Contracting

Seven years ago I did something different.
 
I decided to give contracting a go.
 
At the time I had never worked as a PAYG contractor.
The thought of stepping out of my then perm role comfort-zone, into something that potentially comes with an 'end' date initially gave me anxiety.
But I dared to try and managed to contract for 7 years, across 5 firms, in 3 different industries. Win.
 
So why do it? Primarily one main reason… Exposure.
 
Contracting gave me more exposure
- To different industries, teams, work and company cultures
- To different environments, systems, processes and tools
- And obviously the chance to earn a little more via day rate offers.
 
Contracting also has other benefits..
- Increased learning across all above mentioned exposure items.
- Exposes you to change and helps you become less change averse.
- Quicker overall onboarding. Projects hiring contractors generally want started ASAP and thus overall time taken from ad placed, to interview (fewer interviews in general compared to perm roles) , to offer is much shorter.
- A great way to get into a company via contracting if the perm route is too tedious with interviews, psych tests etc. For example, contracting allowed me to get into the banking and medical devices industry - both of which are tough to get into if you do not have prior experience.
- General contracts are around 6 months and capped renewals at 2 years - this forces you to be more aware of what is happening the job market. This also forces you to you keep your Resume and LinkedIn profile up to date.
- This increased market awareness means you are connecting with more recruiters and agencies.
- The organic growth of people network is quicker if you roll over from firm to firm OR from one team/group to another.
 
 
I liken contracting to travelling. As travel broadens your learning and exposure, so does contracting.
 
 
Downsides? Yes… some:
- Today's current market conditions may not be conducive for someone to try contracting
- If you are on a day rate, there is no sick or annual leave, but the day rate should more than compensate if you did happen to be forced away from work days.
- Career development and planning will need to become your own responsibility.
 
 
In the interests of keeping this post generally short, I would highly recommend contracting to anyone who has not yet tried it. I think it should be done at least once in your career lifetime.
 
Any questions - please message me.
If I can't answer them, then I may know someone who might.