Re-thinking Your Opposition to Contract Positions May be a Good Idea

On in Blog, Career Assistance, Landing a Job, Working with Recruiters.

You are an employee sitting at work in a full-time role – you aren’t very happy and your phone keeps ringing with calls from recruiters telling you about new contract opportunities around town. This is something new to you, that you may not have considered previously, but you know many people who are IT professional contractors and seem quite happy.  There are many factors to consider depending on your particular situation, but the rewards of trying something new may far outweigh the risk of not exploring contracting at all.

First, there may be an exciting opportunity to work in a challenging and leading edge environment you would otherwise be passing up by not considering a contract.  This can result in long term career growth and getting well-known companies onto your resume.  Living in a large city like Los Angeles affords us the option to work with amazing companies in the entertainment industry, insurance, finance, auto, and many mid-sized business that don’t exist in much of America. These industries utilize contractors to fulfill the work that their full-time employees are unable to accomplish, either because of a lack of skills or a lack of time. This can range from a short term project to the possibility of several years of work.

Depending on your situation it may also be more profitable for you to take an hourly contracting position than a full-time opportunity. You may ask how this is possible as you are aware that as a contractor you may be without benefits for a period of time and you may be looking for a new job in 6 months. The rate you receive as a contractor and the possibility of overtime may outweigh this worry for you as you are paid for every hour you work and contracting also increases your marketability for that next opportunity in a full-time role.  It may be a little scary to consider not receiving a full-time salary, but the hourly rate you would receive should mitigate that worry and further your long term career potential.  In addition, many companies such as Technical Connections do offer health insurance to our contractors.

Another factor to consider is the possibility of doing such great work that the company would not want you to leave at the end of the contract period or they may offer you a contract-to-hire opportunity from the start.  This gives you the chance to test the culture and long term possibilities with the company without having to make a firm commitment right from the start.  Also, at the end of the contract you may have been contacted about a new opportunity you want to explore and are ready to take on that next challenge.  Being a contractor, whether it’s short term or not, gives you the flexibility to gain new experience and further your career growth.

As the market in IT becomes more competitive and good employees become scarcer, the opportunities in contracting will increase further.  Every individual has a different set of circumstances when considering a contract position, but to not consider one at all is foolish.

Michael Fenstermaker

Recruiter

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