Got work? Staffing firms do and they’re looking for freelancers.

Some would say there’s a sweet spot between working full time for the man and striking out completely on your own as a freelancer. That happy middle ground is doing contract work through a staffing firm. Done right, it can combine the flexibility and variety of freelancing with the solid benefits and the let-somebody-else-worry-about-the-paperwork aspects of a full-time gig.

To find out more about what’s involved with contract work, the School of Visual Concepts invited Dave Cieri of Aquent, Sam Rosen Taylor from Filter, Amy Marshall of Big Fish, and The Smart Dept.’s Tai Hubbert to take part in a panel discussion attended by designers, writers, and other curious freelancers. Here’s a quick summary of their take on temporary work.

So what’s the difference between being employed through a staffing firm and having a full-time job?
It’s a lot like a full-time job in that you’ll most often receive health insurance, vacation time, and education reimbursements. Unlike a full-time job, staffing firms will ask if you’re interested in an assignment and you can say “yes” or “no” depending on the work, the length of the contract, and the pay. The vast majority of contract jobs are performed on-site at the client’s place of business using their equipment.

How do you register with a staffing firm?
Most of the firms let you submit your resume online at their web sites. The firms will then get in touch with you to let you know if an interview is in order.

Is it a good idea to register with more than one?
Without exception, the panelists all support registering with as many staffing firms as you like. They each have different clients, demanding different types of talent at different times. The only caveat, they add, is to be fair. If you take a job sent your way by Staffing Firm A, and then B comes along with a better deal, do the right thing and honor your commitment to A. It’s a small town, they say, and word most definitely gets around.

Is there a personality type that’s best suited for contract work vs. full-time?
Our panel of experts say, yes, most definitely. Punctuality, attention to detail, and self-motivation are key ingredients in the personality of successful contractors. The ability to quickly adapt to different working situations and styles is another plus. It also doesn’t hurt if you’re not the shy and retiring type. As a contractor, you’ll could potentially meet a new crop of co-workers every few weeks.

What skills do you see that freelancers could stand to strengthen?
Not a lot of argument here. The staffing firms all say that freelancers’ typography skills aren’t what they should be. Read books on typography, take classes, and do whatever you can to become facile in handling type. It’s the great void that can turn into a ton of jobs if you’re able to fill it.

Where are the hot jobs right now?
Pretty much anything having to do with Flash will get you hired right now, say the panelists. That includes Flash animation, ActionScripting, prototyping, and working with Flash video. Another hot topic is product design, a.k.a. user interface design for software, web sites, cell phones, and you-name-it. Other skills in demand are HTML hand coding, project management, marketing copywriting, and graphic design and art direction of all kinds.

What does contract creative work pay?
This is the $64,000 question, literally, but the panel points out that compensation is all over the map. For prepress production work, you might get $35-$45 per hour, while top-end designers can command $100+ per hour. A steady diet of those $100 per hour jobs can net a busy freelancer as much as $150,000 a year. When you’re in that league, you’ll wonder where the “free” in “freelancing” ever came from.