Marilyn Johnson, a former corporate controller from Belmont, Calif., took a year off after accepting a buyout. Then she began working "to pay for vacations" as an executive temp with RHI Management Resources, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based division of Robert Half International which places financial professionals. She traveled to Hawaii after the end of her first two-month assignment helping a company prepare for an IPO, and she plans to go to Europe when her current three-month stint is over.

Based in Dallas, Jerry Peck has been temping for 15 years and wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s currently managing a major information systems conversion for a local roofing and industrial products firm through IMCOR of Stamford, Conn., a division of Norrell Corp., which bills itself as "the portable executive company."

Temping in short-term assignments "is a very exciting lifestyle because you’re continually challenged," says Mr. Peck. "I have to have something happening. I’m dangerous if I have to administer anything over a long period. I’ll break it so I can fix it."

Bob Wittenberg, a Los Angeles copywriter, left his in-house position with a financial services company seven years ago to finish a screenplay. Now when he isn’t writing, producing or directing plays, he does temporary assignments for Chicago-based Paladin Cos. Inc., which specializes in placing marketing and communications professionals.

"People working for big companies are laid off so often," he says, "that you may as well freelance and assume the same level of risk."

Joseph Demetrio of Staten Island, N.Y., took early retirement as a bank vice president when his position was eliminated a year ago. His current temp assignment, through Manhattan-based KPA Consulting and Temporary Services, involved assembling a team to investigate and clear up a reconciliation problem at a major financial institution. "If you’re between jobs," he says, "‘it gives you the opportunity to keep working, stay in the business, make some real good money and show what you’re capable of doing. I’m planning to do it until a full-time position comes along that suits my needs."

You may recognize these people as consultants, and that’s how some of them describe themselves. But rather than being self-employed, temporary executives usually work for staffing firms, which place them in line operations and staff positions.

"A consultant used to do a report and turn it over to management, and management would implement changes," says Barry Pronier, vice president of RHI Management Resources. "Our people have to be implementers as well."

Using executive and professional temps, especially technical pros, became popular during the recession of the early 1990s when companies were slashing staffs and attempting to put the lid on payroll costs. When urgent projects loomed, it made sense for employers to hire professionals and executives temporarily to do the work. This way, the firms avoided incurring full-time hiring and layoff expenses. The approach is cost-effective because it reduces the need for "hiring followed by potential layoffs and costly retraining," says Mr. Pronier.

However, the IRS looked askance at companies that downsized full-time employees only to hire them back as consultants without paying benefits or withholding taxes, and it issued regulations to prevent the practice. Staffing companies stepped in to serve as employers of record. Over time the role of these companies has expanded to include extensive prescreening, training, marketing, candidate matching techniques and sometimes, responsibilities for staffing entire projects or departments.

Both traditional temp agencies and search firms have entered the business, causing professional temp payrolls to increase eight-fold between 1991 and 1998, according to the National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services, a trade group in Alexandria, Va. In 1998, nearly one-fourth of all temps were in technical and professional sectors, up from about one-sixth in 1991.

"The market has been greatly underestimated," says Mr. Pronier, who notes that since starting up two years ago, RHI Management Resources now has several thousand consultants on assignments each year. "Demand has increased dramatically compared to the projections of three years ago…because more businesses are understanding the value of just-in-time management, in which specialists are brought in for specific projects or peak activity periods."

Assignments may range from a month to more than two years and are often open-ended. "My original engagement was five weeks, and I’ve been here a year and a half," reports Thomas Poe of Minneapolis, who works in management positions through RHI Management Resources. Temps may fill in for departing managers, build groups or functions and train their replacements or manage discrete projects. "A CFO position may open up and the company needs someone to work in that capacity while it’s searching," explains Len Adams, chief operating officer of KPA, which employs Mr. Demetrio under its "Borrow-a-Banker" program. Or a company may seek expertise that it lacks in-house and doesn’t need permanently.

Ms. Johnson’s first assignment involved helping a company whose staff was unfamiliar with Securities and Exchange Commission procedures to prepare for a public offering. Mr. Peck is helping Elk Corp. of America in Dallas with a major information systems project that had gone awry.

Greg Fisher, Elk Corp.’s vice president of finance and administration who hired Mr. Peck, used IMCOR to find candidates to save time. "It looked like a good option compared to spending three months to fill the position and having a void on a critical project," says Mr. Fisher. "IMCOR had people who could start working immediately." The company presented a slate of candidates within two weeks, and Mr. Peck was hired within 30 days. He’s been at Elk for more than two years.

As a temp, you can earn the same or more than a full-time salary normally paid for the position. "A lot of people do it for the money," reports Jean Ban, executive vice president of Paladin. Janet Sodaro of Chicago, who has worked on various marketing project management assignments through Paladin since 1993, says, "I know my hourly rate is a lot more than in full-time work."

Compared to full-time work, benefits are minimal and are generally provided only to temps who have worked for a certain period, ranging from two months to a year. Some staffing services offer 401(k) plans and the opportunity to purchase health insurance at group rates. However, paid vacations are rare. Manpower and RHI, among others, provide Internet-based training.

Executive temping isn’t for everyone, Mr. Poe observes. "If you have to know what you’ll be doing three or four months from now, you don’t want to do this," he says. "If it’s important to you to get attached to the people in your organization, you don’t want it either."

If you’re flexible, though, temping can open the door to full-time jobs. Mr. Adams describes it as "a long paid interview."

