For many job seekers, navigating the job market to find that perfect full-time opportunity is incredibly difficult.  From time to time, this means that you may need to take a temporary role before you land a full-time gig, which is often a key stepping stone to gaining the respect and trust of an employer.  When you’re actually given the chance to show your work, an employer has no reason to doubt you.  While hard work is obviously crucial to landing that full-time role, you can take other strategic steps to show your employer that you’re a valuable asset to their team.

Come in early, stay late

An easy way to show that you care about your work is to simply show up.  Additionally, apart from the results of your work, this visually shows your commitment to the organization and to your responsibilities.  When you make it a habit to be the first one in the morning or the last one out in the evening, and your extra time makes an impact, you can almost guarantee that your employer will take notice.

Go above and beyond requirements

For many temporary roles, it is very easy to clock in, do simply what is asked of you, and go home.  However, only doing what is asked of you isn’t enough to stand out.  As a result, be sure that you are consistently going above and beyond the requirements of your role.  By producing high-quality results, finishing work ahead of schedule, and taking initiative without being asked, you can prove that you have more to do at the company.

Make extra effort to get along

Whether you like it or not, cultural fit is a big element that employers take into consideration when making hiring decisions.  As a result, someone who simply shows up to do work and doesn’t build relationships in the process might be viewed as someone who isn’t a team player or doesn’t care about the other employees at the organization.  To get more advocates in the office, take care to be friendly to others during your assignment.

Put your ideas out there

As a temporary employee, you may not feel like it’s your responsibility to contribute your ideas to the organization, or you may even feel like you don’t know enough to understand what the right ideas are.  However, by asking questions and contributing out-of-the-box ideas, you can prove your value through your unique perspective.  Who knows, you just might be the perfect addition to their team!

Ask about other opportunities

If you’re not in a temporary-to-permanent role, be sure that your employer knows that you would like the opportunity to stay at the organization.  In this situation, if you don’t make it clear that you want a full-time position, the employer may not take the time to find one for you.  When asking about your options, be sure to express how much you enjoy working there, how you feel you’ve made a valuable contribution, and let them know other areas of the company that interest you.

Let them see your passion

While it’s easy to find an employee who fulfills the job description, it is much harder to find an employee that truly cares about the organization and its mission.  Throughout your assignment, do your best to articulate your passion for the company.  When you add that to your stellar work, it’ll be hard for them to let you go.