How to Recover From a Negative Contract Experience

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We’ve all had one of those experiences. It looked great on paper, and we were excited. We showed up early, got down to business, but it didn’t take long to figure out this experience was going nowhere faster. Now we find ourselves licking our wounded ego and wondering where things went wrong. What should we do next?

What can you learn? How can it make you better?

You’ve likely played the situation over and over in your mind. Could you have asked for more training? Could you have better communication? Certainly, there is something to learn. It may be something as simple as, “wow, I’m not a morning person,” or something more complex like, “I need to be more assertive about standing up for my right to be trained.” Learn what you can from the situation and walk away with it. Next time, you’ll apply these lessons early in the new position and reap the improved benefits.

 

Was it the situation?

Not every contract situation is the same. Sometimes, even with the best planning and the best research, a situation turns out to be something else. Perhaps there was already a large amount of friction in the department; maybe the manager is overwhelmed and failed to set you up to succeed; sudden budget cuts created issues; whatever it was, it wasn’t you. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for yourself is dust off the results of a bad situation and not internalize it. There’s a high likelihood your next contract won’t be as bad. Have some faith in yourself and in what you’ve learned; put those tools to use and you’ll have an easier time distinguishing the better contract next time.

 

Work With a Top IT Recruiter in San Francisco

We’ve all had an experience that didn’t measure up to our expectations. A date, a class, a book, a long-awaited movie or, yes, a work experience. Don’t hold every contract to a miserable standard set by one bad experience. At Consultant Specialists, we can set you up to succeed by finding a better match for you and being your advocate before and after placement. Contact us to get a better experience started.

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