How Temporary Contract Positions Can Help Your Long-Term Semiconductor Career
The recent recession changed the way people think about work. While many of the effects of the recession were clearly negative, one of the benefits to come out of it is a broadening of how people view their professional prospects. The past five years have seen an increase in graduate school attendees, the self-employed, and temporary contract workers.
That latter group has grown by about 9% in the last year, according to a survey performed by the American Staffing Association (ASA). While temporary contract positions offer some clear benefits to semiconductor businesses, it may be harder for engineering job candidates with dreams of steady, full-time work to see the appeal. Nonetheless, those temporary positions can pay off for the worker, as well as the company that hires him or her.
New Work Experience Looks Good on a Resume
Wherever you are in your career, the chance to add something new to your resume is valuable. A temporary project can mean access to a new piece of technology, or expose you to skills and knowledge you'd have a hard time acquiring at the library.
Every piece of new experience you gain makes you that much more valuable to the next business you hope to work with.
You Gain New Professional Contacts
Who you know is one of the most important factors to how successful your career will be. Every new contact is a new opportunity – or may lead to multiple future opportunities. A contract position gives you the chance to show your skills, knowledge, and work ethic to a number of new professional contacts who could become valuable professional colleagues in the semiconductor industry if you play your cards right.
Many Temporary Positions Are Contract-to-Hire
Some temporary positions have a clear end date, but many businesses have the intention from day one of turning it into a full-time position with benefits if the temporary hire performs well. If a full-time position is your ultimate goal, then ask upfront when interviewing for a temporary contract job if that's a possibility. If they say it is, be proactive about checking in to find out how you're doing and if that upgrade to full-time employee is imminent.
You Get a Paycheck
All of these benefits add to the most obvious one every professional has to consider: making money. Whether a temporary position is just something you take to tide you over until you can find a full-time job, or you appreciate the flexibility of temporary projects and aren't in any hurry to commit to an employee position, you can appreciate that regular paycheck.
Lest any of this sound too much like wishful thinking, the ASA has found that 99% of temporary contract workers interested in finding a full-time position are successful in that goal. 92% report being satisfied with their temporary staffing experience. For those who don't see temporary contract work as all that appealing in the long-term, considering it in the short-term can be a smart move in helping you achieve your larger career ambitions.