Job Security in a Post-recession World!

Job Security in a Post-recession World!

Are you only looking for a permanent role or are you willing to entertain consulting roles, as well?

As a response, some candidates will state that they are looking for “perm roles” only – due to job security.  While others are serial consultants and only looking for consulting roles.  In a pre-recession world, selecting the perm role over the consulting role would have been a no-brainer due to job security.  However, we now live in a world where, in my opinion, there is no such thing as a permanent job and being a consultant may actually provide greater job security overall.

In the post-recession world, permanent employees can and have been laid off with little to no notice – making their permanent role anything but.  The general public has a skewed perception about being a consultant (temporary employee) and view it as to being high risk.  However, being a consultant (contractor) may actually provide less of a risk to the individual, in that contracting roles have a start date (‘start of contract’) and a pre-established end date (‘end of contract’).   With this knowledge comes the ability to plan. So, knowing the end date means that the consultant can start looking for other opportunities as their contract term nears.  In reality, they can start as soon as they can see their projects come to an end – products put into production, “go live” dates met, post-go-live testing, etc. The signs that a contract is coming to an end are many, and the consultant is rarely – if ever – caught by surprise. This is in stark contrast to a permanent employee who is caught off guard when the company does layoffs.

Some consultants try to find roles on their own at the end of an engagement, while others will reach out to recruiting firms to find them their next gig.  The beauty of working with a consulting company like Vivo is that we are well connected and if you have worked with us in the past we are able to vouch for you and get you in front of other clients within our network.

kor-it-consulting-450x250

So, if risk alone has kept you from the contracting world – though the money and freedom are calling your name – you may want to think again.  Perhaps that contract position you’ve been turning down would provide you more security than that “permanent” role, after all.

Harpreet Singh About the author