1. How to Turn Internships &
Temporary Work into Full
Time Employment
Presented by: Heather R. Huhman
Sponsored by Job & Career Accelerator

2. Who am I?
 Founder & president of Come Recommended, a
content marketing consultancy for
organizations with products that target job
seekers and employers
 Career expert & experienced hiring manager
 Author of #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your
Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010)
 Career expert for a number of other orgs

3. Introduction
 Companies are turning to temporary
employees & interns to fill vacancies & help
solve corporate challenges
– 36% of companies will hire contract or
temporary workers in 2012
– Of the those companies, 35% have plans to hire
them on a permanent basis
– Intern hiring was up 7% in 2010-2011
compared to the previous year
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4. How to Find Internship
Opportunities
 Check internship job sites
– JobAndCareerAccelerator.com
– YouTern.com
– Internships.com
– Idealist.org
– CollegeRecruiter.com
 Local resources
– Career centers
– Craigslist
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5. How to Find Internship
Opportunities
 Follow target companies on social media
– Be the first to know about openings
– Connect directly with hiring managers and HR
– Use Twitter, LinkedIn & Facebook, among others
 Check company career sites
– Many large companies have seasonal internship
programs
– Smaller orgs might need interns throughout the
year
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6. How to Create Your Own
Internship
 If no program is in place
– Ask the employer to consider creating a position
for you
– Set up a meeting with a hiring manager or HR
– Come prepared
• Knowing which department you want to work in
• Aware of challenges the employer might be facing &
how you can solve them
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7. How I Created My Own
Internship
 Targeted a specific
company
 Drafted a proposal
 Approached would-be
supervisor
 Worked together to
create the internship
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8. Temporary Jobs
 Temp positions often
have an end date
 Might also be referred
to as “contractual”,
“freelance”, “seasonal”,
“interim”, etc.
 Could be full- or part-
time
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9. How to Work With Temporary
Staffing Agencies
 Employers often use temp
agencies to fill short-term
jobs because of their access
to a wide applicant pool
 Many agencies specialize in
a particular field or industry
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10. How to Work With Temporary
Staffing Agencies
 Find the right agency for you based on
your field and skills
 Many allow you to apply to temp jobs
online
– Manpowergroup.com
– Officeteam.com
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11. How to Work With Temporary
Staffing Agencies
 The agency might require you to complete
standard tests to see how your skills measure
up
 Your information is then stored in a database
– When an employer contacts the agency with a
need, they contact you if you are a good match
for the skill set the company is seeking
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12. How to Work With Temporary
Staffing Agencies
 Tips for a successful relationship with your
temp agency:
– Keep in regular contact about your availability
when you are unemployed
– Complete assignments to the best of your ability
• You never know…it could lead to a full-time job!
– Contact your agency with any concerns if the job
doesn’t pan out as described
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13. How to Turn an Internship or
Temp Job into Full-Time
 Be proactive
 Complete work to the
best of your ability
 Cultivate good work
relationships
 Add colleagues to
your professional
network
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14. How to Turn an Internship or
Temp Job into Full-Time
 Treat it like an extended
job interview
 Dress the part
 Seek out challenges
 Ask questions
 Take notes
 Participate in meetings
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15. How to Turn an Internship or
Temp Job into Full-Time
 Become indispensible
 Act as if you’re a full-
time staffer
 Be flexible
 Practice discipline &
focus
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16. How to Turn an Internship or
Temp Job into Full-Time
 Find a mentor
 Ask for feedback
 Know the company
inside & out
 Be assertive
 Always be respectful
 Leave a positive
impression
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17. Real Stories of Transitioning
 Carlos Moore, a graphic-design student, was
commissioned by the University of Arizona to
film & photograph Macy’s Chief Executive
Terry Lundgren
 Lundgren’s assistant later asked Moore to
create a highlight DVD of the visits
 That work led to a marketing internship with
Macy’s and he now works as a Macy’s art
director (source: WSJ)
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18. Real Stories of Transitioning
 Amanda Standidge admired Kobo & often
searched for job openings in her field
 Eventually applied for an HR intern job
 Her drive, determination & hard work
impressed her boss & helped her go from
intern to full-time, permanent employee
 Today, she works as an Employee Experience
Coordinator (source: TalentEgg)
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19. Real Stories of Transitioning
 Paul Sevcik accepted an internship with The
Gabriel Institute
 When the internship ended, he accepted a
position with another company & found that
he was unhappy after 90 days
 After quitting his new job, he asked the CEO
of The Gabriel Institute out to breakfast the
next morning
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20. Real Stories of Transitioning
 His internship was reignited with the
possibility of temp-to-hire
 3 months later, he became a full-time
employee
 He’s now the Client Services Manager (source:
Internships.com)
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21. Real Stories of Transitioning
 Within my own company, Come
Recommended, I’ve promoted several interns
into full-time positions
 Katie started out as our Media Relations
Intern, was promoted several times, & now
works as Vice President
 Tessa began as our PR & Marketing Intern & is
now a Senior Content Creator
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22. Questions?
Heather R. Huhman
Founder & President
Come Recommended
www.comerecommended.com
heather@comerecommended.com
Twitter: @heatherhuhman
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