The interviewers were gracious, professional, and the company is clearly a leader in their field, but when I asked about the length of contract and what happens after the 6 months, and the main interviewer discloses that the contract is only for 4-5 months, backfilling her position while she is away on leave, with no apparent possible employment after the contract period. I kept my composure and continued on, but homicidal thoughts about my contact at the contract company begin to run through my head. He'd either lied, misrepresented, or was uninformed about the nature of the contract. If the interviewer told me the conditions of the contract so easily, you have to wonder why the contracting company didn't ask about/clarify this.
Remember, contracting companies' business models are all about getting bodies into companies and making, say, 25% markup on each person they place at a company. Many are caring people, I'm sure, but given their business model, you have to figure that they get giddy with excitement at the possibility of getting a contract placement.
My caution to readers is this: make sure you ask plenty of questions when the contracting company calls (this one pulled my resume off of a large job board), especially regarding the length of the contract, the company where you'll be working and their history with contractors, the possibilities of the contract being extended or cancelled, and your being converted to a full-time employee.
I spent 3-4 hours with this exercise, which, even though the job was not what I was hoping for, provided me another "real-life" practice situation with which to get ready for more interviews.... and another "lesson learned."
No comments:
Post a Comment