GAV Industries - Contract SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis 1: Freelance

Strengths – As a freelancer, because you’re responsible for finding your own work, you also have a choice of where you’d like to work, Negotiate price, Freedom with time, Train yourself, Enjoy leisure time, you’re your own manager, very dynamic (random job opportunities), constantly doing jobs for different studios as opposed to a long-term permanent position.
WriteUp - As a freelance worker, you’re responsible for finding your own work to make ends meet and support yourself which means, granted you find multiple positions requesting your services as an animator/ VFX artist/ games developer etc... you have a choice of where you’d like to work and what projects to undertake. As opposed to being stuck in a long-term position with no opportunity for change,
Weaknesses – insecure job security, being able to keep working for yourself without a long-term position can lead to a lot of anxiety granted things like change and uncertainty make you feel that way. Also, some places a freelancer may choose to work won’t have a fixed pay or the same pay as the last place(s) they worked prior. Because you’re only working short term, you don’t have as much of an opportunity to build a relationship with the people you’re working with/for. Because you’re working for yourself, sometimes if payment has been lower than usual, you may find you’re cutting back on essentials to pay bills (less spent on leisure, weekly shop).
Opportunities – Because you’re meeting so many more people because you’re working in so many different studios as opposed to being stuck in one location for years, you meet contacts that, granted you sell yourself well and show your potential where you specialise, may provide you with work so that you can keep the lights on, taking some of the weight off need to constantly worry about your own finance. Granted you know how, you can develop new skills in the time you’re not working and, assuming you’ve managed to apply to a working level of quality, sell yourself in areas you may not have been about to sell yourself in before.
Threats – If a job goes poorly and a freelancer is fired, laid off or removed from a project, you’re reputation in the industry is going to suffer as is your employability granted the place you're applying to work for knows about the incidents that took place.

SWOT Analysis 2: Self-Employed

Strengths - Similar to freelance, you’re working for yourself and as a result you have complete control over your hours, There are benefits to the informal, more casual side of self-employment, allowing for a more human approach that can allow the person trying to get a job to express their passion for the line of work they wish to work in (probably alongside their portfolio)
Weaknesses – Because you have freedom over your own hours (especially when working from home), slacking off or procrastinating is more than common, giving yourself more breaks than you should lead to a less than desirable product for the employer/ commissioner. Also because the self-employed individual has to find their own work/pay, it may not be a good line of work for someone who is made quite easily anxious or discouraged by uncertainty because most people you apply to work for will turn you down.
Opportunities – If the job you’re doing isn’t local and requires long-distance communication through social media (Facebook, twitter, skype, discord, etc.…) those are managerial skills you're building as well as a contacts list of potential customers/employers you can refer to when looking for work in the future. Also again, because you’re working your own hours and when
Threats – Going off the “slacking off/procrastination” point from weaknesses, your employability and reputation are going to suffer because of this, especially since people in the industry share information and, granted the place you apply to work next knows for problems you may have (in this instance it’s impulse control), they may see that as too much of a risk and not employ you.

Swot Analysis 3 – Short Term Contract

Strengths – Short-term employment is a lot easier to attain that long term because it’s easier and cheaper for a company to keep and pay workers for, say 3/6 months and then decide to keep them on full time granted they do a good job.
Weaknesses – Employees on a short-term contract won’t be paid as much as someone who works full time, meaning once their contract comes to a close and they need to find more work, they’ve only got so much time before they can’t afford to fund themselves.
Opportunities – Short-term employment in a field of work you wish to work in full time is a perfect opportunity for students. It’s something you can do alongside other things as opposed to long-term employment that dominates most of your time
Threats – Granted the employee has a bad experience in that line of work, it’s their first short-term contract in the industry or they can’t transfer to a long-term position at the company they’re working for, trying to find a new line of work with the limited experience (more years of experience is more commendable)

SWOT Analysis 4 – Long-Term Contract

Strengths – Working for a company longer mean’s you less likely to be fired, increasing your job security. Also, a significant rise in experience that can be used in a CV or resume and respect from your colleagues which can help with morale.
Weaknesses - Doing the same jobs can become tedious, increasing the chance of burning out and not working as hard. Since you’re bound to the same location, one who may want to travel won’t be able to do so as frequently as they may like.
Opportunities – When leaving a long-term contract for another line of work, having experience as a long-term employee is a lot more trustworthy and commendable than short-term employment (although it’s all industry experience at the end of the day)
Threats - Because you’re specializing and working with a specific skill set, trying to get employed elsewhere in a different industry or department could prove harder since you lack the skills to do so.