A few weeks ago we wrote about the different advantages and disadvantages that come with both contract and full time work (as well as the PSCI difference). As an IT staffing firm that deals primarily with contract work, however, we’d be remiss to not follow that up with a post that details just how great contract work can be.
In fact, in a post on the CIO website titled “The Future Looks Bright for IT Workers” they state that businesses are starting to invest more in IT which in turn means more investment in IT workers. And to really drive the point home, they’ve quoted, Jim Wong, the CEO of Brilliant (a staffing firm that specializes in temporary staffing, permanent search, and management resources for accounting, finance and information technologies) as saying, “This increase in demand for IT professionals will also lead to more companies willing to hire interim or contract professionals rather than hire on a permanent basis.”
So with so much opportunity out there for contract work what makes it so great? The answer is more than you might think. Here are just a few reasons why:
Higher Salaries – Well, technically speaking, a higher hourly wage. Since employers don’t have to pay for employees benefits, unemployment insurance or paid time off (PTO) the contractor is able to collect a higher hourly wage as compared to their full time counterparts. For many, this is a huge advantage. For as long as you’re under contract, you could theoretically be walking away from the engagement with almost double the salary as you would have received if you were a permanent employee. And the best thing about it is that the employers are more than okay with it since they’re actually saving money in the long run!
New Skills and Experiences – Quite possibly one of the most overlooked perks of being a contract worker is the ability to gain new skill sets and experiences. Of course there are exceptions but in most cases a permanent employee will typically be working with the same technologies, and in the same environments, over the course of their employment with the employer. While this can help them to become experts in one particular field, it also limits their opportunities to gain new skills and experiences. This is not the case for the contract worker. As a contract worker, you have an opportunity to sample a number of employers by taking on a series of different contracts – with exposure to new technologies – in a variety of industries. This results in a well-rounded, technically diverse and more appealing candidate for future endeavors.
Quick Hires – Employers don’t like their positions laying around unfilled. It creates a waste of both time and money. This leads to them wanting to fill their open opportunities faster than they would a permanent role. Think of it like this, if the role’s length is for only 6 months the employer doesn’t have the time to wait around for the “perfect” candidate. They must do their due diligence but also act quickly. Time is our most valuable resource and nobody can afford to waste it. This in turn creates higher demand, and because of that demand contract work actually offers a deceiving amount of job security that most feel it lacks.
A Chance to Impress – Even with all the opportunity, the higher wages, and the ability to gain new skills and experiences contract work may still not be for everyone. So if you do find yourself in a contract role this is your chance to impress the employer. If you can show them your value it could lead to an offer to be brought on board full-time as a regular employee. So don’t go thinking of your contract opportunity as just a space filler on your resume or a temporary way to pay the bills, think of it as a doorway to bigger and better opportunities.
What other benefits of contract work are out there that we may have missed?
Image courtesy of jesadaphorn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
