As a recruiter, I reviewed thousands of resumes. But the candidates who really catch my eye? They’re often the ones who found a way to show me what they can do before they even applied for a full-time job.
If you feel like your applications are going into a black hole, stop focusing only on the “Apply Now” button. The current job market is tight. Companies are being cautious. They want to hire people who can prove they have the right skills—both technical and soft skills like communication and problem-solving.
The best way to prove it is to work with them. Here are three ways to get your foot in the door and turn a temporary spot into a permanent offer.
Why This Works: The “Try-Before-You-Buy” Model
From a company’s point of view, hiring a new, unknown person is a big risk. It costs a lot of time and money. A bad hire is a costly mistake.
Internships, seasonal jobs, and other temporary roles are like an “extended interview.” They let a manager see your real-world performance for weeks or months. It’s the best way for them to evaluate your skills, your work ethic, and how you fit with the team.
We see this in the data. Companies that hire from their own intern programs have a 70% retention rate for those employees after five years. That’s a huge success! They prefer to hire a “proven” candidate, and these pathways are how you become one.
1. The Internship: Your Extended Interview
An internship is the most classic path, but you have to treat it like a long-term job interview from day one. Your goal isn’t just to finish the internship; it’s to get a full-time offer.
The Big Challenge: The “Visibility Gap”
New research shows a big difference in who gets an offer.
In-Person Interns: Get job offers 72% of the time.
Hybrid Interns: Get job offers only 56% of the time.
That’s a huge gap. If you are in a hybrid or remote role, you don’t get seen as easily. You can’t rely on your manager to notice you. You have to actively manufacture visibility by over-communicating, scheduling virtual coffee chats, and asking for feedback.
How to Get the Offer:
Prove Reliability (The First Week): Show up on time. Be professional. Do even the “boring” tasks (like making copies or filing) with a positive attitude. This builds trust.
Prove Competence (The “Sponge” Phase): Learn everything you can. Ask smart questions. (A “smart question” shows you already tried to find the answer yourself). Find a mentor and introduce yourself to the team.
Prove Value (The “Pivot” to Full-Time): Don’t just wait for tasks. Start looking for small problems you can solve. Speak up in meetings with your ideas. Most importantly, ask for the job. Schedule a meeting with your boss and say, “I’ve really enjoyed this work, and I’m interested in a full-time role. What would I need to do to make that happen?”
2. The Seasonal Job: From Temp Help to Permanent Asset
Seasonal and temporary jobs are a great “stepping stone” to get inside a company. But the mindset is different. You’re hired to do a specific, temporary job. To convert, you must prove you are a permanent, indispensable asset.
How to Make the Jump:
Be the “Go-To” Employee: This is the most important step. Be hyper-reliable. Always be on time. Have a positive attitude. Be flexible. Volunteer to cover a shift or work extra hours when it’s busy. Be the person your supervisor can always count on.
Become “Indispensable”: Once you’re reliable, look for ways to add value outside your job description.
Learn a system: Master a piece of software or a complex process that other people avoid.
Improve something: Notice a process that’s broken or slow? Suggest a fix (or just fix it).
Create documentation: Write down how to do your tasks so the next person can learn. This shows you think about the company’s long-term success.
Ask for the Job: Just like an internship, don’t wait to be noticed. Tell your manager early on that you are interested in a permanent role.
3. Strategic Volunteering: The Portfolio Builder
This is a powerful strategy, especially if you are changing careers or have a gap in your resume. This isn’t just any volunteering; it’s Skills-Based Volunteering (SBV).
SBV means you are offering your professional skills (finance, marketing, IT, etc.) to a non-profit. You’re not just helping out; you’re acting as a “pro-bono consultant.”
This lets you build a portfolio of real work. You can get industry-specific experience (like a developer building an app for a healthcare non-profit) and fill that “experience gap” on your resume.
How to Show It on Your Resume:
This is key. Do not put this under “Hobbies.” Put it in your “Professional Experience” section.
Title: “Pro Bono Consultant” or “Project Lead (Volunteer)”
Description: Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and quantify your impact.
Weak Example: “Volunteered at a local charity.” Strong Example: “Pro Bono Marketing Consultant: Led a project to develop a new digital donor strategy. Created a new website and social media campaign, resulting in a 40% increase in new donors and $15,000 in new funding.”
Pros and Cons: Traditional vs. “Side Door” Job Search
These “side door” methods aren’t a replacement for applying online, but they can be a powerful addition to your search.
Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
Traditional Job Search (Applying Online) | • You can apply to many jobs quickly.
• The process is clear and structured.
• Reaches a wide net of companies. | • Very high competition.
• Feels like a “black hole.”
• Hard to show your soft skills.
• You get filtered out by resume-scanning software. |
“Side Door” Paths (Internship, Temp, Volunteer) | • You get to “audition” for the job.
• You prove your skills directly.
• You build an internal network.
• You bypass the online application filters.
• You also get to “try out” the company. | • Can be low-pay or unpaid.
• There is no guarantee of a full-time job.
• You risk being exploited for cheap labor.
• It takes more time and commitment. |
How to Win in Each Pathway: A Summary
Metric | Internship | Seasonal/Temporary Job | Skills-Based Volunteering |
|---|---|---|---|
Your Role | The Apprentice: You are there to learn and prove your value. | The Utility Player: You are there to fill a need and be flexible. | The Pro-Bono Consultant: You are there to deliver an expert result. |
How to Convert | “Prove Your Value”
1. Be reliable.
2. Ask smart questions.
3. Find a mentor.
4. Solve a problem.
5. Ask for the job. | “Transcend Your Role”
1. Be “hyper-reliable.”
2. Say “yes” to extra shifts.
3. Master a system others avoid.
4. Improve or automate a process.
5. Signal your intent early. | “Build Your Portfolio”
1. Pick a project aligned with your career goals.
2. Get a role with real responsibility.
3. Produce a tangible result.
4. Quantify your impact on your resume.
5. Title it as “Consulting.” |
A Quick Word of Warning
These opportunities can be amazing, but you also need to protect yourself. A good opportunity gives you mentorship, valuable skills, and real experience. An exploitative one just uses you for cheap labor.
If an “internship” asks you to do the work of a full-time senior employee with no mentorship and almost no pay, that’s a red flag. Trust your gut. A real opportunity is about your growth, too.
In a difficult market, the winners are the ones who find a way to show their value, not just tell an interviewer about it. These “side door” strategies are your audition. Use them to prove you’re the low-risk, high-reward candidate they’ve been looking for.
You’ve got this.
