Freelance and contract work have become increasingly popular in recent years, both for businesses and for individuals seeking employment. While there are certainly benefits to this type of work arrangement, there are also some drawbacks to consider. On the plus side, freelance and contract work can be very flexible. Companies can save money by using freelancers and contractors instead of recruiting full-time workers to complete specific projects.

The Pros and Cons 

Here are some of the pros and cons of freelance and contract work for businesses and individuals seeking employment:

Pros

Freelance and contract work can offer a variety of benefits for both businesses and individuals seeking employment. For businesses, hiring freelancers or contractors can be a more cost-effective way to get work done without committing to a full-time employee. Freelancers and contractors also offer greater flexibility, allowing them to set their own schedules and work from anywhere.

Cons

While freelance and contract work can offer many benefits, there are also some potential downsides to consider. For businesses, hiring freelancers or contractors means that they have less control over the work that is being done, as these workers are not directly employed by the company. This can lead to communication challenges, as well as issues with quality control.

Lots of job seekers would agree that job hunting in itself sounds like having a full-time job further. The daily grind of getting from one place to a different to induce to interviews and also they must dress up and present themselves well is an exhausting process. After they feel their hunt seems to be going nowhere, it can leave job seekers feeling tired, even demoralized. In times like these, perhaps visiting the cinema and watching movies for a pair of hours may do the trick to assist lift your spirits up. So sit back, relax, munch on popcorn, and leave all of your worries behind for now. Like some of the film news, let these movies motivate and encourage you to travel after your dream job.

1. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Telling the story of Chris Gardner and the rags-to-riches story of his rise from homelessness to becoming a CEO of his own stock securities firm is this autobiographical movie, starring Will and Jaden Smith. Gardner faced his challenges with the correct attitude and determination for the sake of his young son, persevering from selling portable bone scanners to seeking out employment as a stockbroker for a top firm. His journey will inspire each and each one to hunt out better opportunities for themselves and their families. To lift up his and his son’s life situation, viewers will marvel at this father’s determination. Ultimately, even in dire situations, it’s a story of unwavering faith.

2. Office Space (1999)

This cult movie about a group of disgruntled IT employees working in an exceedingly dreary, cubicle-filled office is for those that are still working but needs the additional “push” to assist them to start on their job search. When several of them got laid off after management brought in “efficiency experts” to chop costs and downsize their employees, the overworked and underappreciated Peter Gibbons and his colleagues struck back at their company. Their methods may be extreme but what job seekers can remove from this movie is that it’s important to understand your worth as an employee. If you’re feeling abused in your workplace, know that this is often not a permanent situation in which you’ll reclaim treatment elsewhere.

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3. Julie & Julia (2009)

Sometimes opportunity knocks after you least expect it. During this case, it’s Julie Powell who finds inspiration through an unlikely source (Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of Cooking” book) and finally ends up getting a brand new lease on life. When she made a vow to cook all 524 recipes included in Child’s book, Julie Powell, a young writer performing at a call center discovers her passion for culinary arts. She blogged about her experiences which cause the creation of her memoir, “Julie & Julia: three hundred and sixty-five days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen”. During a parallel story, the movie also covers Julia Child’s early experience in learning French cooking at the Le chefs. The movie shows that understanding our hobbies and interests may help us determine the proper career for us. This story is proof that there’s an adage that states that the thing you’re doing after you should be working (in Julie’s case, writing and cooking) is probably what you must be pursuing for a living.

4. Erin Brockovich (2000)

Julia Roberts—in one of her best performances to date—stars because the title character, an unemployed single mother whose tenacity, sass and drive helped within the fight against an enormous US petroleum company over health safety violations, in this true-to-life tale. Within the beginning, all Brockovich wanted was to urge compensation over injuries she sustained in a very car accident. When she didn’t get her way, she never backed down and instead sought employment for the firm that defended her case. That’s when she discovered a case involving health and environmental violations between Pacific Gas and Electric and also the residents of a small California town. Her unwavering rummage around for truth and justice helped bring much-needed relief to the town’s residents who were getting sick from chromium poisoning from the company’s local plant. Like Brockovich, you’ll be able to take solace within the proven fact that whether or not things might not go your way (missed job opportunities, failed interviews), you’ll be able to fight back by toughening up to face the challenges that come your way. Doors being closed on your face? Force yourself to chill and demand people to pay attention to you (figuratively, of course!). Don’t let career setbacks derail you from your goals, and instead take a look at them as motivation to figure even harder.

