I like your point of view – and friends and former colleagues are ready to ditch the second the stench of need is in the air, here’s hoping we don’t have to worry about those regular jobs in the future!

Employers see you this way.
(As an aside, on top of the treatment from employers, friends will disappear, and even some family members will start to shun you. Stay sunshine positive at all times, or you will lose friends and family at a faster rate.)

I would like to add a 3A or 4A to your list/ranking.
What I did was transition to being self-employed after a few months of being out of work by getting small (paid) projects, but I know that I am still being looked at skeptically by potential employers. I could list the professional rosters and projects that I am undertaking, but unless it is FT regular, I am irregular.

The thought goes something like this.
“I mean, if you aren’t at a company desk 8-6 every day doing company work, what in the world is wrong with you?”

Thankfully, I just don’t care what employers think. They aren’t hiring anyone right now anyways. They are stringing people along, and grinding people through their meat grinder-like processes.

Still, don’t put up with this.
Just say “You’ve gotta tell ’em! SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE! ” in your best Charlton Heston voice, and worry about finding a way to do things that make profit and solve other peoples’ problems. You don’t need multiple HR screen phone calls and personality tests to talk shop with former colleagues and people from your professional network.

Eventually places will actually have to fill positions, and by then a positon will open up where you’ll have an ‘in’. Or, you’ll be too busy juggling too many projects for 4-5 different clients that you don’t want to shackle yourself to a regular job again.

Happy Labor Day

Thanks for the reply. I think “holdover” jobs are definitely worth it, provided that the job will lead to other opportunities either within an organization or within an industry. A key factor to consider is time. If after say 6 or 12 months, those opportunities don’t arise or management doesn’t recognize your contributions to the organization, it might be wise to take a different path.