Fight the fear – take the plunge into contracting today

As humans, we have natural instincts and insecurities that are well and truly apart of us regardless of our age, knowledge or life experience.

One of the biggest cripplers of the human spirit is fear; that feeling in the pit of your stomach when you know something is not right; when something is niggling at the back or, worse still, at the forefront of your mind, driving you crazy with obsessive thought and worry.

One of the best ways to get relief from these fears is by sharing your worries with an understanding and caring person. It sounds simple, doesn’t it? But what happens if you do not know or understand why you are fearful? Where do you go from there? Is there a solution?

It sometimes helps to see it written down in black and white. Most, if not all, fears can be broken down to one of the following three categories:

Fear of losing something you have

Fear of not getting something you want

Fear of getting found out

As an example, let’s look at the common worries of someone contemplating making the move in their career to a contracting job opportunity:

Losing what you have – A permanent job with all its benefits

Pros: With a permanent job, you know you will be getting your salary at the end of the month; you are familiar with your job and there will be no big surprises; the job ties in with your family routine; you know everyone you work with and they know you.

Cons: Maybe you are too familiar and comfortable in your permanent job; if you are a dynamic individual, you may be bored and in need of a change; career progression is generally slower with permanent positions than with contracting jobs; you know everyone you work with and they know you, which is not always a good thing!

Not getting something you want – A top paying contract with the ideal company

Pros: Ideally, when you make the move to a contracting job you will be offered: the top rate of pay for doing the role you love best; the chance to work with the best companies and in the locations that you want to live in; great flexibility and choice in the roles you pick; career progression, which can happen much more easily in contracting jobs due to the regular switching of roles; the chance to work with new people; the freedom to choose your next contract job and who you wish to work for.

Cons: Contracting job opportunities that arise are not guaranteed to be at the rate of pay you are looking for; it is not definite that you will get offered a contract with the company you desire to work for or in the location you wish to live in; working in contracting can mean a lot of travelling and change, which does not suit everyone.

Getting found out – the category that causes most trouble

The fears of losing what you have or of not getting what you want have a certain logic to them. However, the fear of “getting found out” is not logical or reasonable, and this is usually the one that causes the sleepless nights and distracted thoughts. It boils down to one sentence: “Am I good enough?”

This is a question you will have to ask yourself, sometimes on a daily basis, as you go about your business.

The fear of failing, particularly in our professional lives, is a genuine worry that haunts many people every Monday morning on their way to their place of employment, regardless of whether they operate in a permanent role or in a contract job.

The truth of the matter is, there is no real stability in jobs anymore. A “permanent” job can be gone in the morning, just the same as a job in the world of contracting can.

The only true stability there is lies in the individual themselves. Their belief in themselves and their own capabilities and talents is effectively all that really matters.

With the gig economy, supply and demand is what keeps contracting job opportunities coming. If the contractor has transferable skills that are in demand, there will be work available.

The key is to know what skills are being targeted on the current market and by whom. This is where we at HERO Contracting can help. We can talk you through your options and help you to decide if making the move to contracting is the right choice for you.

Taking that first step into the world of contracting can be daunting, but with the support from our team here, you can do it!

We at HERO contracting believe that life should be lived to the full and that includes in your professional career. It is possible to greet every morning with a smile and a skip in your step as you head into your working day. There is no greater feeling than that sense of accomplishment and the knowledge that I did it! I can do it! I feel awesome!

We believe in you, now it is time to believe in yourself and give fear the heave ho!

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Call me today on 086 8168298 or email contracting@hero.ie to discover the many fantastic contracting job opportunities in Ireland today.