Andy 0:03
Welcome to the HigherEdJobs Podcast, I'm Andy Hibel, the chief operating officer, one of the co-founders of HigherEdJobs.

Kelly 0:09
I'm Kelly Cherwin, the Director of Editorial Strategy. Today we're talking with Mark Coldren about strategic career decisions. Mark is a leadership and engagement specialist with CUPA-HR, and a retired associate vice president for human resources at the University at Buffalo, and has held previous senior roles at Ithaca College and Syracuse University. And for those of you who aren't familiar, CUPA-HR stands for the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. Thanks, Mark, for joining us.

Mark 0:36
My pleasure, Kelly, good to see both of you. Hi Andy.

Kelly 0:38
We're happy to have you back to discuss another listener question. So the question today comes from an early- to mid-career professional who's thinking about their next move. So let's dive into this one. The question is, many early- and mid-career professionals consider temporary or fixed-term roles as a way to gain experience or transition into new areas. Can you speak to the potential benefits and drawbacks of taking a temporary position and share guidance on how to evaluate whether this type of role is a strategic career move. Mark, what are your thoughts on this?

Mark 1:09
This is a challenge. I think it starts at a personal level of acceptable risk, if you will. It's probably the best way to think about it. A temporary assignment can be really terrific because it is built usually around an initiative or a project. Or if you're on the research side of the institution, it could be around a particular grant working with a particular principal investigator. It can be a tremendous opportunity. The difficulty becomes looking at where your risk tolerance is of when it ends or what you do to prepare for when the eventual end happens. As a job seeker, when you see a job posted and it has one year duration on it, you know, your radar goes up and you're like, what happens after that? And it's probably one of the first questions you want to ask in the interview process or the exploration, what happens when it's done or does this look like it could continue. And most employers will tell you, yeah, we think maybe it could. You have to prepare yourself to see that that eventual role could go away and then what happens next. Many folks will look at this and do their own research ahead of time and say, wait, but that's an area of growth. I see that it's less of a risk. You have to just do the elements of what happens, how life outside of work. Can you accept that kind of risk tolerance to do? I think it could be a great career opportunity, especially if it's to lead an initiative or lead a project. You just have to kind of do a little bit of calculation about what happens next. Many folks you'll talk to will say things like, you know, that would concern me, I have a house and I have a family and insurance and all those kind of things. You have to weigh that stuff in. If you're dual careers, maybe perhaps this is worth the risk because somebody else has an element of stability. And I've talked to a number of folks that this is a dual-career decision. If you have two careers in a household, where one could support while one explores. So I think it's a good idea to look at it. It's really about risk tolerance.

Kelly 3:19
I love the advice of obviously analyzing your risk and how it is so personal and the recommendation of communicating up front. You know, if you are invited in for that interview, asking those questions. Because I think if you go in blindly and just assume that, oh, I'll try to negotiate something towards the end and maybe they'll work out or hopefully it works out. Yeah. And what if it doesn't, to your point like then, you know, how you're going to pay those the mortgage and things like that. So making sure you're not just assuming that things will work out end of the one year or whatever it might be. So that's great advice.

Andy 3:52
I couldn't agree with both you, Kelly, and you, Mark, more on this. It's funny. I think that was probably a good number of mentions of the word risk. So I'm going to put the other word that goes well with that, which is a reward. I think the reward part of it for me is making an honest evaluation like you said, Mark, of, okay, if this does go well, what's the potential here? What's it going to do telling my career story if I have to go someplace else? But what could it lead to here? Performing in the position? Boy, if you do a great job during that year, and they have the need for you, they're probably going to want to try to figure something out pretty darn quick. The other part I kind of like about it is I just think it's a great way to test drive a place to work. After that year, you may find out like, I'm glad I didn't relocate my family. I'm glad I didn't take a permanent position. I'm glad this has an expiration because after about six months, I'm going to let them know I'm looking for another role because I am not staying in this jumbled up mess for any longer than I have to. And that also to me makes it lower risk as well when you can do things like that and you have a great way to explain your exit and don't have to kind of undo something that was pretty far done by permanently changing positions. The other one thing I'm going to add into the conversation which is a small tidbit here. Many early- and mid-career professionals consider this. I don't like it that early on. I think if you're going in there that early on, particularly an early-career professional, there are other avenues than a contract-based or temporary base that are more programs geared to professional development and developing younger talent. Mid-career I can see, particularly later mid-career, particularly in a very, very tight discipline where opportunities are not as robust. These sorts of opportunities really need to be evaluated. So, I do think career stage has a little bit to play in this and knowing if it's the appropriate type of temporary work for that career stage.

