10 Tips for Turning Your Contract Job into a Permanent One - TheJobNetwork

10 Tips for Turning Your Contract Job into a Permanent One - TheJobNetworkContract, temp, and freelance work have all become more popular in the past few years, as people look for creative ways to build their careers, and companies seek ways to reshape their workforce. According to a recent McKinsey Global Institute jobs survey, about 58% of employers expect to hire more part-time, temporary or contract workers in the near future. Contract and temp jobs can be a way to develop talent before investing in it fully. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) But what if youre one of these hourly workers, and want something more permanent? If youre working as a contractor but are looking to convert that into your stable, full-time gig, we have 10 strategies for you to use to departure framing yourself as the ideal permanent employee.1. Be clear about what you want.Your anfhrer isnt psychic. If you were hired as a temp or a contract employee, he or she might elend realize youre interested in putting a ring on it and joining the team full-time. When you come on board, make sure your boss knows how happy you are to be working here, and that youd be open to making this a longer-termbut be cool about it.Instead of harping on your availability for a permanent position, or a reminder that you want to extend this, make it more about the job. Im excited to be here, and would be interested in any full-time opportunities with your team. You can also bring it up with your boss as you get closer to the end of your contracted time Now that we have just a couple of weeks left, I just wanted to check in with you, and let you know that Im interested in continuing my work with this team.2. Make yourself indispensable.Easier said than done, right? If we all knew the secret of becoming necessary employees, everyone would have the totally stable job of his or her dreams. What you can do is make sure youre going above and beyond. For example, if youre working on a report due by end-of-day, get it in your bosss hands by 2 p.m., with extra information.Think about process, and how things are done. If you see ways or processes to do your job more efficiently, talk them over with your boss. Show them that youre on the lookout for ways to take on more responsibility, or improve your work. Make the company envision you as someone who wont just take a to-do list, but build upon it and find ways to be useful beyond the immediate job description. That suggests that you have growth potential.3. Make a connection with your manager.If your boss could barely pick you out of a lineup, or keeps calling you Jim (and your name is Jamie), that doesnt bode well for your long-term chances at this company. Make sure youre communicating clearly with your boss, setting regular check-ins, or sending daily email updates to show how youre making progress on the task you were brought in to do.4. Work diligently.Now is not the time to coast, if you want to be brought on permanently. Your skills and know-how are on the line here. You want them to see an employee whos always engaged and hard at work.Even when youre not working so hard after all (theres a lull in your project, or youre taking a quick mental break after working on something for a few hours), at least put up the illusion that youre busy. That means not openly checking your Facebook or fantasy football scores. It also means being at your desk if youre expected to be at your desk. If you can discreetly do those things, then okaybut dont get caught by your boss looking up that Amazon purchase when she thinks youre working on those reports.5. Be responsive.If you get an email, respond right away (even if its just a quick note to say youre working on whatever the request is). Thanks, Jodie Im taking a look at this now, and should have an update for you shortly. It lets the radiosender know youre already putting thought and effort into the task, even if you dont have an answer r ight away. It also shows that youre a good team member, hint hint.6. Be available.Those two hours of overtime may seem annoying now, but putting in that extra time could give you an extra bump in your bosss eyes. It demonstrates your commitment to the job, even one thats temporary in nature. Thats an immensely valuable quality to a future employer. You dont have to be on call around the clock (thats a bit too eager), but if youre clear that you are willing to put in the time and effort to get the job done, people will notice.7. Dont get cocky.It can be easy to get complacent in your job, even if its temporary, when youre the one handling the day-to-day tasks of the position. Dont forget that unless and until theres a job offer made, the company is not obligated to keep you on beyond your current contract. If you act like you already have the job, that can be a turn-off for the hiring manager.You also dont want to risk sounding like a know-it-all, and alienating people with whom youd be working. You may well be killing it in your contracted job, but that doesnt mean youll automatically get the opportunity to stay. Make sure youre always mindful that this is a contract position, and while you may be able to leverage it into a longer term role, that is far from a guarantee at this point.8. Make friends.Ingratiating yourself with your coworkers is a key strategic move to make, if you want to make the jump to full-time team member. If theres a full-time opportunity and your name is on the shortlist for the permanent position, youre going to want support. One of your colleagues could be the one to put in a good word for you, or say to your boss, You know, I really like Jamie. He knows his stuff, and fits in really well here. What you dont want anyone to say a) Who was that, again? or b) I never really talked to him. He just sat at his desk, head down all the time. Companies are looking for people who will fit well with the rest of their team, so its smart to get to know the people around, you even if its small talk late on a Friday or as you both wait for the coffee machine.And even if you dont manage to extend this particular contract job into a permanent role, you still get to add people to your professional network. You never know when another opportunity (maybe Suzy knows someone at a similar company whos hiring) will come up through your network.9. Do your homework.Make sure you learn what you can about the company. When I was in grad school, I worked as an administrative temp in a variety of different places. One of them was a financial services company, which was totally outside of my wheelhouse. I didnt come away from the experience with a professional-level understanding of how a hedge fund works, but I got a sense of how a company like that was structured, and what the needs were. Once you know what the needs are, you can start sharpening (or showing off) the skills that are valuable to that particular industry or company. Become fam iliar with the companys mission statement, and think about how it applies to the job youre doing now.10. Think of it like a REALLY long job interview.If all else fails, or you have trouble keeping your focus, remember that this is basically an extended job interview. Not all contract positions will turn into full-time gigs (especially as companies look for creative ways to get work done with ever-smaller budgets), but you have nothing to lose by treating this as the one that might make the conversion. Your work is a living, breathing case for why its in the companys best interest to keep you on.Being a contractor has challenges, but also offers the freedom to try different things until you find the path thats right for you. When youve found that path, dont just put your fate into someone elses handstake control, and start turning yourself into the employee they wont be able to survive without.