Tip #6: “Beware the Illusion”
There’s an old joke that the difference between employment and contracting or consulting is the illusion of job security. The former supposedly has it while the latter doesn’t. Well, employment doesn’t have it either. It just seems like it. We can lose our jobs for seemingly endless reasons that can have absolutely nothing to do with performance.
Tip #7: “Non-Employees Are Disposable”
There’s no such thing as job security, but contractors and consultants are seen as disposable. They’re the first ones shown the door if any downsizing happens. They’re great fall guys to blame problems on. “It wasn’t our employee, but this outsider!” Always remember that there’s no loyalty at all in the corporate world, especially for non-employees.
Tip #8: “Beware the Bait and Switch”
Sometimes we’re told during an interview what we’ll be doing but, when we arrive for our first day, are told we’ll be doing something quite different. The excuses can vary and it’s always done as if this wasn’t on purpose, and maybe it wasn’t, but it doesn’t matter. Now we have a job, and we may have quit our last one to take it, and now we don’t want it. They trapped us and know it. This is typically only done to employees, not contractors or consultants, who can “walk” more easily.