For Tom Allen in San Francisco, an assignment overhauling a law firm's financial software turned into a chief financial officer's job. For Kent Adams in Florida, helping a biotech firm launch a series of new consumer products led to an offer for a full-time job as vice president of consumer products. And Stephen Russell took a temporary CFO job at a small public-relations firm in Chicago to get through the holidays and wound up staying on after the new year as chief operating officer.

As with previous economic recoveries, temporary hiring is picking up more quickly than full-time hiring. The increase in the short-term work force isn't all just junior staffers like secretaries, junior accountants and copywriters. It's also favoring sales, marketing, technology and finance executives.

"Twenty years ago, it wasn't in vogue to have someone in a senior-level role on a consulting basis. It's amazing how acceptable it's become to have interim managers," notes Paul McDonald, executive director at Robert Half Management Resources, a unit of Robert Half International that places financial executives on temporary assignments.

These high-level temps might be asked to get a start-up in shape for its next round of financing, or help a larger company bring a risky new product to market. But the companies don't want to hire full-timers just yet, Mr. McDonald says. "They're still not sure what's happening with the economy or where the company is going."

But if that next round of funding comes along or the product is a success, the company might have both the need and the budget to make the consultant a permanent staffer. They might even have a temporary-to-permanent transition in mind from the start: Mr. McDonald says about 15% of the short-term assignments he fills for clients turn into full-time jobs.

And even if the company isn't thinking that way initially, things can change. "Companies are beginning to, as a matter of policy, look at that pool of workers first for permanent jobs because they're already inside and can come up to speed more quickly than an outsider," says Gerry Crispin, co-author of "Career Xroads" (MMC Group, 2004) and a consultant on hiring to several large companies.

"Or sometimes they hire a temporary person because it allows them to get more experience and better skills than they think they could afford to hire full time," he says. "Then the person really adds value, and they want to find a position for them, often at a higher level."

A three- or six-month consulting gig might not be ideal for someone looking for a full-time job. But it might get you inside a good company and closer to a permanent job than you'd be if you remained a full-time job seeker and outsider, particularly as the economy and hiring in general improve.

Should you land one of these gigs -- on your own or through a networking group or a placement firm -- here's advice from other former temporaries on how to make the most of your inside position.

Mr. Russell was asked to be interim CFO at PR21, a small firm owned by the public-relations giant Edelman, while the company searched for a permanent CFO. He didn't want to move his family to New York, where the job would be located, but thought that being inside a large company like Edelman could be good for his job search.

He looked up former colleagues who also had moved to Edelman or PR21 and suggested lunch. He made sure they knew he was still looking for something permanent. "They all said to let them know if they could help me at all," Mr. Russell says. "It's nice to have people keeping their eyes and ears open for you."

He also asked the outgoing CFO to introduce him to his counterpart at the parent company. "I was able to talk with her a little about the industry and people we both knew and make a personal connection. I also made sure to chitchat with her after that about things going on at [PR21]," he says.

A consultant rarely is introduced around the office the same way a new hire is. If you don't already know people, as Mr. Russell did, it can be hard to make connections with contacts who will alert you to relevant openings. "Contingent workers usually don't have access to the postings on the company's intranet, either," notes Mr. Crispin.

Hal Etterman, a financial consultant in Danville, Calif., suggests taking the initiative with people you meet by the elevator or coffee machine. Mr. Etterman, who is affiliated with Mindforce Consulting, a virtual alliance of independent consultants, has turned four temporary assignments into job offers.

"People will see you around and be curious, so it's OK to say, 'I'm so-and-so. I'm here working on this project. What do you do?' " he says. "It's also OK, as you get to know these other people a little, to mention that your assignment is ending soon, and you're looking out for a next project or even something permanent."

Mr. Adams, now a Florida-based executive for Ganeden Biotech Inc. in Beachwood, Ohio, would use the project at hand as an excuse to talk to people. "I would network extensively, especially at bigger companies. I would tell people I wanted to really understand what was going on at the company, so I could better understand my role and what decisions needed to be made," he says. But the conversations also gave those people a chance to get to know him and his background and interests.

