Short term contracts – keeping ahead of the game

Posted on | April 22, 2009 | Author: | GaryH | No Comments

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In the current climate where budgets and resources are tight, it is becoming more common for employers to take on staff for short term contract assignments of one or two months as opposed 6-12 months like we might have seen in more buoyant times. As a contractor then it is more important then ever that you stay ahead of the game in terms of maximising the limited time that you have in a role and potentially extending the life of your contract.

As a contractor, if you can make yourself indispensible to the employer, you will stand a much greater chance of securing that extension. This goes beyond delivering the work that you were assigned to carry out in the first place. From day one a good contractor will be assessing the lie of the land within the company as a whole, getting to know the key players and seeing what input they can have elsewhere in the organisation. There will no doubt be other areas and projects that need attention so if you can apply yourself and prove your necessity in a variety of ongoing work / projects your boss will be less inclined to let you go at the end of your tenure. Common sense, really, but a good piece of advice I think, particularly for younger contractors who might be finding their feet in their first or second assignment.