Photo Credit: JoshuaHoffmanPhoto @ Flickr

As a former administrative assistant and on-again-off-again temp worker, I’ve been exposed to an array of things that have mellowed my views about the general workplace.

I used to think, “If I find that one job that I love, I won’t have to worry about looking for a career ever again.”

My career journey has looked like various amusement park attractions. Some jobs were like the lazy, swishy tea cup rides where I would just go with the roundabout flow and relax awhile. Others, were like the fun house mansions - full of illusions and cool things that that seem fun to look at, but ultimately, disappointing in the end.

And then, a few wonderful and hard found gems were like the once-in-a-lifetime great roller coaster . They were full of ups and downs, leaving me thrilled to repeat the ride several times – each feeling vastly different from the last.

1. There are boring, repetitive, uninspiring job duties in every industry

I’m not saying that I can speak for all industries ever created, but I can be sure everything has a boring side. I’ve done temp work in a number of fields – everything from the (seemingly) glamorous world of advertising and film production to the (not necessarily so) mundane arenas of insurance and finance. I’ve even temped at (now-defunct) dot com start ups as well as working as a greeter for a retail store grand opening.

It doesn’t matter.

Someone, somewhere is going to need a person to file papers, fax contracts, answer phones, greet clients, keep the kitchen clean, get coffee (make coffee) and even keep up with everyone else’s schedules. And, sometimes, that person is YOU – the temp. You have to come in and hit the ground running at lightening speed because, unfortunately, you’re a whole lot more expendable (and cheaper to replace) than a full-time, salaried employee.

2. People will take advantage of you

Being taken advantage of can be your professional golden ticket or the ultimate bag of coal. Overall, temps don’t like to make waves – this is regardless of your possibly extroverted, take charge or assertive personality. If you are temping, you are most likely doing it because a) you need the money, b) you need to get experience or c) you need to acquire both. Therefore, some (but definitely not all) office workers will see your temping as a juicy, (manipulative) opportunity to get you to do things you are not necessarily supposed to do (like actually performing their job, instead).

Usually, in these cases, they will pawn work on you that they either don’t like doing or think is beneath them to do. You may be the fabled TechnoSuave or have wonderful graphic design abilities – or just be really good at getting things done. In any case, these abilities are quickly noticed (because, as a temp you are even more eager to impress) and folks will stick you with all kinds of stuff. Take heed (again), it can be a blessing or a curse.

3. The crazier, the better.

As a temp, you can get the certifiably insane people as your on-site supervisor or co-workers. I’m not going to lie – I’ve been sent to my fair share of nutty, dysfunctional workplaces. But, that’s where I learned the most. It’s not all doom and muddy, crappy gloom – if this happens, consider it the Career God’s way of testing (or refreshing) your multi-tasking and organizational skills (and digging up some talents you didn’t even know you had!).

Don’t think too badly because a place has quirky employees that like to speak Simlish , unusual office politics revolving around being able to marry animals or a receptionist who tells people her grandmother practices voodoo (true story!). In the end, there really isn’t any excuse to think, “Oh, I’m only temping” and believing it equates to job limbo.

At the very least, take away the thought that the “crazy” workplaces remind you of where you don’t want to end up and keep you focused on what you rather be doing instead.

4. You may get in trouble – and not even know it.

Once, I took a semester off from school to figure out where I wanted my life to go. I temped for 3 months at an office building with a small team of very nice people. To make a long story short, my on-site supervisor complained about me to the staffing agency after I left to return to school.

When I came back home for the summer, I contacted the staffing agency that placed me previously at the office building. They politely explained that they didn’t want to use me again because I caused “problems” with a client. Needless to say, I was extremely upset. In return, I defended that I found that judgment very unusual since the on-site supervisor approached me about wanting to HIRE me as a full-time employee. I also thought it was quite odd that I worked there for over 3 months and no one said anything about my performance (and to note, raved about the work I did!).

In short, the staffing agency didn’t care – my (former) on-site supervisor complained and I couldn’t do anything about it.  Ultimately, I was blacklisted. All I could do was be satisfied with the thought that my former supervisor is reaping some big time professional karma.

(Do you really think it’s good idea to bad mouth someone after they no longer work for you, especially if you thought their work was crap? I suspect maybe she was annoyed with me because I didn’t want to work for her, but that’s neither here nor there, is it?)

5. Office politics are a little harder to navigate as a temp – but they don’t have to be.

Office workers have that annoying tendency to create stiff emotional distances with temp workers. This attitude usually originates from the idea that they will never see you again and that you are “just” the temp. Channel your inner perky and chat them up or, if you are a tad shy, tune into your observational and analytical abilities and target folks with a soul for networking.

Also, depending on how “approachable” you are, you may get the necessary dish on other employees (like who’s leaving, being promoted or restructuring their department). However, try not to depend too much on the office gossip - it can backfire.

Don’t respond in kind to any co-worker’s gripes or badmouthing. Remain sunshiny optimistic and positive – the “good” kinds of connections will come flowing over you while the bad, rotten ones will be quickly weeded out.