I did a couple of contract-to-hire positions and found it a great way to get to know the company, the people I'd be working with, and the type of work I'd be do

I did a couple of contract-to-hire positions and found it a great way to get to know the company, the people I'd be working with, and the type of work I'd be doing. As well, it was a way for them to get to know me and my work without a convoluted 3 month long interview process full of useless whiteboard puzzles, personality tests, and silly questions like "If you were a sandwich, which type of sandwich would you be?" It can be precarious having nothing long-term lined up, but at least you're working and getting paid. More precarious would be having nothing long-term lined up and just sitting around hoping for a call back for yet another round of interviews. Of course if you have other immediate offers, that changes things a bit. But that doesn't mean someone who doesn't is somehow desperate or the least qualified. When so many companies take so long with their hiring process, even good candidates don't usually have immediate offers. The sweet spot is taking a contract-to-hire in your spare time while you're currently employed, so you can make the switch cleanly without months of downtime, uncertainty, and financial stress in between. And without most of the silly interview games. Gives you time to wind down, document, train somebody at the old job, and when you start the new one you're ready to go from day one.