There is a common misconception that contract workers are lower-level or not the “cream of the crop.” This misconception stems from the picture many people have in their minds of the clerical or blue collar temps of the past who mostly took temporary work when they couldn’t find a traditional job.
But today’s contractors can be found in nearly every industry and in positions up to and including the C-suite. Companies can truly find cream of the crop contract candidates, particularly in the technical, professional, and healthcare arenas. For many candidates, contract staffing is no longer a last resort or simply a path to direct employment, it is a chosen lifestyle.
“I have candidates that have been offered permanent employment and have turned it down because they want to work on contract,” said Linda Blakemore, president of the Atlantic Pacific Group recruiting firm. “They like the flexibility and they make great money.”
In fact, the 2012 MBO Partners State of Independence in America report found that 57% of “independent workers” (e.g., contractors, contract workers) consciously chose to work on a contract basis. Only 13% said they would go back to a traditional employment relationship.
“These findings debunk the popular misconception that workers are forced into independence due to job loss or lack of alternatives,” the report stated.
Furthermore, the recent Randstad Workforce360 Study found that one-third of contractors occupy high-level positions. Companies often bring in high-level executives on a contract basis to serve as interim executives or consultants or to complete projects in a trend known as executive temping. This trend clearly shows that the old stereotype of the lower-level contractor has become outdated.
But what’s in it for the candidate? What would make them give up the perceived security of a traditional, direct hire position for a contract assignment? There are a number of reasons:
“The staffing industry within IT is one of the businesses that most perfectly follows the law of supply and demand,” Greenberg said. “In our business, when it gets very difficult to find people, the price goes up. And when they can’t find full-time employees, they must fill their open positions with contractors. What we’re seeing now is the price of contractors is going up as the demand is going up.”
For these and other reasons, you and your clients should not assume that candidates are second rate simply because they have worked a number of contract positions. These are candidates that can think outside the box and choose the path less traveled, a path in which they are picking up additional skills and expertise that could indeed make them the cream of the crop.