For some companies, the only way to get your foot in the door is by taking on a contract role. It’s not such a bad thing, either. By taking on a contract role, you get the opportunity to know and network with influential people within the organization and show leadership the value you can bring to the company. And these opportunities could lead to a permanent position when your contract ends.
Contract roles can last anywhere from a few weeks to six months (or more). Sometimes they are project-based, and other times a contract is simply a temporary job with a firm end date, such as filling in for someone while they’re on maternity leave. While taking on this type of role is a great way to show your worth to an employer you’d like to work for, it’s also a chance for you to find out a little more about the company and whether or not you’d like to work there full-time should the opportunity present itself. If nothing else, it’s a fantastic way to grow your network and boost your resume.
If you end up liking the job, the company, and the people you’ve been working with, there are ways that you may be able to leverage your role to become a full-time employee.
Contract vs. Full-Time: What The Difference?
To work as a contractor means that when you get hired into a job, it’s on a contract basis. Unlike a permanent job with no firm end date, when you accept a contract position, you know exactly when your job will end. When offered this type of role, you’ll receive a contract (thus, why it’s called a contract job) that will spell out expectations/scope of work, your pay, when the job starts and ends, and possibly more information, depending on the job.
As a contractor, you may be taking on a job requiring you to work the standard 40-hour workweek, but you are not a full-time employee even though you are working full-time. You could be doing the same job as another person within the organization, and they could be a permanent employee while you’re a contractor. Because of this, you won’t get the same benefits as a regular full-time employee does, such as medical insurance, PTO, holiday pay, etc. However, suppose you get placed in the contract role through a talent agency. Instead, you may be eligible for benefits through them (though these benefits will not match the benefits of employees at the company you’re contracting for).
Pros & Cons of Contract Roles
While the downside of being a contractor is that you get all of the same benefits as a full-time employee (even if you’re doing all of the same work), there are plenty of upsides, too. There are pros and cons of taking on a contract position like any job.
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How Contract Roles Can Lead to Full-Time Jobs
It’s not uncommon to come across job opportunities classified as Temp-to-Hire. If a job is categorized like this, the employer essentially says that the company requires someone full-time, and the “Temp” term is a try-out for that role. However, the difference between a Temp-to-Hire job and a contract role is that the company may not know whether or not there is a need for a permanent full-time employee in the position. So, if you’re working on a contract that you hope to turn into a full-time opportunity, then you need to prove to the company that you’re an asset. Here are some tips for doing just that:
- Make a point to fit into the culture; get to know fellow workers so that they start to see you as a part of the team, not as an outsider
- Put the energy into mastering your job so that leadership sees you as indispensable
- Do all of the things a reasonable employee would do; show up on time, produce quality work, meet your deadlines, come up with new exciting ideas, clearly communicate with your supervisor when problems arise, etc.
- Volunteer to take on more work if you have the bandwidth
- Tell leadership that you’d like to be considered for a full-time position at the end of your contract if there is an opportunity available
When There’s No Full-Time Opportunity Available
You can be a total rockstar and everyone at the company can adore you, but sometimes there just isn’t a need to turn a contractor into a full-time permanent employee. Perhaps there are some things you’ll need to do to ensure a smooth transition and set yourself up for success at the end of your contract term:
- Get in touch with your recruiter at least a month before your contract ends so that they can start helping you find something new
- If there isn’t a need for your specific job at the company you’ve been contracting for, ask around to see if there are other opportunities that you’d be qualified for (a foot in the door is a foot in the door, right?)
- Ask your supervisor if they’d be willing to serve as a reference as you work to find a new position or contract—even better, ask if they’d be willing to refer you to someone within their network who can help
- Make an effort to stay in touch with the people you connected with during your time as a contractor, because you never know when an opportunity will arise down the road
Go After What You Want
There is plenty to love about being a contractor, so not everyone hopes to turn a short-term job into something permanent (and that’s okay!). If you find yourself in the middle of a contract that you’re enjoying and could see yourself doing long-term, then it’s up to you to do whatever you can to make it happen. So, go above and beyond to prove that you’re an asset and make connections wherever you can because even if it doesn’t happen right now, there’s a good chance something will become available to you down the road. Every company needs good employees, and a contract role is a perfect opportunity to show how great you are.
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