Is a Short-term Job Right for You?
By Joyce Lain Kennedy
Dear Joyce: After being downsized, I'm a professional who's been out for four months. Now I've been offered a job with OK money, but it's only set to last 14 months. Should I accept? -- D.M.R.
Dear D.M.R.: The biggest pluses for professional-level contract or other time-limited jobs are that they can be used to refresh a career and keep you off the streets. Additionally, contract work is useful as a holding action when you're undecided about your next best move.
But aren't short-term assignments a drag on your résumé because some organizations still see zigzagging through the employment landscape as a black mark? Not really. The chaotic job market of the last half-dozen years -- awash with frequent job shuffles -- has brightened the lackluster image of short-termers.
Must Have
To maximize the benefits of in-and-out jobs, make sure these key points are satisfied before accepting a time-limited offer.
Basics such as good pay, opportunity to grow skills needed for your next move and an environment where you can add accomplishment notches to your résumé.
Clarity about promptness and method of reimbursement if you have to front expenses -- one to two weeks, interest penalties for late payments to you, direct deposit to your bank account, check by overnight delivery or postal mail.
Definition of required travel -- home every weekend, percent of time requiring travel, frequent-flyer miles ownership.
Understanding of legal realities of noncompete agreements and other documents you sign. Signing a nondisclosure of proprietary information is safe, but a noncompete can keep you on the sidelines when you're ready for the next step. Read staffing company agreements with a magnifying glass.
Must Do
Here are pointers to make sure your time investment pays off.
If the job is a project with specific goals, immediately collaborate with your boss to write out a formal timetable of goals. You don't want to take a hit because the company fails to provide adequate resources, doesn't know what it wants, changes its mind, doesn't allow adequate time or asks you to do a different job than that for which you were hired.
Keep résumé strengthening in the forefront of your mind. Maintain a log of measurable results. Refer back to your timetable of goals regularly to be sure you're not detouring, thus not making notches on your résumé. You need more to tell your next employer than your whereabouts for the last 14 months.
Absorb every drop of the skills that attracted you to the job. The skills are free education. The skills add a needed glow to your career image.
Hang tight with your boss, who will be your early warning alert if the job mission misfires. Don't wander off. You need this reference. And be on your best behavior with co-workers -- some recruiters routinely solicit peer reviews.
Must Remember
You'll be back on the market before you know it, so you must keep up contacts and visibility, as well as monitor the job scene. No excuses. You say you're too busy doing the job to maintain career positioning? You may as well say you're too busy hacking up hairballs. The end result is the same -- starting a new search from a dead stop.
Polish and shine your network of contacts (cheery e-mails if nothing else), be aware of internal job postings and don't ignore co-worker chat about company happenings.
At minimum, spend an hour each week on trade press and another hour on newspaper business stories and job ads.
Get a free electronic agent. Make a list and examine the Web sites of the trade, professional and academic associations, and publications in your profession. See if any will send you e-mail of openings that match your interests. Scan the titles and text once a week.
To learn about agents, read "Career Management Deficiency: A Passive Job Seeker Must Be an Active Career Manager," by human resource consulting giants Gerry Crispin and Mark Mehler. The article is posted on their CareerXroads Web site.
Whew! Are you tired just reading about all the things you should do to benefit from a short-term job? Who says contracting and consulting is easy work? You earn every dime.
© 2000, Los Angeles Times Syndicate
