I'm considering applying for a new job but wanted to see if you all have some insight.

I enjoy my current job but I've gone as far as I can go in it since it's a very small department with very little turnover. Even my boss has told me I should start looking around at other opportunities to forward my career.

I have found a job in RTP that looks up my alley and would be a step up, but it is a contract position. It claims to be a long-term contract but I know how temp agencies can be. Doing some research online it looks like the benefits the agency gives to contract employees are pretty crap. Right now I have excellent benefits though my pay is much lower than it should be.

Would you trade the excellent benefits and job security for a position that would pay more but provide much lower benefits and doesn't necessarily have job security? I think it would be a good stepping stone for my career but being a contracted employee makes me nervous. Of course this is all speculation since I haven't even put in an application yet but I figure it's better to get some insight now than later.

3/29/2013 10:03:09 AM

Interesting as I was in the same boat. I worked for State in a small department and was offered a federal job in RTP but on a contract, and only a three month contract. I spoke with my boss and he urged me to take it since there was nowhere for me to go in our department and I got basically no exposure to networking. The contract job has zero benefits (I think I'll get two PTO days that I can use my last two weeks here) but pays very well.

I ended up leaving State and have already gotten a ton of experience that has made my resume much more valuable. Even if I don't get hired in this department or even agency, I have met a ton of people and they will be great to have when looking for another job in the federal government or elsewhere. My advice would be to take what advances your career the most, especially if the contract is long-term. You don't want to waste your time sitting arond somewhere you have no mobility. When you are young is the time to jump around and get as much experience as you can.

What you have to consider is do you have financial support if it completely falls through (parents, savings, spouse, etc.) and if there are no health benefits how your health is now and what the cost of private insurance is.

I'd say once you are in somewhere at the park, it's easier to stay in the park and you will no doubt make invaluable connections networking.

3/29/2013 10:13:22 AM

This isn't over the chair thing is it?

I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

3/29/2013 10:22:58 AM

Ncsuallday's advice is pretty spot on. I also worked for the university in a situation where my benefits were great but the pay was low. I was moving out of state as my fiancee decided to go to grad school in Virginia, and after looking for jobs for a while, I ended up taking a 1-year contract position that sounds similar to yours. It pays much better than my old job but there are basically no benefits (I get paid holidays after like 8 months, there is health insurance available but it's really shitty and expensive). But it's a great move for my career, and in speaking to the contract agency (Robert Half International) and to the permanent employees in the company for whom I'm working, I got the impression that a lot of their employees come in as contractors and get hired on full-time if they do well. Kind of like a 1-year audition that they can walk away from cleanly if things don't go well.

It does depend on how long the contract is--a three-month would have made me very nervous but 6 or better could be worth it, depending on your situation. Also try to get a feel if it's for a permanent position that they're trying to fill via contract labor, or if it's a finite-length/project position that has a definite end date after which the position goes away. If you impress there it could lead to a permanent position elsewhere in the company but that can be a bit of a gamble, depends on your tolerance of risk and your support/backup system.

Unless your need for financial stability/security precludes it, I'd also say take what advances your career the most. I'm 6 months in with no regrets at all, and even after buying private insurance I still have as much take-home pay as I did in my previous position plus a part-time job. So getting paid the same for working 40 hours as I formerly did for 52-55 is pretty nice. If you do go for it, make sure your lines of communication with your boss are good and open, so you can sit down with him or her a couple of months from the end of your contract and have a frank discussion of whether your contract will be renewed, you will be brought on permanently, or you need to start looking for other positions.

3/29/2013 10:53:06 AM

I'm currently in this boat, at a job with little to no upward mobility so I've started to look around and all I'm seeing is contract yet the contract work is hella more than what I make now.

3/29/2013 10:58:36 AM

Just want to chime in to say that Robert Half Technology is hands down the best recruiter/head hunter agency I've ever worked with. If they are the contract handlers, I would do it in a minute.

3/29/2013 10:59:58 AM

^^^^ hahaha no

Quote :

"and if there are no health benefits how your health is now and what the cost of private insurance is. "

This is my biggest thing. If it was just me I could deal with crappier health insurance but my daughter is also on my health insurance. We could get added onto my husband's insurance but his company gives pretty crap insurance. But like you guys say if the take home pay is much higher than I make now (and it would have to be how little I am currently paid) that could more than make up for it.

I have a feeling this position is a one-year contract and like you say sort of an audition to see if they want to hire you onto the company. Although I know that a lot of people can get stuck as contractors at this company for 10+ years which is just nuts to me.

^ It's Belcan which I'm seeing mixed reviews for.

[Edited on March 29, 2013 at 11:01 AM. Reason : s]

3/29/2013 11:00:43 AM

Sorry, don't mean to completely hijack your thread! This one seems like the latest thread that may fit my issue. I have an interview this Friday for a state job in NC that is definitely a step up (the floor of the hiring salary is well over 10k more than I make now), but I am worried that I may not have as much experience as they are looking for. The person that left the job had been there 20+ years, while I have only been at my SC state position for just over 2 years. Does anyone have experience applying for a job that appears you might not have as much experience as what they are looking for, and what you did to make yourself stand out from that?

4/10/2013 12:29:34 PM

Try to make it appear that even though you have less experience, you are more skilled in modern developments in your field. If you have specific software training or GIS experience, whatever that somebody who is much older than you would not have. Older people are fascinated with what younger people can do with computers.

4/10/2013 1:22:25 PM

^^^ Is it a straight contract position or a temp-to-hire? If it's a straight contract position, the odds are pretty low that the company will keep you on at the end of the contract period. Of course they could always just extend your contract, as you already know, but this doesn't exactly provide you the upward mobility you are looking for. That's not to say that you won't WOW them and they will find another job for you within the company, but contract positions serve a very specific purpose. Companies create contract positions and shop them out to staffing agencies because they know the job is going away at the end of the contract period, so it helps them avoid spending money and resources on your employment. (payroll, benefits, unemployment, etc.)

If this was truly meant to be an "audition", the company (assuming they know what they are doing) would go with a temp-to-hire position. This type of position would provide a cheaper hourly rate during the temp position, because it is weighted on the back end with a "buy out" if the company hires you full time. So there is less risk to the company if you don't work out, plus they still don't have to worry about managing your payroll, benefits, unemployment, etc.

My advice: If it's temp-to-hire, definitely go for it. If it's straight contract, give it some thought. But if the money is that much better, and enough to outweigh the shitty benefits, then go for it. Worst case scenario you have a nice gig to put on your resume and you keep job searching during the contract period.

[Edited on April 10, 2013 at 5:12 PM. Reason : a]

4/10/2013 5:08:07 PM

Ok. I'm currently stuck in a rut with my current job. Long story short, I haven't done any major design work since our last delivery about 4 months ago. I basically sits on my ass and TWW all day . Anyways...just got an offer from a company but the pay is the same. I reply to negotiate for about 10% increase. I really want to work for the new place because I can improve my engineering skills, however the pay is nothing of a motivation. So just take it? Any advice are appreciate it.


(I know TWW won't disappoint )

7/1/2015 6:01:19 PM

So how did this turn out

7/7/2015 2:32:46 PM

I gave them my reasons why I should get the salary based on my current company. They came back with a new offer. I didn't get the 10% increase more like 9% but that just to make them fell that they won. I take the offer obviously. So always negotiate.

so I might be seeing Wraith around.

[Edited on July 8, 2015 at 11:49 AM. Reason : .]

7/8/2015 11:49:09 AM