I am at a law firm working as a paralegal.

Anonymous

September 22,2021 at 12:54PM UTC

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I am at a law firm working as a paralegal.

A recruiter reached out to me about a position with a major corporation for a contract role of three months. I earned my current position myself. That being said the salary and possibility of being hired by the corporation for a paralegal position with all the bells and whistles, and not to mention a very substantial bump in salary is attractive. I have been in my current position only five months. I am 57 years young, and have many concerns. First phone interview is today. I feel torn as I really like my current position, but if I could grow and stretch my skill set at my age, I figure why not? That being said job hopping doesn’t look good on a resume. Thoughts?

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AnonymousSeptember 22,2021 at 1:22PM UTC
I am 58 years young. I have a master's degree and have more than 20 years of business administration experience. I too have been approached by a recruiter for a "contract" position. The offer sounded great. However, I declined. The main reasons I did not pursue the position are:
1) Keyword: Contract
2) Contract position has No benefits and you are not guaranteed you will be hired.
3) As a seasoned employee, ageism is real and is used against us.
4) After my job relocated 3 hours away, I had 45 face-to-face interviews and 25 phone interviews within 10 months.
5) I worked at temp agencies and accepted only "temp to perm" contract positions. Every company I worked with had me working with them for 3 to 7 months. All of their excuses were "Thanks for finishing the project. Unfortunately, it's not in the budget to hire someone permanently."
Finally, 4 1/2 years later, I contracted at this company and they finally hired me on. I love my job. I will not trade a permanent position with all the bells and whistles, for a "might get hired" contract position.
Keep in mind, most contractors are hired to fill a void until that project is done. The recruiters are there to fill that void and have no control if the company will hire you or not. Good luck with your future endeavors.
Lesa Edwards, Career Coach & Master Resume WriterSeptember 22,2021 at 1:51PM UTC
My concern is with the contract nature of this position - unless they can offer some assurances that there is a full-time job waiting for you after the three-month contract, this is a very risky move - especially when you really like where you are working now. The reason contract positions almost always pay more is because they aren't spending any money on you for benefits.
KimSeptember 22,2021 at 3:57PM UTC
Younger employees job hop all of the time. I am a paralegal as well, 54 years young, and I say if you have interest in this other job that will provide you more growth and possibly more pay and bennies, then go for it!
AnonymousSeptember 22,2021 at 4:00PM UTC
I loved temp work when I was finishing college a lifetime ago. Recently I've found some great opportunities in temp roles again, at over six figures. My advice is what feels good to you, do it. If you can pay your bills and somehow have health care, do it. Good luck!
AnonymousSeptember 30,2021 at 7:10PM UTC
If you like your current position note that it's a big risk that a 3 month temp job is not going to guarantee enjoyment there and stability after the 3 months. If your current job is permanent, please try not to risk losing a sure thing as the grass is not always greener on the other side.