A number of years ago saw something where a guy said he went into a company and said he would work for three months for free. If they liked his work, they could hire him. If not, no harm no foul. Spent three months making himself indispensable, got hired, and promoted twice in the next year.

I told a friend who had been laid off from a job in a small trucking company about this. She got a temp job in a lawyers office while someone was on maternity leave. After a month, she was hired permanently and is still there.

Yes, we manage things, people, budgets, and all that. One of the biggest things we do is see a task, get it done without needing to be told or supervised. Aggressive initiative. Businesses really like that.