5 Priceless Learnings from My Short Term Contract Job Experiences

Short term contract jobs are not the dream of most candidates and we often see them as risky or as a way for companies to take advantage of talent without adequate compensation. 

However, I have been privileged to take up short term contracts that have greatly benefited me. I wrote this article to share my experience with you in the hopes that it will help you with your job. Regardless of whether you’re on a permanent or short/fixed term contract, these learnings can potentially help you on your journey.

I learnt earlier in my life not to ignore opportunities because they do not match our exact expectations. I have my elder sister to thank for this and I’ll tell you why briefly.

Towards the end of my secondary school education, it was time to apply for university admissions by taking the JAMB examinations. I’ve always wanted to study medicine but unfortunately, the Medical School of the University of Benin had been discredited by a regulatory body. It wasn’t clear when it would be accredited again, so applying for Medicine could mean I would not gain admission. I had 2 options, to wait till the accreditation of School of Medicine or to apply for another course. I clearly remember my sister saying to me “don’t sit at home, you would get frustrated. Go for something related and you can apply to Medicine later if you are still interested”.

That was how I journeyed into the field of medical biochemistry, realized I didn’t really like to work in the field and halfway through school, began my career in marketing.

Ever since I have made sure to carefully evaluate my opportunities. Even though I have been offered short term contracts, I realized they were in alignment with my long-term career goals and I took up the challenge without too much fear.

So how have I come this far? By the Grace of God of course! And by following a lot of principles passed down by mentors and helpful friends.

Amongst the numerous lessons I’ve learnt, I would like to share the 5 below which I believe will aid you on your journey to career success.

1. Pursue an achievement monthly or quarterly: life is not a bed of roses so stay hungry and be on your toes always. It might be easy to think that full-time employees are more relaxed than you, given the short-term nature of your contract but from what I’ve learnt so far, it is not always the case. Every job has its strict requirements in terms of performance and every employee faces pressure in different ways. A great way to stay on top of your game even if you have a contract job is to work towards significant achievements month on month. Discuss with your line manager, find out from other colleagues what kind of achievements really make an impact in your role and for the business. Once these are clear to you, begin chasing them. If clear KPIs were communicated to you, be sure to understand clearly what it takes to meet those targets and work timeously towards them.

2. Build cross-functional relationships from day one: have you ever wondered why we can’t achieve many things on our own? Why we always need to collaborate with others to make things happen? It blows my mind every time and it makes me appreciate teamwork even more. Don’t limit yourself to networking within your function or team just because you’re a contract staff. Be strategic and build relationships. Be the one to offer value to others rather than being on the receiving end all the time.

3. Overcome the feeling of exclusion & try not to look down on yourself: as a contract staff, you’ll often find that you do not have access to certain benefits that organisations offer to their full-time employees. Some of these benefits may not be obvious on your first day or first few months but they might begin to reveal themselves as time goes on and this can make you really feel sad, left out and lose some sense of belonging. You need to understand that this is a natural feeling, in fact, a sense of belonging & community is the 3rd most important human need after self-actualization & esteem based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. So, when this feeling comes, a good way to manage it is to recall all the great things about your role and be grateful for them. You may have an amazing team that truly cares, access to top-notch training & development or even flexible working, all these can become a source of strength for you as you navigate your day to day job.

4. Deliver excellent work always or at least, most of the time: this is non-negotiable for both contract staff & full-time employees. It would be self-sabotage to become sloppy on the job because you feel disgruntled that you are not a full-time employee. Don’t let any feeling of being cheated get in the way of your performance on the job. See your job as your personal business and see the quality of your work as the key to unlock the future you desire. A great way to improve your work is to benchmark with others and continuously upskill by taking courses, engaging with the high performers in your team or organization and continuously strive to be better at what you do.

5. Your organization does not owe you full-time employment regardless of your performance: unless this is stated on the employment agreement and clear KPIs are agreed upon for conversion to full-time, manage your expectations by expecting nothing more than what has been agreed. This is not to say you shouldn’t have faith, please do but most of all, be sure to give your best so that you remain attractive both to your current employer and future employers that might give you a full-time offer based on your previous accomplishments and experience. 

I hope you’ve found this article insightful so far. If you’re ever presented with a contract job offer, I advise you to evaluate the opportunity properly and uncover its potential positive impacts on your long-term career goal. Don’t be the one to ignore without a proper analysis, often great opportunities come to us in the least expected packages. Thank you for reading & cheers to your success!