The Hidden Step
www.necouncil.org/the
hidden
step
anywhere, at any time, and not just from home or from
Starbucks, but from India. That’s changed the way some
employers look for employees. They recognize they’re
always going to want to have a contingent workforce and
to staff up or down to meet their needs.”
Companies create temporary jobs to staff up without
making a long-term commitment—a practice that is very
appealing when the economy is uncertain and health care
requirements are changing, says Brendan Courtney, presi-
dent of recruiting and staffng agency The Mergis Group,
a division of SFN Group in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
On the other side of the recession, temporary jobs and
contract jobs will become more the norm, Courtney pre-
dicts. “A lot of people who would normally only want to
work in a permanent, full-time position are going to have
to look at contract and temporary positions because that’s
going to become a bigger part of how companies hire and
staff,” he says.
Be prepared. In addition to refning and perhaps ex-
panding your skills, you want to accept the fact that the
temporary job and contract labor markets are growing
faster than the full-time, permanent labor market, so a job
search should include looking for a project work or busi-
ness opportunities as well. Traditionally there was a stigma attached to tempo-
rary jobs. But today there are great opportunities that did not exist before. Once
you get engaged and drop the long-term career idea, you will fnd yourself con-
tinuously employed on a project-by-project basis with more work than you can
handle.
STEP TWO
Identify Your Career Path
Temporary and Contractual
Opportunities are the future
“
...
accept the
fact that the tem-
porary job and
contract labor
markets are grow-
ing faster than the
full-time, perma-
nent labor
market.
”
“Every day you
spend drifting away from your goals
is a waste not only of that day, but
also of the additional day it takes to
regain lost ground.”
— Ralph Marston