As employers continue to create temporary and temporary to permanent roles as a way of feeling out the economy as it improves, more and more professionals, who may have never considered temporary assignments before, will find themselves filling these newly created opportunities.

According to Komal Shah, a Staffing Manager within The Execu|Search Group’s Office Support and Human Resources divisions who works on the Temporary Staffing side, the experience gained working in temporary roles can serve a candidate well beyond the end date of their temp assignments, to any pursuit they come across. “A person who has fielded a lot of temporary gigs most likely has a diverse array of skills, and being experienced in constantly changing roles, he or she can demonstrate the kind of versatility that will be beneficial in a multitude of situations. For instance, a person experienced in the temp world has the potential to thrive in roles that require a multi-tasker who has the ability to wear many different hats,” says Komal. “It’s just a matter of highlighting that experience and skill-set on a resume.”

While organizing the information can be overwhelming, as Komal suggests, it is possible to heighten your candidate appeal by showcasing your experience. First, evaluate your past experience. If your previous temporary roles have nothing to do with the skills, experience, and abilities the job you’re applying to calls for, consider leaving them off. However, if leaving some jobs off results in having a long gap in your work history, keep the most relevant jobs on your resume and try to explain what you accomplished during your tenure there to show how you are a quick learner.

After you decide what roles you want to highlight, you will be ready to start formatting your resume. Here are different situations that call for different formats:

Addressing a single temp position: First, list the position on your resume, and next list the name of the client company, and if applicable, the name of the temporary staffing firm you worked through. Finally, add in the dates you worked. In referring to your position, you may want to give some specificity. For example:

• “Administrative Assistant, Columbia University, New York, NY, temporary position through The Execu|Search Group – January 2012 to March 2012.”

However you can choose to drop the phrase “temporary position”:

• “Administrative Assistant, Columbia University (The Execu|Search Group), New York, NY – January 2012 to March 2012.”

Highlighting the employer company: If the company is an industry leader put the name of the employer first. Put the staffing firm in parentheses, followed by job title and dates of employment:

• “NBC Universal (The Execu|Search Group) – Administrative Assistant, New York, NY – January 2012 to March 2012.”

If you became a full-time employee: If you started as a temporary employee but made the transition to full-time, it’s important to highlight that because doing so will show how you quickly became an indispensable member of the team. Here is a tip for listing a temp-to-hire position on your resume:

• “Administrative Assistant, Columbia University, New York, NY. Temporary position via The Execu|Search Group; hired full-time November 2012.”

If you worked several placements with one staffing firm: Begin by listing the staffing firm with a full date range. Then list each company, title, and an overview of your responsibilities. For example:

• “The Execu|Search Group – New York, NY, January 2012 to March 2012.”

Title, Company Name (Dates)

Short overview of your responsibilities…

• Achievement
• Achievement

Title, Company Name (Dates)

Short overview of your responsibilities…

• Achievement
• Achievement

When it comes to framing your temp work history, while resume formatting is important, so are the details. When detailing your work history, you always want to do it in a way that is positive and that emphasizes the skills you learned, while showing how your experience makes you a more valuable candidate for the position you’re applying for. Temporary/consulting jobs are a great way to make money and gain experience and skills in a relatively short amount of time. They also provide you with an outlet to work within new industries to decide what type of work environments you do and do not like. Most importantly, temp roles can exercise a person’s flexibility, willingness to transition across various roles, and ability to take on new responsibilities smoothly.