were many times when my “temps” made my job easier and I was so glad that they were helping me. There were also many times when my “temps” either made my job harder, or were so difficult to be around in one way or another, that I didn’t think they were worth the expense!

If you’re a temporary associate now I’d like to give you some advice on what to do when you’re at you’re assignment so that the company wants to keep bringing you back-or even offer you a permanent position!

Tip #1: Don’t be Bossy!

I had a temporary associate who started critiquing me on how we accepted checks and thought it was a good idea to give me his thoughts on what we should have been doing when collecting checks from our customers. Needless to say, that immediately irritated me as I thought, “Who does this guy think he is??”

Regardless of the experience you bring into the office, remember as a temp that the client may not need your input on things…even if it’s great input! For those of you with a great resume this may be the hardest thing to do as a temp, and it’s a vital skill. As a wise mentor once told me, “Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut!”

Tip #2: Don’t Say “When I worked at…”

I had a well-qualified temporary associate who had a habit of frequently saying, “When I worked at ACME Corporation, this is how we did things….” Didn’t matter what it was that I was showing her, I’d hear what other companies were doing. “When I worked at XYZ we showed apartments this way!” or “When we did work orders at Dunder Mifflin we did it this way!” And this annoyed me and the members of my staff who didn’t want to hear how they did things at another company, because we all worked for this company!

Tip #3: Don’t talk too much (or too little!)

I remember a temporary associate that kept coming into my office to make “small talk” with me, when I didn’t want to make small talk! In fact I brought her into the office because we were short-staffed and I had a lot of work to do, none of which involved shooting the breeze with my temp! Finally I closed the door to my office and politely told her that I had some things I needed to do that required privacy. The good news is that she performed well, if I remember correctly, the bad news is, I tried to avoid her at every turn so I wouldn’t get sucked in.

I’ve also worked with people who had no personality and didn’t make any conversation at all, which can feel weird too, especially when trying to develop a professional relationship out of thin air so that the eight-hour day doesn’t feel like eighty!

My point is be aware of the circumstances! If the people you work with look busy, give them space and don’t engage in conversation unless needed. If the people you’re working with draw you into a conversation, then reciprocate and be friendly. In other words, follow the cues that other people are giving you.

Working as a temporary associate is not always easy-by following these three tips you'll make your day just a little easier for you and your co-workers!