Ganeden asked Mr. Adams to start up a consumer over-the-counter division. After the division was up and running, the company asked if he was interested in heading it full time. He offered to increase work part time, so he could get to know the company better while still serving other consulting clients. Ganeden continued to pursue Mr. Adams and he eventually accepted the full-time role.

A consultant often spends so much time selling himself as a free agent that a client might assume he or she doesn't want a full-time job. If you're interested in an opening, but no one has approached you about it, don't be afraid to say so.

Tom Allen did just that while serving as a financial consultant to Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison. The law firm's CFO left, and he was asked to step in as temporary CFO while it searched for a new hire.

"I'd never been a CFO before, so initially I didn't think I'd be considered for the job," he says. "But after a few months, I saw that the job was well within my skills, and I was enjoying it. So I thought I might as well throw my hat into the ring."

He told the firm's managing director he was interested and was asked to forward a resume to the outside recruiter handling the search. He joined the final round of interviewees and got an offer. "As an outsider, I wouldn't have been considered. But I was already there and doing it," says Mr. Allen, who left the firm after two years to consult and later started Bay Area Consulting Group, an alliance of independent consultants.

If there are no specific openings, it pays to be more discreet. "I've seen individuals be so proactive about pursuing a job that the employers had to say 'back off, we just want a consultant,' " says Mr. McDonald. And being too pushy could put you out of the running for jobs that open down the road.

"It's delicate balance, but to some extent you need to let your expertise and communication style and project results precede you," he advises. "And then you have to trust that, over the six months or so that you're there, you'll have personal interactions and opportunities to express interest in doing more for the company."

Mr. Russell struck that balance at PR21. "I wanted to bring value over and above what they expected," he says. But he also didn't want to overstep his consultant's role.

So, for example, when it came time to prepare financial forecasts, he proceeded the way he always had at bigger companies, even though that meant generating more financial data than this small firm was used to. "I went to the CEO with some things I found, and said, 'This one metric suggests you might have an issue that hadn't been pointed out to me, so I wanted to make sure you knew about it,' " he explains. "He asked me about what it measured and what I thought the firm could do about it."

When he delivered his advice, however, he'd always say, "I'm still an outsider here, and whoever you hire as CFO may feel differently about this. If you want my two cents, here it is, but feel free to take it or leave it."

Ultimately, the CEO saw Mr. Russell bringing strategic as well as financial expertise to the table. "It made him think differently about what the job [they were trying to fill] could be," he says. The company redesigned the opening as a COO role rather than CFO and offered it to him, letting him stay in Chicago.

The conversation Tom Allen had with Brobeck Phleger's managing director about the CFO job was so quick and uneventful, "I barely remember having one," he says. However, you will at some point have a sit-down to discuss the full-time job and however informal it is, you still need to be prepared.

"It's different from other job interviews because they already know who you are and how you work," explains Mr. Adams. "It's more a concept fit. What are your thoughts on our business plan? Do you agree on what the goals should be for the position?"

But, Mr. McDonald warns, "Don't presume that because you're the insider you're a shoo-in. Prepare for the interview." For example, you should be able show an insider's understanding of the company culture and point out experiences you've had that show you're a good fit, particularly if the hiring manager isn't the same person you've been working for day-to-day.

Mr. Etterman, who's taken all his full-time jobs with young companies, points out that you still need to ask the usual questions, too. "You want to know where the company is going. Where is it planning to get funding? What's its plan for an exit? If the company is acquired in a few months, what will happen to your job?" he says. "I've turned down offers because I didn't think a company was going to make it."

If your sideline consulting has been going better than your job search -- not unusual in this job market -- you may be involved in other projects when the offer comes along. In this case, it's best to negotiate with your new employer for time to finish those assignments, say experienced consultants.

Karen Beulow, a MindForce Consulting associate in Milwaukee, asked for one day a week to handle her consulting clients when she joined a high-speed-Internet-connection provider in Chicago a few years ago. Mr. Etterman asks for extra time over the first six months of a new job to wind down his assignments. Mr. Adams worked part time at Ganeden while he segued from consulting to a full-time schedule.

Mr. Etterman notes, "As long as there isn't a conflict and you're upfront about it, it should reflect well on your professional ethics that you don't want to leave someone hanging."