While we sometimes mutter about wanting to work for ourselves, most people, most of the time, really want to work for an organization. However, there is a large segment of the population that, for better or worse, needs to build their career outside an organization. These are the temps, independent contractors and free agents. If you are not already in one of those categories, someday you might be. What does the future hold for those who need to build their careers without organizations?

The panel on Contingent Workforce Strategies at the Human Capital Institute thinks the big distinction in this workforce is between people who choose it, and those who do it for lack of other options. People who can't get permanent jobs may feel their career is on hold until they find their way back into the embrace of an organization. This is a dangerous way to think. Deciding that your career is "on hold" is never a good strategy, and it is possible to be stuck for many years in the contingent workforce - if "stuck" is the right word. There is something to be learned from contingent workers who don't think they are stuck. These free agents have embraced the idea of building their own careers as independents. These independents have some good news: it is getting easier to succeed on your own.

Services for Free Agents
A variety of services exist to make the life of a free agent easier. One interesting service is MyBizOffice.com which handles the legal and tax issues of being an independent contractor. By drawing on services like MyBizOffice, independents can reduce the administrative hassles that get in the way of pursing their career.

Hotgigs.com, a job board for contractors, is another helpful service. Hotgigs started out as a portal to link staffing agencies to employers. However, employers were less interested in posting requisitions than in searching the database for contractors with the skills they wanted. Hotgigs is one example of how the internet is providing new ways for contingent workers to find the kind of work that will propel their careers forward.

Perhaps the most unique service is the Carrera Agency - a talent agency for IT contractors based near (need I say) Los Angeles. Their idea is that top IT contractors, like top actors, need agents to help build their profile, get the right contracts and negotiate sweet deals.

What does this all amount to? What we are seeing is the building of an infrastructure that makes being a career independent contractor much more appealing. As an independent, you may be a company of one, but you have access to a wide range of services to leverage that "oneness". With these services you have a marketing department, an accounting department, and a PR group, not to mention the standbys of a printing department (Kinko's) and company cafeteria (Starbucks).

Many services focus on IT contractors, but that is likely just a forerunner of things to come. John Burke, founding principal of Vieworks, points out that "In late 60's, bringing outsiders into IT to work on corporate data was too scary. Now it is the norm." Burke believes that it is just a matter of time before corporations get used to hiring in executives on projects - in effect turning CFOs and Operations Managers into temps.

The zeitgeist in America certainly favours contingent workers. Firms like the idea of bringing in talent for specific tasks on specific terms and not having any obligation to them beyond that one assignment. Companies realize that this is not possible for all work. However, the Human Capital Institute's panel notes that some HR managers are now being asked to justify why any new position should be permanent rather than contract. It is this kind of thinking that is creating more opportunities for building a career as an independent.

Liability
The countervailing force is litigation. The courts can decide that workers a firm was treating as contractors were misclassified, and that under the law, they were permanent employees - a ruling that can lead to significant liability. Elaine Taylor of iLogos Research, and a thoughtful commentator on the contingent workforce, warns firms that the law is not clear-cut, so it can be hard to know just where the line is on what makes someone a permanent rather than a contract worker. Taylor also points out that lawyers are beginning to eye this area as a rich ground for litigation.

In the short term, the threat of lawsuits will be a factor in discouraging firms from using independents and hence reduce opportunities for free agents. However, in the longer run it just means that firms will be more diligent in ensuring they conform to the law. If companies prefer contractors over permanent employees they will find a way to make it happen.

Is the Contingent Workforce a Good Thing?
Traditionally, people have argued that the contingent workforce is good for firms but bad for individuals. It's worth noting that the love affair with contract workers may be a bad idea for organizations. There is research indicating that firms work best with long-tenure employees who are committed to the organization for the long-run. I don't expect this research is going to change the mood in corporate America. A grand experiment is under way to see just what happens when you push the idea of a nation of free agents as far as you possibly can. We'll all have a chance to live through this experiment.

For individuals, the difference between being an independent and a permanent worker is no longer as stark as it once was. It hardly needs to be said that no one is actually permanent anymore. The person who has chosen to be independent has no illusions; she knows her career success rests entirely on her own shoulders. She can see that her market is growing, and that new services are springing up to support her. Whether or not the contingent workforce is a good thing in general, she is going to make sure it is a good thing for her.

What is your point of view? Please post your thoughts on the discussion board.

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