How the Current Economy May Lead to Career Indep

Contract Work More than Full-Time Positions Becoming a Reality

Apr 1, 2009 Vanessa Ho

In these tough economic times, more and more people everyday are losing their jobs but instead of dwelling on the negative aspect use it for career independence.

In these tough economic times, more and more people everyday are losing their jobs but instead of dwelling on the negative aspect of this, people could use it as an opportunity for career independence in terms of starting their own consulting firm, according to Rod Miller, Calgary regional vice-president for Robert Half International.

"Take your career in a new direction in these uncertain times. Individuals see an opportunity to be a consultant, especially in the financial and IT sector. These are individuals with specialized skills and knowledge that they can take to other companies in a consulting fashion," said Miller in a telephone interview.

The path to career independence can take as long as a day or as long as needed depending on skills and marketability and desire to get back into the workforce, Miller noted. He added that if someone is ready to take the plunge to strike out on their own as a consultant, the first step is to register with a staffing services firm that is akin to what services they will be offering.

"[The staffing firm,] becomes your voice to find assignments and is a lot of quicker than if you were to do it on your own especially if you have no network built up," said Miller. "It shortens your cycle out of work to back into work."

A Good Opportunity

Mike Gooley, branch manager for the Toronto operations of Robert Half International said that there is a good marketplace for contract employment as it allows you to take transferable skills and get into an industry you were not in before and use those skills to earn money." The bottom-line is there is more contract work out there than full-time opportunities," said Gooley over the phone.

The top 10 project professionals:

1. Credit and collections specialists

2. Staff and senior accountants

3. Corporate financial reporting specialists

4. Help desk and desktop support professionals

5. Developer/programmer analysts

6. Web developers

7. Restructuring and insolvency lawyers

8. Litigation law clerks

9. Customer service representatives

10. Administrative healthcare positions

Miller said that these 10 positions are in high demand because of the state of the current economy. "If you look at credit and collection specialists and staff and senior accountants, in an environment where the economy is uncertain, organizations are concerned about cash flow so they hire a contract worker that allows them to manage their cash flow more effectively," he explained. Another area in high demand is IT, which Miller described as a dynamic industry with constant changes that is ripe for consulting work.

"Web 2.0 is a hot emerging area and there is demand for those areas on a project basis and not as a full-time role," he said.Miller said that project or consulting work helps people maintain their skills and can be a way for them to step into a full-time position, if they so desire, when the economy recovers.

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Downturn economy can lead to indepence