how long do you typically stay on a contract?

[SussexSeagull]

Mine have varied between three days and two and a half years, although a my CV only goes down to month level the first one wouldn't stand out so much.

Probably related to wha I do (testing) and the length of your average software development project does tend to be in the 6-12 month range.

I would have thought having breaks between contracts over the last couple of years is fairly common - the market was briefly as bad as I have ever known it round about first lockdown time before it recovered fairly quickly - and having a month between contracts is nothing, especially when any security checks happen.

[ensignia]

Most of the disguised employees on here will eke out as many months they can get away with.

Since 2020, I've had 7 contracts with varying lengths but the longest was 9 months. Shortest 3 weeks (but am now in contract with them again for 3.5 months). Multi-gigged a lot of the time.

If you work for a huge client it's easy to slip under the radar, do the bare minimum and get continual extensions. I was at a high st bank for nearly 4 years, and the only reason I wasn't extended was because I kicked up a fuss about direction and control. If I had just toed the line, I could have stayed for years.

[northernladuk]

Most of the disguised employees on here will eke out as many months they can get away with.

Surely that's good business for the multi-giggers and real consultancy types as well? Nothing wrong with trying to make as much money as possible whatever type of worker you are surely?

If you work for a huge client it's easy to slip under the radar, do the bare minimum and get continual extensions. I was at a high st bank for nearly 4 years, and the only reason I wasn't extended was because I kicked up a fuss about direction and control. If I had just toed the line, I could have stayed for years.

I think those days have gone. Still possible to do that but you'll be inside now. Many of the clients that are well known for this are blanket inside nowadays.

[Lance]

Yeah but I'm having hard time explaining it to the interviewers

change on your CV so they are not 3 months.
Make some less if they are likely to be used as references. A 6 week project where delivery is completed in the 6 weeks is better on a CV than a string of minimum length contracts for projects that didn't finish.

The 3 monther I did I have put on the CV as a delivering a solution architecture for a migration project.
The 5 monther was an end to end migration done and dusted.
Never had any questions as the projects completed.

[northernladuk]

change on your CV so they are not 3 months.
Make some less if they are likely to be used as references. A 6 week project where delivery is completed in the 6 weeks is better on a CV than a string of minimum length contracts for projects that didn't finish..

How is that gonna work if the agency checks the start and end dates with the agencies he's worked through? If they are checking because there are red flags on his CV (or if htey do it anyway) and the dates don't match up he's toast surely? Personally I don't think blatently lying on his CV is the answer.

[Lance]

How is that gonna work if the agency checks the start and end dates with the agencies he's worked through? If they are checking because there are red flags on his CV (or if htey do it anyway) and the dates don't match up he's toast surely? Personally I don't think blatently lying on his CV is the answer.

I'm not suggesting an outright lie. Just highlighting that multiple 3 monthers looks like you just do a stint and don't get renewed so it's bad optics. Need to alter that perspective, without lying.

For a start you don't have start/end dates on your CV or LinkedIn. You have months (May - Sep could well be a 3 month contract, but without precise dates it also could well be 5 months)

for a second, each project has a description of the delivery.
EG. you don't put, "3 months of coding for client x, and they didn't renew". You put "project delivered in xx weeks, followed by handover/KT, in xx weeks. Delivered on time and in budget" Both are true. But tell a different story.

and third. You are unlikely to have to provide references for all posts. So the earlier ones can be more creatively written.

[hugebrain]

On average I do one or two years.

I used to do six-monther’s (which I prefer) but interviewers started to whine about it.

[TheDude]

I'm not suggesting an outright lie. Just highlighting that multiple 3 monthers looks like you just do a stint and don't get renewed so it's bad optics. Need to alter that perspective, without lying.

For a start you don't have start/end dates on your CV or LinkedIn. You have months (May - Sep could well be a 3 month contract, but without precise dates it also could well be 5 months)

for a second, each project has a description of the delivery.
EG. you don't put, "3 months of coding for client x, and they didn't renew". You put "project delivered in xx weeks, followed by handover/KT, in xx weeks. Delivered on time and in budget" Both are true. But tell a different story.

and third. You are unlikely to have to provide references for all posts. So the earlier ones can be more creatively written.

That is quite an assumption.

[Lance]

That is quite an assumption.

which bit?
"just do a stint and don't get renewed"

or
"Delivered on time and in budget"

[edison]

In my 10th year of contracting/interim management. Two longest gigs were both interim IT leadership roles of 13-14 months. Both ran about 6 months longer than anticipated because the end client company found it very difficult to find the right perm person to replace me.

The more project/consulting orientated gigs have averaged around 9-10 months. Shortest was 6 months, 2 days a week.

The interim market is quite different from general contracting. A high proportion of gigs are direct, day rates can be much higher but assignments are typically shorter, around half of gigs are less than six months and billable days average around 150-160 a year with longer gaps between assignments.