[rcooled]

It's a two-way street. You get to "test drive" the job as they're seeing if you're a good fit. I've gone into contract jobs a number of times (although not in this economy) and was nearly always offered a direct position. Sometimes I accepted....sometimes I declined. A friend of mine just recently took a contract-to-direct position and was offered (and accepted) the option to go direct after about 5 months. It was for the same salary + benefits. Some companies will try to offer less salary when bringing you on direct, citing cost of benefits, etc. With a little negotiation, you should be able to make the switch for the same $$ + benefits.