I am a middle age accounting and finance professional with more
than 10 years of experience.
I am facing problem whereby
the average period I stay for each of my permanent role is 2 years
plus, less than 3 years. Except for my first job where I stay much
longer, but that is not directly related to accounting and finance
field.
I have valid reasons that are
not by my choice such as company restructuring and poor job fit.
There was also reasons for career advancement.
Matters got worse when one of
the perm role I got into was a poor job fit and the working
environment was toxic. So I left the role in 6 months as I was
informed that I will not be confirmed.
Thereafter, I could not find a
perm role and 6 months later, I took up a contract role with a MNC
as I do not want to waste any more time, and subsequently another
contract role with another MNC. Both roles were with well-known
companies, mid-senior level, complement well with my previous
experience and provide very good exposure. The only drawback is
that each of these contract role lasted for less than 1 year each
even after contract renewal.
Whilst working on contract, I
continue to seek permanent roles both within the MNCs as well as
externally but with no luck.
Now that my contract role had
ended, I find that I am being ostracised by employers and head
hunters while seeking for a permanent role due mainly to my job
history, even though my salary and skill sets meet or even exceed
their expectations.
Some of the head hunters and
recruiters propose only contract roles to me and not the permanent
opportunities that they have on hand.
The last straw came for me
when a head hunter suggested that my career is over which is my
worst fear. I am not very old – less than 40 years and have at
least more than 10 to 15 years of working life left.
I feel lost and my future
unknown with a big question mark. I do not want to be working on
short-term contract roles for the rest of my life. Even if I am
willing, there will come a time where this will not work
out.
Should I take a chance with
another contract role and hope a long term role might come out of
it? This will risk further jeopardising my poor job history that I
am trying to fix. A recruiter suggested to me that I should not
take up another contract role any more.
Given the job market slowdown
now, employers are picky over permanent hires and I feel that this
is also true for contract hires now.
I am not sure how long it will
take for me to find a perm role. If it is even going to come at
all…..