What do you think would make a bigger impression on a potential employer, your IQ or your experience? Both are valuable in their own right, but which is deemed more desirable in the eyes of your future employer? Your IQ, intelligence quotient, is calculated through standardised tests attempting to measure intelligence.

Measuring a variety of types of ability such as verbal, mathematical, spatial, memory and reasoning, IQ tests are a way of determining your analytical and logical ability. Those with high IQ scores generally tend to achieve more academically and could be regarded as being more intelligent. Experience, on the other hand, proves that, within a working environment, you have the necessary skills in order to perform effectively within your chosen field. You are able to show that you already possess valuable expertise and could fit into your new placement with relative ease. Regardless of the qualifications you may have, your experience can sometimes give your application that vital edge needed to secure your new job.

Statistics confirm that 58% of recruitment agencies find that candidates with relevant experience are more sought after by employers than those with a high IQ, which only received a 30% backing1. Interestingly, academic qualifications were considered even less important, scoring only 21%. Experience can be gained in a multitude of ways and doesn’t always require long term employment in a given area. Temping can be an extremely valuable way of gaining necessary skills without having to commit to any one job for a lengthy period of time. Temping gives you the freedom to experience various aspects of an industry and can even help you to find which areas best suit your abilities.

Regardless of your age, background or qualifications, temping can be a great way to gain valuable experience and enable you to get your foot in the door of your chosen career. Through contacting your local recruitment agency, establish the most suitable businesses in your local area and see if you can make the first vital steps towards gaining your perfect job.