5. hi-fi (2000)

For those searching for new beginnings or an opportunity to reinvigorate their dreams and life goals, this can be the movie for you. As a music store manager who seemingly is during a perpetual state of adolescence, John Cusack plays the role of Rob Gordon. Through the course of the film, Gordon navigates his thirties with humor and self-awareness that he must finally accelerate and become an adult. He eventually finds purpose in life again through the assistance of his friends and his unwavering love for music. A movie that’s stuffed with quirky characters and popular culture references, this movie isn’t only for geeks and music fans but also for people who need a “boost” to induce them to get in their job search. Knowing what you wish and what you’re hooked on to should be at the center of each job hunting endeavor. Doing so will bring you satisfaction and gets you only a small amount closer to achieving your dreams.

Looking to those at the highest of their respective fields provides a completely unique source of inspiration that one can apply to their work. Taylor Swift could be a brilliant songwriter and businesswoman. To remain fresh, relevant, and interesting is tough for any brand or person; to try to do so as a girl in an exceedingly male-dominated industry and in a very culture that’s often rooting for you to fail may be a tremendous feat. Along with her surprise eighth studio album release, folklore, Swift proved another time why she is at the highest of her game. She also had several clever tactics she took with the album’s release that internal communication and human resource professionals should observe to use in their work.

Lesson #1: Invest time in nailing your strategy — and do not be afraid to pivot

Taylor wisely shifted strategy when Covid-19 struck. Gone are the times of milking an album for 2 years while one embarks on a stadium tour as the main revenue source. Seeing that that model might not be sustainable (or even preferable) for the foreseeable future, she took a distinct tact by creating and releasing content more quickly to plug the revenue gap.

Many clients I work with don’t have a well-defined communication strategy — if they need one to the slightest degree. That’s an issue. Right now, employers must take a tough observe what strategy changes are needed to fulfill the new employee engagement challenges Covid-19 has surfaced. While many human resources and internal communication teams are in crisis communication mode since the pandemic first hit, as we slowly get won’t to Covid-19 being in our lives, the conversation goes to shift — and people businesses leading that conversation are better positioned to weather the storm. Issues that may be addressed and updated in your employee engagement strategy include addressing the dearth of leadership visibility at work, the changing emphasis within the worker value proposition, the challenges and practicalities of reopening workplaces, fairness issues around who gets to figure from home and who doesn’t, new mental state needs, and more.

Lesson #2: She paid attention to what people want and wish

Swift understood that what listeners want is changing. Short attention spans, being stuck reception, and being shaken to our core by a world pandemic means glossy pop with bombastic videos isn’t modish. Authentic and relatable content is what people want — and that they want more of it. Releasing an album to a captive audience who may have grown bored with taking note of her prior album Lover on repeat means she harnessed a privileged moment to relinquish the people exactly what they need, which is new Taylor Swift songs to enjoy and dissect.

What your people need from you has changed. Perhaps they have more ways to form references to colleagues and feel a part of the team. Or they need you to know that productivity may have tanked during the lockdown and amended performance management criteria is so as. It’s up to you to proactively consider how the landscape has changed, and what meaning for what people might need. Then, supplement that with a listening activity. While surveys will liquidate a jam to urge a steer from your people, one-to-one interviews tend to capture more nuanced and sensitive feedback.

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Lesson #3: Novelty captures attention

When we notice something new and/or unexpected in our surroundings, our attention is straight away drawn to that. Swift leveraged the facility of difference by breaking her tried-and-tried (and expected) promotional model that typically heralded a replacement release. Which served to pique more curiosity and interest than it’d have otherwise, she dropped her new album overnight with no prior fanfare instead.

What does novelty seem like within the employee engagement world? The key’s visiting be to travel for the first, unexpected, and surprising. This might be the form of a print item so it stands going into the mail; something within the environment that’s unexpected, sort of a message embedded in an exceeding staircase; or maybe the message itself — something that they don’t expect to listen to from their internal communication or HR teams. This is often where brainstorms as a team that encourage silly ideas could land you a winning, novel concept.

Taylor Swift knows the way to get and keep listeners

Keeping fans who want to learn easy Taylor Swift songs on guitar presents the identical challenges as keeping engaged employees. That also means a number of identical solutions apply. So take a glance at brands, performers, and artists that try this well — and take a page out of their playbook.