Why you shouldn’t seek a permanent job
May 21, 2009 by admin
Filed under Job Search
In the past, telling a job seeker why he or she should not be looking for a permanent job would have been tantamount to encouraging them into a lazy, slacker lifestyle. But while a permanent job is certainly a very good thing, other options exist for those who can’t find work or would otherwise like to consider alternatives to the daily rat race.
This article takes a look at some employment opportunities that skirt traditional permanent work in the corporate office setting.
Consulting Jobs
Consultants, particularly in the information technology sector, are able to charge a great deal of money per hour for their work. Depending on a variety of factors including type of work, scope of the project, technology employed, and experience, the IT consultant can make $40-$80 per hour or more. Other consulting positions include writers, graphic designers, interior designers, and accountants.
The person can either become a self-employed independent consultant or work for an agency. Per the self-employed option, the consultant sets himself or herself up as a work at home small business. While the consultant can set his or her own hours and work at home, business activities include purchasing, sales, marketing, and human resources if the consultant’s business grows.
Some consultants prefer to work through an agency simply because trying to get clients to pay their dues can be challenging and time-consuming. The agency also acts as an intermediary for job placement, pay negotiation, and dispute settlement.
Internet-Based Work At Home Jobs
Numerous internet-based work at home jobs are available to job seekers who desire a more flexible nontraditional working arrangement.
Companies are hiring work at home customer service representatives to answer calls for a variety of clients. Two such companies are LiveOps and Alpine Access.
Virtual Assistants are becoming popular as well. This work at home opportunity is essentially an administrative assistant working through the internet to perform administrative tasks such as e-mail response, appointment setting, scheduling meetings, transcription, arranging travel, customer relationship management, and answering phone calls. This is a full-time, salaried job that even features an association dedicated to furthering the virtual assistant career field, the International Virtual Assistants Association.
Virtual Concierges are similar to virtual assistants, but are more geared toward the hospitality industry rather than office administrative work. For example, a client calls asking the virtual concierge to reserve seats for a NASCAR race. VIPdesk pays $14 or more per hour for permanent work which even includes eligibility for a full suite of benefits.
Health and Retirement Benefits in Nontraditional Jobs
Permanent work is beneficial for obtaining benefits and growing a retirement account. However, workers in nontraditional jobs that pay well may be able to purchase their own health plan and contribute to an IRA retirement savings account. And as we see with virtual assistant and virtual concierge jobs, the at-home worker may even be eligible for a full suite of benefits just like a permanent job would offer.
Seeking a permanent job is definitely a wise choice in many respects. But for those who feel it’s the right time to strike out on their own and work at home, nontraditional jobs are becoming more flexible with decent pay and the eligibility for benefits.