Mark 6:07
Yeah, I think you're right, Andy. Think about also what's the reason that somebody designs a temporary position? And part of those things could be around funding. And so, they're looking at, they have funding for a period of time so it could be a proof-it to show that you get more funding on the other end. So, I think some of it is, look at the job design as it's posted or as it's presented to you and then look and say what is, what's all the context around it? Because then you could decide, to your point, where I am in my career if this is a high reward for me because if I do this and perform well and my confidence is high that my performance is going to be that good, this will lead to something else. So, you have to be careful about the foot-in-the-door kind of thinking that people tend to put into some of this stuff. However, a temporary job is a great foot in the door, because you're auditioning and you're in there showing that you are bringing your skill set to make it work. So, I think this is a balance. You're so right, Andy, what's the risk, what's the reward. But I would just add that other element of context, why is a job identified as temporary in the first place? It's because of funding or it's because it's new. And that is one of the reasons. It's a finite decision that we only need somebody to help with this part of the project. And I tell you what, from experience working on campuses over a number of years, many, many, many of those jobs turn into ongoing, expected services and/or work that is needed, desired because you brought on great talent, it brought great production, great outcomes, and of course you'd want to continue to fund it. But be careful. There are many places where they'll just say, hey, this ran out, thanks, but you're on your own now. So, I think looking at that context is pretty key.

Andy 8:09
Spot on, Mark, that context, there's usually a place where I will say rabbit holes are not good for job search. Like, don't go down rabbit holes. They're not going to lead to a place where you want. Mainly those are emotional. In this instance, the research rabbit hole as to the funding, I think is so very important and particularly in today's day and age, if this is scientific funding, look at the PI, what's the PI's record, what's the PI's relationship with the institution, the trends in funding in this area? Like, finding a PI who's had a hard time getting funding, finding an institution that really hasn't supported it, has kind of a little bit less of a stable relationship with this area. It's also something that's a little bit concerning and seeing that the grants in this are drying up over the past few years. Those are all things that increase the risk and lower the reward. So, that's a rabbit hole I can actually endorse, really doing your homework there.

Kelly 9:14
I do want to address, though, a little bit about the early career. I know you said that you weren't a big fan of advising that, but what Mark was saying, it could be a foot in the door, but don't assume that you're going to be there. But also a foot in the door is a foot in the door. So, I want to be really aware of job seekers who maybe they've, it's a new graduate who's been looking for a job a year, year and a half, sent out tons of resumes, tons of going on interviews, and they've identified that they need a role. They are aware that it's short-term, but they need to pay the bills. So, I don't think there is anything wrong knowing going in that this is going to be, you know, a year, and that's it. The benefit, like you're talking about, you know, the rewards, is they made money. They did what they had to do for that year. They have something on their resume. I completely agree with everything you're saying. I do want to be aware of job seekers that do take this just to pay the bills.

Andy 10:11
Absolutely agree. There's, I mean, we often talk in idyllic terms. The idea would be, hey, if there's a named fellowship in this department that's a year long, that's a really appropriate place for you to be. But if you're going to have to go on this contract side for a year, and that's the only thing available and it's a good opportunity, then do it. I mean, I completely agree with you.

Mark 10:35
Yeah, and just also think in the notion of, if you are earlier in your career and maybe aren't as established, including elements of owning a home or not in a long-term relationship yet, it can be a great adventure. I've often encouraged some folks who work in college towns that are smaller to look at some of the bigger university centers near a larger area, because what you may end up doing is now starting to explore. There are a lot more opportunities on this campus. I got in here because I did this research job, found a less expensive place to live on my own, what a great adventure I can turn this year into. So a part of this is really where you are and what you have. I think the challenge is that some people are, you know, to your point, middle of their career, Andy, and then maybe even a little bit beyond, and their lower tolerance for risk may keep them from doing this. And you know what? Probably not a great thing. Just imagine the anxiety. If you're worried about what happens in the ninth month of a 12-month appointment, how that would be challenging to do. So this is really looking at yourself and understanding what it is that's possible. And I love your example about which principal investigator works where they have track records. You can see people who get millions of dollars in grants and get re-upped, and you know, that's the lab I want to work in. That's the person I want to do the financial support for because they just bring it in to the institution. And that's especially on the medical side, people who work in hospitals and have affiliations with hospitals. Those principal investigators get lots of funding because it's close to healthcare, which even in these very challenging times about getting grants, those seem to make sense for a lot of people once you get past a lot of the other barriers being put up.

Kelly 12:30
I love how you left us on 'enjoy the experience' because I think, you know, that's so important to take that attitude as well. So thanks, Mark. I really enjoy the conversation. We appreciate you being here today.

Mark 12:41
Thanks so much. It was my pleasure.

Andy 12:42
Mark, it was great to see you. And thank you for listening. If you have any questions for Mark or questions about this podcast or thoughts for us, please feel free to email us at [podcast@HigherEdJobs.com](mailto:podcast@HigherEdJobs.com). Send us a direct message on X @HigherEdCareers. Thank you for listening. And we look forward to talking to you again real soon.