Should You Seek Temporary Or Contractual Employment While Se

By Author: David Richter
Total Articles: 16
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According to US Department of Labor statistics, the average time to find employment is roughly six months. It could take as little as four to six weeks, or as long as ten to twelve months, or longer. Several factors determine your time to placement:

Degrees
Current state of employment
Age
Level of experience
Level of salary
Type of position you're seeking
Level of position being sought
Desired salary level
Location
Industry
Your resume
Your interview skills
Networking effort
Degree of career transition

No one knows how long they will be unemployed. Even a person with sufficient funds to last their entire period of unemployment may still want to consider a temporary or contractual assignment as an interim solution. The loss in income can have an unforeseeable psychological impact. Other concerns that need to be addressed include:

Loss of confidence
Losing familiarity with day-to-day responsibilities
Boredom
Creating employment gaps in the resume
More expensive health benefits
Minimal ...
... professional interactions
No opportunity to convert a temporary position into a permanent one

The rule of thumb is: if you have been searching unsuccessfully for two months and find yourself no further ahead than when you became unemployed, I would encourage you to seek temporary employment or a contractual assignment. More and more people are engaging in this type of activity, including former CEO's. In fact, there has been a twenty percent increase in the number of people working part-time since 2001.

The steady rise in temporary employment and contractual assignments is a definite indicator, not only of the state of our economy, but of things to come. Employers are realizing the many benefits of hiring temporary and contract employees. They don't have to go through all the screening and interviewing that is typical for permanent employees; they don't have to pay benefits; they can try out a person without any obligation to hire if it isn't working out; and they can convert a temporary or contractual employee to permanent status once the person has proven themselves.

At this time, there is a coupling of two factors: employers are seeking more people for temporary and contract jobs that used to be strictly for permanent employees, and job seekers are taking longer to find permanent employment. It would appear that temporary employment and contractual assignments represent ideal solutions.

Copyright © 2005 TopDog Group All rights reserved.
About the Author David Richter is a recognized authority on career coaching. His extensive knowledge and experience gained from many years in recruitment, outplacement and career management has allowed David to formulate powerful strategies anyone can use to secure interviews and receive offers. David holds Masters in both Engineering and Counseling Psychology. Visit David's site for free tips, strategies and other career resources http://www.procareercoach.com