Holiday Jobs: Turn Part-Time Gigs Into Full-Time Jobs

Nov. 16, 2009 — -- If you're looking for a permanent staff position, a temporary or seasonal gig may be the first step toward getting there.

Look for Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer where you'd like to work fulltime. Give your time and talent to an organization where you could envision yourself working fulltime. Ask directly about the chances of being considered for a staff role. Be sure you treat it as seriously as you would if you were being paid, since it's the best way to convince the organization that you're serious and that you'd be an asset for a paid staff position.

Too often jobseekers say they can only pursue an opportunity with benefits, so they shun any kind of temp work. That's a mistake, especially since part-time temp work offers the chance to get your foot in the door and it places you front and center for a paid opening. The job market is showing signs of an increase in temporary hiring, which is often the step before employers make fulltime commitments to staffers. Take a temp job and prove yourself to be invaluable.

Tory Johnson is the CEO of Women For Hire and the founder of WaggleForce, a national network of local job clubs. She is the workplace contributor on ABC's Good Morning America.

CLICK HERE to return to the "Good Morning America" Web site.