Let’s unpack why finding bridging jobs is beneficial to your career in the long-term, and can help steer you in the right direction, even if you’re not in the perfect role right now.
Bridging jobs are temporary positions that help job seekers move through troubled times. Besides the financial security aspect of getting a bridging job, there are other benefits for your career by doing so.
Job hunting can be draining and long exercise, as weeks, sometimes months drag on, the idea of finding the perfect role withers and many people end up accepting roles different from their dream role further into the process, regardless. Instead, job seekers should try to find bridging jobs.
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By doing so, you are closing an employment gap in your resume, ensuring you can support yourself or loved ones, upkeeping skills and opening yourself up to potential new opportunities.
Instead of looking at brigiding jobs as time fillers, they can be advantageous to your self discovery and alter a preconceived opinion of your career path.
Finding a job initially after being unemployed that matches your skill set, experience and goals is near impossible. Through networking and market research, you should be able to find a bridging job that aligns with your desired career path so you can transcend the skills when a more fitting role pops up.
For example, a person looking to go to the next level in the real estate industry may see a big benefit from taking a job in an agency where they can network with potential peers and colleagues.
Alternatively, a job-seeker could have their heart set on a complete industry change, and after accepting a bridging job, they have been given a taste of the industry without having to take on higher responsibilities and more flexibility to change their mind.
It is easier to get a job when you have a job.
Unfortunately, this statement is accurate. Being unemployed, especially for prolonged periods of time, sends a negative signal about your work ethic and hireability to a recruiter.
If you do find yourself out of work, minimising the gap in your resume ensures you stay close connected to the professional world and avoids interrogation in a future interview setting.
As Bronwen Hann, a Toronto-based recruiter stated, “the issue of gaps in employment is a thorny one.”
She goes on to discuss how hiring is highly biased. Even when smart technology is used, it is programmed by humans, who by nature are biased, often unconsciously.
“They [employment gaps] give the wrong impression about your abilities and ambitions, implying that you’re not capable… or that you were discharged from your previous job and didn’t know how to get back into a position. Worst of all, it can imply that you’re lazy, or that you don’t care about your career.”
To summarise, here are 5 reasons why bridging jobs are beneficial for your career;
- Regain confidence
- More time to think about your next move without pressure
- You will have financial security
- Minimise an employment gap on your resume
- Gain new connections in an industry, leading to new opportunities in the future
