6 Reasons to Take a Contract or Temp Assignment Over a Full-Time Position
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
If you are weighing taking a consulting contract or temp assignment, here are 6 reasons that advantage them over a full-time position.
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Hi. I’m Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter. People hire me for the no BS career advice, which can involve job search, hiring more effectively, managing and leading better, a career transition or dealing with workplace issues. I want to talk with you about reasons to consider a contract or a temp assignment.
So the first one is, with a contract assignment, you’re going to be in a variety of situations. You know, if you take a bad assignment, often, the next one can be better. You’re not stuck as you might be in a permanent position where you have no other offers and this is the only job there and you’re stuck. With a contract, you’re only going to be there for a fixed period of time, even if they extend you, you’re going to be in a situation where you’re not going to be there forever.
Number two, you get to work with different people which can widen your network for future references. Sometimes you travel in both cases. That’s not going to be different. But the real opportunity is building your network and exposing you to different people all of whom get a chance to say, ‘You know, that Jeff guy is really good.’ Obviously, you have to do the work.
Now, basically, what you have to do is execute, and how you deliver what it is the client wants on time within budget and put them in a position of understanding that if they continue to make changes, this can result in delays and additional costs. Because if you’re being paid on an hourly basis, and you have to put in more time, you’re going to charge more. If it’s a Fixed Duration contract, you have to manage their expectations about what you’re going to be able to do within the budget that’s been allocated.
With a permanent position, you get a set number of vacation or sick days, and personal days off with pay. With a contract assignment, you can choose the amount of time you want to work in a given year. And yes, you can take off the balance of the year without pay, of course, but you have the choice to take time off to do whatever you wish. If you want to travel, if you want to spend more time with the kids, if you want to write a book, now it’s up to you to make decisions about you and your career. With a permanent position. It’s up to your employer about how they want to utilize you over the course of the year, and your body belongs to them.
The fifth reason is, especially as we’re entering recessionary times when costs are different, they may want to look rough and tough to their board and to their shareholders by keeping headcount down. But contract assignments come out of a different budget line and don’t count against headcount. As a result, it gives them a certain amount of flexibility and cost saving in their hiring, and gives you an opportunity to come in for a fixed duration, and be in the position of joining and not looking like an employee to the investors.
Again, management can look rough and tough saying we’ve cut 15% of our headcount., but they’re bringing in consultants to do the other work. And I know that may sound ridiculous to you, but it is how it often works. Remember, the more contracts, the more assignments you can take up in a year, and the more you can earn. The long and the short of it is some of these firms whom you have contracts with have great benefits. They may not involve cash bonuses or profit sharing. But there are other things that may be better than what you’d receive from a permanent position.
So those are six reasons to consider. I’m not endorsing it. I want to be clear about that. But these are some of the things to weigh as part of your evaluation process.
I’m Jeff Altman, I hope you found that helpful. Visit my website, the big game hunter.us. There’s a lot there in the blog to help you. Plus, if you’d like my advice about the situation, you can schedule a paid session with me. I’d be very happy to help. Also, if you’re interested in a longer-term relationship, because, remember, people hire me for no BS career advice, not just simply about making decisions about job offers, or helping with a job search. I help holistically over the course of a person and their career. If you’d like to get to know me better, you can schedule time for a free discovery call. I’d love to help you.
At my website, you can find out about my courses, books, and guides. Again, a lot there to help. Lastly, connect with me on LinkedIn at Linkedin.com./in/TheBigGameHunter. Have a terrific day and be great!
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. He is hired to provide No BS Career Advice globally. That can involve job search, hiring staff, management, leadership, career transition and advice about resolving workplace issues. Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2400 episodes.
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