Expand your career options

07/01/2016

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

Wayne Gretzky

People are sometimes hesitant to give contracting a shot because they want to feel secure. We get that.

However, the financial downturn of 2008 proved beyond doubt that even permanent jobs may not guarantee a secure career in a volatile job market.

In the aftermath of the recession, many companies laid off experienced workers to compensate for budget deficits. For many people, the apparent comfort of holding a permanent job suddenly gave way to despair in those uncertain times. It happened before, and it might happen again.

And we recommend considering taking on work as a contracted employee. Sometimes it's wise to take a shot at contracting just to push your career forward. When you are good at what you do, you might join on a three-month contract and then have your contract renewed twice before you go perm and get a couple of promotions in the next five years.

According to the American Staffing Association, 18 percent of temp jobs are annually converted to permanent jobs at clients' sites.

So there's almost a one-in-five chance of going perm and those odds are pretty good. At other times short contracts last a couple of years, which can be longer than some permanent job offers people take. 

That's a good enough reason for you to give contracting a shot.