For engineers everywhere a contract gig can be a sweet deal. Working as a contractor/consultant gives you the opportunity to make sick money, travel the globe, learn new things, and work for some INCREDIBLE companies on really cool projects. “Sounds great,” you say. What’s the possible downside?
Though I can’t speak for other industries or career specialties, I have some very specific opinions on perpetual contract work and how it can affect your employability.
The occasional contract gig in between career positions is smart. They keep you active and keep the money rolling in. However, it’s far too easy for GREAT engineers to fall into the perpetual contractor trap.
As a primarily direct hire recruiter I will VERY RARELY consider a “career contractor” for a full time, permanent position with one of my clients.
My livelihood depends on my understanding of clients’ needs and my ability to facilitate those needs. A consistent pain point with these companies is employee retention. Quite simply, if they look at a resume of a career contract engineer whistles start blowing.
They wonder and ask:
- Are you a commitment-phobe, perpetually choosing contract positions because you easily become bored or want to avoid the responsibility of making and keeping promises to your employer?
- Do you have skeletons? Are you REALLY leaving contract position after contract position for bigger and better challenges? Or are you being dismissed/leaving because your work is underwhelming and sub-par?
- Do you not play well with others and move on to a clean slate each time you accept a new position?
Whether or not these fears are substantiated, these are the questions that my clients are asking me if I put someone with a seemingly sporadic contracting background in front of them.
My advice? Diversify your background while you still can. If you are someone who really likes taking on contract roles, that’s great! Temper it with some direct employment engagements throughout your career. It will give the necessary balance to your employment history to make you marketable regardless of the “status” of the job.
It’s like the old saying goes – “you can have too much of a good thing”.
MODERATION ALWAYS WINS OUT!
PS – the IT world functions in a manner almost opposite to this, so if you’re one of our fantastic IT folks take this blog with a grain of salt. I’m an engineering recruiter and blogging from that perspective!
XO – happy career planning
Corey,
Please do not stereotype contract engineers. Although there are some who admittedly have flaws for not playing nice, have commitment issues, have ego issues – many of us are very good at what we do and have just been caught up in a viscous cycle of plant closings and layoffs. I stayed with the companies I worked for until they announced the closure or reduced their work forces. So I do not have control over world economics or how the company was managed!
So your stereotyping of contractors is not only hurting the contractors but the companies who ignore our resumes’ because of our back ground. It is important to invest the same amount of time in understanding who I am and what my motivations are before you toss me aside.
I work contract when permanent jobs are not available to support my family until a permanent job is found. The area I live in has over 80% of it’s factories closed and the jobs that are available are often be filled by engineers displaced from other parts of the world or simply not being filled.
As an over 50 engineer, jobs that are being posted are often for junior level entry jobs or new technologies I have no experience in and companies won’t train me for.
The shinny side is that my years of experience in multiple companies has given me a broad few of how to accomplish tasks. My maturity makes me an engineer that needs no supervision that can handle a large range of projects that many junior engineers don’t have the experience for.
Jammie,
Thank you for your response to my blog! I think you bring up a terrific point that NOT ALL individuals who accept contract work are doing so as an active choice.
You’re incredibly right in saying that the economy has been tough in recent years, and especially tough for certain niche industries. I commend you for taking on contract roles rather than resting on your laurels and “waiting for the next big job” to come along. You’ll see that I noted in my blog – “the occasional contract gig between career positions is smart”.
While I understand your concern with stereotyping, I wrote the blog because it’s important to understand what the overall perception is out in the employment world of perpetual contractors who are looking for direct hire, full time employment. This is a very real perception and one that I alone cannot change.
I think it’s better to bring that “stereotype” to light so that it can be overcome rather than leaving it as the unaddressed elephant in the room.
From what it sounds like, you are not the kind of individual I was referencing in my blog. You’ve taken contract roles (perfectly fine / even encouraged) in the interim of career positions. I was trying to spread the message to candidates who have worked for 10+ years ONLY in contract roles who expect that they won’t have a tough time finding a permanent job.
Everyone understands that from 2008 to present that the road has been rocky. OF COURSE exceptions are and will still be made with regard to the last 5 years.
At the end of the day, I do stand by what I said in the spirit of imparting my industry knowledge. Unfortunately, as a recruiter (or as a candidate) you can’t argue about job tenure with a hiring manager. They know what they’re looking for and most won’t rest until they find it.
Sincere Regards,
Corey Switzer
Senior Engineering Recruiter
716-636-0070 x31