The first September after you have graduated college brings with it some bittersweet feelings.  The excitement of no longer needing to purchase books and supplies or sit idly in a lecture hall is palpable, but with it comes the harsh smack of reality- it’s time to grow up, move on, and find a career that you love.  Unfortunately, while college taught me how to write a killer research paper, nowhere in any syllabus did I see a provision for planning out a career path.

I was fortunate enough to have a vague idea of the type of career that I wanted.  My primary major was marketing and I decided to spice things up a bit with an additional major in communications and a focus on television production.  I utilized every networking opportunity that I could in order to obtain a production related internship at the network of my dreams.

Of course, as any other former intern will tell you, an internship does not guarantee permanent placement.  I found myself at an impasse- a college graduate with a summer to fill before entering graduate school for my MBA.

Because I would be a full time student, finding permanent employment was out of the question.  Furthermore, I was lacking in one of the most important assets that someone seeking employment requires- diverse experience.  Internships just don’t seem to cut it anymore and my resume was looking a bit sad.  I freelanced for a while, but it became apparent that I would not be able to find steady employment on my own.

Admittedly, sending my resume to a staffing agency was nerve-racking.  I had already interviewed with two after responding to (what appeared to be) postings for a specific job and the results were lackluster.  Still, Clarity came highly recommended from a former colleague so I figured I would give the recruitment agency route one last shot.

I could not have made a better decision!  Right off the bat I could tell that Clarity would provide an entirely unique experience.  I had my first assignment within weeks and I remained actively employed throughout the entire summer.

Although consistent employment is important, this is not the greatest gift that Clarity has given me.  Instead, Clarity afforded me the opportunity to explore a myriad of different jobs and companies.  I was able to test out different corporate cultures and acquire a diverse set of skills.  I was exposed to companies large and small, famous and largely unknown.  Suddenly an array of possibilities lay before me.  I simply needed to be open to the opportunity.

Today, with my MBA in hand, I am proud to report that I still have an excellent relationship with Clarity.  The recruitment team has helped me to grow in my experiences and facilitated my transition from a student who temped to make ends meet to an MBA recipient testing the waters in her first marketing position.  The most important thing to remember is that temping is an opportunity.  It provides flexibility and variety, opening doors that you may not have found on your own.  My experience has been incredibly fulfilling and I look forward to many more new experiences in the future.