Key Takeaways
People often wonder if jumping between contracts every 6 months or 1 year impacts their ability to get a full-time job. The answer is likely no. If you articulate, that you enjoyed contracting but are searching for something more permanent no one can bat an eye.
Recruiters who judge are often those who do not understand contract work.
The days of staying with the same company for 10+ years are dead. According to flexjobs, job hoppers have seen record growth in wages over recent years. This is even more true for IT contractors. It’s hard for anyone to use the idea of maximizing your earning potential while it’s possible against you.
Explaining IT Contract History
With IT contracting, hopping between projects is common and expected. However, some folks not familiar with IT contracting may not be aware and potentially judge you unfairly.
Nado Tip #1 – Make sure linkedin and your resume surfaces the clients you work with as contract positions
From a recruiter’s perspective, you can quickly help them partially understand your job hopping before an interview occurs by calling out positions as contracts.
Recruiters familiar with contracting generally do not look down upon IT contractors who have short contracts. It is quite common for IT contractors to have short-term contracts, as many companies hire contractors for specific projects or to fill temporary staffing needs.
Transparency is the key to dealing with clients and recruiters.
Recruiters are usually more interested in a candidate’s overall skill set, experience, and work history, rather than the length of their contracts.
That being said, if a contractor has a pattern of frequently leaving assignments early or being let go from contracts prematurely, it could raise some concerns with recruiters about their reliability or ability to work effectively in different environments.
Some folks enjoy working on projects for a few years while others might have personal reasons that draw them to doing shorter contracts.
Whichever path you choose is ok, but it’s important to be able to articulate what you want so that no party feels burned.
Define Your Exit Plan
You have to get ready to be ready
Before accepting any role, I tend to go through these set of questions to ensure expectations are understood:
- Would I prefer a contract or full-time position?
- How long is the contract?
- Is there an opportunity to extend the contract or is the contract a fixed period?
- Is there an expectation to convert?
- How much time is enough to assess if you would want to convert?
- Am I taking this role for money, experience, or both?
Being able to answer these questions makes it so much easier to understand what your exit plan is when communicating with a potential client.
Assuming you answered those questions before accepting a role and are very competent then you’ll likely have some great references from each client who can vouch for you.
The power of a great reference is undeniable.
When previous clients speak highly about your work, potential clients are highly likely to feel less concerned about the length of work at each contract knowing you’ll likely deliver.
Summary
Ultimately, recruiters are focused on finding the right fit for their clients and placing qualified candidates in fulfilling roles.
The length of a contractor’s previous assignments is just one factor that recruiters consider when evaluating candidates, and it is unlikely to be a major factor in the hiring decision unless it is a consistent pattern of short-term contracts.