"Even if the original thought wasn’t to bring someone on, many times companies will create something for people whose work they like," he says.

More than 70% of temps placed by Kansas City-based JRL Executive Recruiters, which specializes in temporary and permanent engineering and manufacturing professionals, are hired permanently, says Larry Eason, JRL president.

"In an interviewing situation, you often can’t make a personality match because you don’t get the true picture of the individual," he says. "Under fire you get that picture."

Many executives have chosen to be permanent temporaries because they prefer the lifestyle. "I’m a temporary executive and that’s my career," says Mr. Peck, whose pre-temp experience included computer sales and management consulting.

So-called "flexible management careers" are increasingly appealing to specialists with 20 or more years of experience, says Marilou Myrick, president of ProResource Inc., a Cleveland firm which fills temp assignments in most fields and industries.

"The level of risk you accept as an independent and when you work with a corporation aren’t that different," she says. "Many people have learned they’re fixers, not maintainers. They love to diagnose a problem and get it moving, not stay and watch the gears turning." Still, one ProResource associate in three finds full-time work through temping, she says.

Ms. Sodaro enjoys the flexibility and reduced stress inherent in temping. "I’m almost always the happiest person in the work place," she says. "I can be detached from politics, from performance reviews. I don’t have the same kinds of responsibilities I might have as head of a department." She also enjoys the appreciation she receives. "They really want you," she says. "You go in right out of the box, and they’re so glad you’re there."

This is the case for Mr. Poe as well. "Senior-level full-time employees work all the time, sometimes even in their sleep," he says. "Worrying about business never goes away. Under this scenario, when I’m off the clock, I’m off the clock. I can walk away and say I’ll deal with it tomorrow."

Temps are more likely than full-time employees are to have flexible or unconventional schedules. "We have people who work three days a week, or mornings, or mornings on three days and full-time on two days," says Ms. Ban of Paladin. "If we say we have a good candidate who wants to work two days a week from home and three on site, the employer may say OK."

Occasionally temps are asked to travel. Mr. Poe’s initial assignment included seven weeks in Asia. But if you live in or near a major market, you’ll often find enough local projects and can avoid frequent travel or relocation. If you must travel to another city for a temp assignment, most employers will pay the commuting and hotel expenses, says Mr. Peck. "They’d rather pay for airfare than golden parachutes," he says.

If you’ve been passed over for permanent jobs because you’re overqualified, you may be welcome in the temp world, where employers typically seek professionals with higher-level skills than many projects need. "Companies look for somebody who’s overqualified so they’ll have a minimum of managing to do," says Bob Livonius, COO of Interim Systems Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., which offers a range of staffing services. To succeed as an executive temp, "you should have a broad range of skills, or your skills and talent should have value to a broad range of industries," he says. "If you’re too specialized with one skill, you may as well get on the Internet to find a job. Employers want people whom they don’t have to manage, and who can hire other good people for permanent positions."

"There’s no learning curve," explains IMCOR chairman John Thompson. "People have to know the industries and functions they go into and bring wisdom to their assignments. You should be very much up-to-date in your area of expertise, and not only be good at it but know what skills are in demand." IMCOR’s average "portable" executive is 51 years old and has more than 20 years of business experience.

The most marketable temps are current in their fields and relevant technologies. "We can’t place people who haven’t worked for five or 10 years," says Ms. Ban. "You also absolutely have to be Internet proficient. If you work at all from home, you need a home office that allows electronic conveyance of business materials and messaging. Phone and fax aren’t good enough any more."

Interpersonal skills are also critical, according to Mr. Pronier. "You must have the ability to mentor junior-level executives, since you may be called on to train people," he says. "You have to be able to communicate your knowledge to others."

To minimize idle periods, would-be executive temps should sign on with several staffing services and use other methods to find work. "Network relentlessly," Ms. Myrick advises. "You need to keep your pipeline filled. When I talk to people about flexible management careers, I tell them not to put all their eggs in one basket, even if it’s ours."

The temps agree. Mr. Peck reports finding about 80% of his assignments through networking. Ms. Sodaro also networks continually, which helps her to "deal with the panic you feel when you don’t have work," she says. Finding new assignments requires talking with others and being willing to share and offer support, she says.

Ms. Ban expects temps to have "the same flexibility we’re asking of our clients." This applies to compensation as well as project assignments. "Don’t say you can’t consider a job that doesn’t pay $100 an hour," she says. "Know what your market rate is, and think of a range you find acceptable."

Mr. Eason seeks knowledgeable applicants who have confidence in themselves. "If you’re looking for a security blanket, it isn’t going to happen," he says. "Normally I work with entrepreneur-type people who have confidence in their ability because they have success in their background."

Mr. Thompson notes that companies want independent, objective thinkers. "You should view whomever you work for as a client rather than an employer," he says. "Your job is telling the clients what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. You should do your best to understand the culture, but maintain your objectivity. Don’t get involved on the political level."

As loyalty to companies diminishes, the workplace is the perfect breeding ground for temporaries, says Mr. Peck. "There’s no job security," he says. "As a temporary I always have to have an eye down the road for networking and the next opportunity."

Ms. Johnson considers the lack of commitment a plus. "I love problem-solving assignments," she says. "Each project is very different. I’m not caught up in politics, so I can stay focused. I wish I’d discovered it sooner, because I’m having so much fun."

-- Ms. Mende, a Boston-based freelance writer, is a frequent contributor to CareerJournal.com.