Dear Tom:

I would like to understand:

1. If you take the six month position you are giving up your current position and will not be able to return to it after the six months, if you so choose?

2. If you take the six month position, will you be learning new skills and experience that will help you to advance further in the current company (or elsewhere, if you change employers), is it a growth opportunity?

3. Is the extra commute involving taking a train every day, or driving? How much longer will your commute be than it is now?

anita

Hi Tom.

Which would you say is the bigger driver for you from the potential move – the lack of interesting opportunities to continue to progress/grow in your current company or the pay-rise?

It is not necessarily the number of employers on your CV that matters but being able to show that you are continually progressing, gaining new skills and additional responsibilities in each new role.  It sounds like you have done this well to work through the ranks so far but are now hitting the classic brick-wall of mid-management? As you know, contract positions pay higher because of the financial risk involved – often if they then want to hire you on permanently it will be a reduced rate, so worth bearing in mind if you are not looking to stay contracting long-term. It’s also pretty well known that joining a new company is the best way to get a promotion/pay-rise if you are now stuck at your current place and it’s not unusual at all in the early days to move around to do so.

Often, it’s worth talking to your current employer first about the new opportunity and pay-rise on offer, as you will be surprised how often it gives employers the prod needed to realise you are still ambitious/ready for more. The more concrete you can be about what you want the better those conversations go. Steer clear of the obvious “I just want to be better paid”, you can say the same thing by describing what additional responsibilities you want to take on and it comes across as looking to be a leader, not just asking for a grade promotion.

As someone who used to have a 2 1/2 hr commute each way for over 15 years – I can safely say it does get very tiring. But it can also be worth it for sure if there are no better opportunities nearby and you are not interested in moving/renting near the new job and renting out your current house, if all went well.

Hope helps.

Dear Tom:

Reads to me that accepting the six months position is a good idea because in your current position:

– “Morale..  is fairly low throughout the office”

– “there has been a high turnover of staff in recent months”

– You asked for a salary increase to go with your recent promotion but denied an increase.

And in your offered contracted position:

– It is long enough, six months, with the possibility of extending the contract or being hired there.

– You will be learning new skills and gaining experience that will make you a more desirable employee anywhere.

A comment: working for one employer for years and decades, from what I understand, is pretty much a thing of the past. As far as progressing in position in the work life and income, it is about looking every few months or years for a better and better position while you improve your skills and gain new experiences.

When I read your original post I was hoping that Michelle will answer you because I read from her previously and reads to me that she has succeeded in the work place herself and has valuable personal experience on the matter to share with you. I hope you re-read her post above and anything she may add.

anita

Dear Tom:

Is your position secure, being that there is a high turn over of staff; how secure is your position?

I will be away from the computer and back in about 16 hours from now.

anita

Hey Tom.

So like Anita says, everything is a risk/reward balance in life.  It sounds like you are more than ready to leave your current role – once you know something inside out it quickly leads to stagnation. I suspect if you tried to imagine yourself doing the same thing in ten years you’d pretty quickly be wondering why you didn’t take the chance.

If you wanted a long-term move into contracting, then absolutely, I’d be saying go for it. But you sound like you would be happiest back in a perm job eventually. It’s not too unusual to start as a contract and then apply for other perm jobs once inside the new company – i.e. use the 6 months on offer to build networks quickly and make it very clear to everyone you are looking to move into a perm role. What do they say when yo ask them about future perm roles – it’s a lot different than just regular reviews as to if the contract is extended or not. What’s the notice period on the contract  – sometimes it can be as short as a week and sometimes up to a month? There’s ways to ensure you protect yourself from the financial risk such as mortgage unemployment insurance and ensuring you have savings to cover 3 months payments – given it’s average time to start new job etc, which can help manage the risk.

Most contracts don’t include holiday as the higher pay is to reflect the lack of that and sick pay etc, all the other benefits of perm roles. So the way to work out if it’s a good offer is to adjust the wage for the same proportion of holiday/sick/other benefits you would have in a perm role to make sure they are paying enough to cover that.

At the end of the day – you need a role which stretches you and something where you are growing. But like said, may be worth talking to a few other agencies/companies proactively before deciding just on this one. You may be surprised how sought after your skills are if you haven’t looked for a while.