Job-seeking during the pandemic may feel daunting but there are opportunities. We are here to provide support, so thought it would be helpful to take a look at the trends and explain what we can do to help you secure your next role.
The current lockdown environment is more than a little unnerving if you are seeking work and/or wanting to develop your career. But Totum’s years of experience in the thick of the professional services job market means we have successfully placed candidates through many periods of often profound uncertainty. We know how to adapt quickly to support individuals in more challenging times.
In particular, we expect the number of temporary, contract and interim assignments to accelerate for considerable time to come. Many firms are understandably reluctant to make long-term commitments just now, but they still need skilled employees to help navigate these uncertain times.
This could be of interest to those of you who are familiar with shorter term assignments, who have perhaps built a career around interim and contract placements. But it will also be good news for those of you seeking such assignments for the first time. No matter what your needs, Totum has taken steps to ensure that we can fully support all candidates for such placements.
The options
Here are our tips for securing a temporary, contract or interim role:
- Consider the different types of placement – there are lots of options...
- Temporary work could cover any length of time from the odd day to several weeks, and generally feature for more junior roles, typically paid on an hourly rate;
- Contract assignments can be at any experience level but are usually for a fixed period of time, usually in months (1-12). Contracts can also be easily extended for a further fixed period;
- And finally interim roles, meanwhile, usually require particular skillssets/expertise or are at a senior executive level. These are typically paid on a daily rate. You can always ask your recruiter to chat through the options if you are unsure.
- Think about what how such roles might support your development. It may be that a short-term role could act as a useful stop-gap until permanent opportunities pick up once more. But it could be more than that. Shorter term assignments can be ideal ways to get stuck into critical projects, work with a number of different businesses and/or gain breadth of experience and new skills in a relatively short space of time.
Setting up
Depending on your approach to temporary, contract and interim work, you may then want to follow one of two paths:
- Interim/contracting careers
Many candidates undertaking these roles as a longer term career choice will set up as a limited company. It’s the most tax-efficient way to operate in which you pay yourself a relatively low basic salary, taking the remainder in dividends. Your personal assets are also protected should your company fall into debt.
- Stop-gap contracting
If you only want to be available for a short period of time until business picks up once more, you may not want to set up as a limited company. In this case, Totum can help via our arrangement with an umbrella company. This means that when you join a firm as an interim, temp or contractor, you can continue to enjoy full employment status. You can also work for more than one firm at the same time and remain on one tax code.
Whatever your circumstances, Totum is set up to support all candidates into the right placements, enabling you to make the most of the job availability in this space.
Next steps
Whatever you need, whether you are interested in permanent, temporary or contract/interim work, Totum is ready and able to help.
Contact Lacey.Near@TotumPartners.com if you would like to know more. We’d be happy to provide more information on the roles we cover, chat through your options, and support you in any way we can in the weeks and months to come.
