> you are afraid you don't get the job (well, then you wouldn't have been a good fit if they hired you) Or, you rubbed the wrong, politically-connected person

> you are afraid you don't get the job (well, then you wouldn't have been a good fit if they hired you) Or, you rubbed the wrong, politically-connected person the wrong way. Yes, this is always a danger, but a contract employee is more expendable and easier to get rid of. Or, they weren't really looking for a permanent hire and this was just a means of tricking someone into a contract who wouldn't otherwise take one. Or, the company hits a rough patch and decides to freeze hiring to avoid layoffs. There are a whole host of things that could go wrong in a contract situation that are either tempered or nonexistent when you are permanent.