Should I get a permanent position?
- Posted:
- 00:00 26 Jul 2001
The downturn will be short-lived
Richard Herring, Reed Technology Group
It is a well publicised fact that the contract market is not as buoyant as it was this time last year. A whole range of industries has been affected by changes in financial fortunes, particularly telecoms, IT and e-commerce. This has led to belt-tightening by many companies, the result being that there are fewer contract jobs available.
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However, there are some signs that this situation will improve in the last quarter of the year. Organisations that have held back funding for important projects will need to get them underway sooner rather than later. The current downturn will hopefully be short-lived.
Consequently, your decision will depend on two things. First, your motivation for contracting. The main reasons for working as a contractor typically centre around the potential to increase earnings, the variety of different assignments, the sense of freedom working for yourself provides and the relative distance from internal company politics that contractors can enjoy. Ask yourself which of these factors are most important to you and how ready you are to sacrifice them in order to seek permanent work.
Second, your personal financial circumstances will determine how urgently you need to make the decision to consider permanent work. Can you hold out for the market to improve?
I would suggest giving yourself a time limit based on the above factors, while searching for a new contract role. If you have been unsuccessful after that time then widen the search to include both contract and permanent work.
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