Temp positions open doors for full-time employment

A chef for eight years, Ann Miller finally called it quits with restaurant life.

“You realize how hard the work is and how you basically have no work-life balance,” she says. “When the last straw of not being allowed to go on vacation for two days happened, I gave my notice.”

After a well-deserved holiday, Miller, refreshed and ready for a new challenge, had her sights set on working at Penn. She applied for a few full-time jobs off the bat, but wasn’t getting much traction. So, she decided to go the temp route.

“For people who might have a gap in their employment, or people who have some questions on their resume,” she says, chatting candidly, “it’s a great way to get a job.” 

It was about eight years ago when Miller, who also holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and years of experience as an administrative assistant at Bank of America, landed a six-week gig at Wharton’s Risk Management and Decision Process Center, which turned into about 10 months. Proving to be an asset to Penn, Miller secured full-time employment afterward at Wharton Innovation Group, and, throughout the years, has worked her way up to associate director of Wharton Entrepreneurship. 

“Now, I run a couple of the co-curricular programs here for students who want to start their own businesses,” says Miller, who also earned her master’s from the Graduate School of Education last summer. “Working at a place like Penn is just inspiring.”

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Hands down, Miller says, it’s temping that helped her get her foot in the door at Penn—an employer she describes as one of the best in Philadelphia.

“Many talented people are drawn to Penn because of its mission and the rewards of employment here,” says Jack Heuer, vice president of the Division of Human Resources. “Frankly, there can be lot of competition for job openings. Taking a temporary assignment through AppleOne provides job seekers with a hands-on opportunity to learn about the University as a workplace. It’s a great way to network, demonstrate skills, and set yourself apart from applicants who don’t have Penn experience.”

At least that’s how Francesca Savini saw it. 

When Savini, who lives in West Philadelphia, was laid off from her operations assistant job at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, she walked over to temp agency AppleOne, at 34th and Market streets.

“I thought it was a long shot,” recalls Savini. “But in no time, I started working. I was at Wharton for a few days, and then got placed where I am now. I was fortunate that after a few months here they were able to hire me full time around September.”

Savini, an administrative assistant in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), provides front-desk duties, as well as processing requests for lab materials and reimbursements for the Towne Business Office. She helps keep grant and other account paperwork organized, too, and much, much more.

“Penn Engineering keeps growing and I am getting to do a lot of different things,” she says. “I’ve kept an open mind, which is what temps should do. You might end up enjoying something that you initially hadn’t even thought about. Temping is a good way to see what kinds of things you like doing the most.”

Ebony Bell, director of business development for AppleOne, Penn’s preferred provider of temporary services, says the organization—which is woman- and minority-owned—works very closely with the HR team at Penn.

“We want that personalized feel,” says Bell. “It’s more than being a staffing agency, we partner with Penn within the community. We have to have both feet on the ground, [we want] to have a situation where managers can call us, walk to our office, or we can go to them. It’s a really hands-on model with Penn.” 

It’s part of AppleOne’s duty, Bell says, to “take the time to understand.”

“It’s about creativity, it’s about talent, skill sets, knowing the expectations of the hiring manager,” she explains. “We really take our time to make sure it’s a good fit, we’re not just sending resumes over.”

AppleOne’s mission shows in the numbers. According to HR Recruitment and Staffing, Penn has hired nearly 40 former AppleOne temporary workers since June 2016, when Penn’s AppleOne partnership officially began. Also, through the Penn and AppleOne partnership, more than $3 million in wages have been paid to West and Southwest Philadelphia residents—neighborhoods that are tracked as part of the University’s Economic Inclusion Initiative.

“As the largest private employer in Philadelphia, Penn’s staff should reflect the diversity of our region as well as the diverse community of students and researchers we serve,” says Heuer. “AppleOne is one of the partners that helps us achieve that.”

After Karen Brann and her family moved to the U.S. in 2009, she was a stay-at-home mom. Two years later, she decided to go back to work, but, admittedly, wasn’t sure how managing the responsibilities of a family—as well as a career—would go. She thought a temp position would provide a great opportunity to test the waters. 

“I always wanted to work in an academic environment,” she says. “I’d be a student forever if I had the chance.”

Brann worked with Penn’s previous staffing service to land a three-month post within a business office at the School of Arts and Sciences. It was enough time to cement her decision—“Yes, I definitely did want to work here permanently,” she recalls.

When the temp position started winding down, she inquired about any temp-to full-time positions. She earned a seat as an administrative coordinator within the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics—the start of a path upward and onward. After a year and a half, she became assistant to professor Vijay Kumar, and associate director of research and publications at the GRASP Lab, and transitioned later, when Kumar became SEAS dean, to his office. Now, she is director of Faculty Affairs at Penn Engineering.

“I’ve had such a great, supportive team environment at Penn Engineering and across the University,” says Brann. “Networking is really key to succeeding at Penn and I was fortunate to encounter many people who were willing to support and mentor me as I progressed through the system.”

With eight years at Penn under her belt, Brann asks, “What’s not to like about working at Penn?”

“I love libraries, they’re my favorite places in the world, and Penn has many,” she notes. “Even though I already have my master’s degree, I am getting my master’s in liberal arts, because it’s just an opportunity I won’t pass up. Just the fact that I can get up from my desk and walk over to the Arthur Ross Gallery on my lunch break. Walking down the hallway in the Engineering school and seeing students working on their electric car. The energy and the buzz, I just enjoy that.”

Brann’s advice for temporary workers who are hoping to earn full-time positions at Penn is twofold: 1. If your assigned work is finished, don’t wait for someone to come along and give you more. Actively ask what more you can do. 2. Take every training opportunity that’s available, and learn it well. It’s just another leg up during the hiring process.

Rosemary Poole recently came on as a full-time financial administrative coordinator in the Marketing Department at Wharton, after temping for several months at the Graduate School of Education, Information Systems and Computing, and the Perelman School of Medicine. Each experience offered new opportunities—a good experience for Poole, who says she enjoys learning new things.

“I really do love it,” Poole says of her new job, adding that she’s excited for the years to come. Staying at Penn for as long as possible is on her radar, she says, “until retirement.”

“Once you get into a position and you get your flow, you don’t want to leave,” Poole says. “A lot of people here have been here for 40 years. Penn is a place where you can learn everything you can, move around, and really build a career.”