Would like some feedback on contractors as employers

  • My current position is ending at the end of this month, due to budgetary cutbacks. For my entire professional career I've always worked full time for regular employers. Because my position is going away I'm being forced to consider working for contractors. That is completely unfamiliar to me. Some here have recommended that I use a recruiter. All recruiters in my area work for contractors, like Robert Half Technologies. I don't know if there is even something like a recruiter who doesn't work for contractors. I've heard of the title "life coach" or "career coach", but if they exist, well they're not in my state.

    So tonight I got on the phone and talked at length of a good friend in my area, who has worked the majority of his professional life for contractors. It was enlightening. He's spent years working for a group called Kemtah. They sound awful to me, so I'm going to avoid them. He also mentioned things that are out of my experience, such as contractors (Kemtah was one of them) that had very restrictive non-competitive agreements that you have to sign before you can work for them. I'm sure there are people here who have or are working for various contractors, so let me ask you some questions about at least the two who I see most frequently at my local user group meetings.

    One is Robert Half. According to my friend they require you to sign a non-competitive agreement with them. Do you confirm?

    Second one that's always at my user group meetings is Sabio Systems. Can anyone here confirm that you have to sign a non-competitive agreement with them? What else can you tell me about them?

    My friend is working for a contractor named Chenega. I've never heard of them, except through my friend. He likes them, as a contract employer. Anyone here have any experience with them? What do you think of them?

    Rod

  • suprised you would want to look at contracting, right now lots of sql dba positions open all over, in the midwest most of the large cities have dozens of openings

  • tcronin 95651 (6/9/2014)


    suprised you would want to look at contracting, right now lots of sql dba positions open all over, in the midwest most of the large cities have dozens of openings

    WHERE ARE THESE JOBS!! I'm getting nothing at all. I've been looking since late April, and have had only 3 interviews; 2 by phone and 1 in person. That's pathetic.

    Rod

  • Do you live in the USA and, if so, what state?

    --Jeff Moden


    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

    Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.


    Helpful Links:
    How to post code problems
    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

  • I am going to make a wild guess and say that you are in Albuquerque, NM or somewhere nearby? I don't know much about that market but know that there is a desperate shortage of DBAs and good SQL developers right now pretty much everywhere in the US.

    I worked for Robert Half for a year as a BI Consultant in 2011-2012 and think that they were okay -- there were some good pros and a few cons - my attitude about them is neutral. I think Tek Systems is better if you have the opportunity to work with them. I have worked with Tek System's people here and there for the past 15 years and they seem to take good care of their people. I also worked with them as a candidate and think they are good to work with.

    There are endless opportunities all over the country and employers are getting desperate enough to allow for Remote Candidates. My current employer, for example, allows for remote workers. My Previous 3 employers did so as well now that I think about it.

    Two two best sites IMHO for tech job seekers are: Dice.com and indeed.com.

    "I cant stress enough the importance of switching from a sequential files mindset to set-based thinking. After you make the switch, you can spend your time tuning and optimizing your queries instead of maintaining lengthy, poor-performing code."

    -- Itzik Ben-Gan 2001

  • I have to agree with Alan.B, I have worked with TEKSystems in the past and they are a good company to work with as a contractor. The two associates I have worked with in Colorado Springs were very personable and cared about getting me the right opportunities. I would work with them again. Also had experience with Modis for a possible opportunity and they were good as well.

    I didn't have to sign a non-compete agreement with either of them. One thing to consider though, is it is possible for multiple contractor companies to be working to fill the same position. Just something to keep in mind if you try working with multiple companies. Some also have contacts with companies the others might not have, so this is a pro and con.

    I am currently in Afghanistan and I have to agree, I don't see a lot of opportunities back home. I seem to be seeing more opportunities in the Phoenix and Kansas City areas at the moment. Just keeping a finger on the pulse as I should be coming home end of February 2015 (unless I decide to stay longer if the opportunity presents itself). I do have a date in which I won't stay beyond, but that is a personal not career decision.

  • In a similar vein .....

    what's the current UK market like?

    ________________________________________________________________
    you can lead a user to data....but you cannot make them think
    and remember....every day is a school day

  • J Livingston SQL (6/11/2014)


    In a similar vein .....

    what's the current UK market like?

    As for the UK market goes, the demand is there but the remuneration isn't brilliant, especially in the public sector.

    😎

  • J Livingston SQL (6/11/2014)


    In a similar vein .....

    what's the current UK market like?

    Strongly seasonal. Two months ago I was getting two or three phone calls each day, now it's more like two or three per week. Rates are all over the place and don't appear to relate to demand, anything from £200pd to £500pd.

    “Write the query the simplest way. If through testing it becomes clear that the performance is inadequate, consider alternative query forms.” - Gail Shaw

    For fast, accurate and documented assistance in answering your questions, please read this article.
    Understanding and using APPLY, (I) and (II) Paul White
    Hidden RBAR: Triangular Joins / The "Numbers" or "Tally" Table: What it is and how it replaces a loop Jeff Moden

  • Alan.B (6/11/2014)


    I am going to make a wild guess and say that you are in Albuquerque, NM or somewhere nearby? I don't know much about that market but know that there is a desperate shortage of DBAs and good SQL developers right now pretty much everywhere in the US.

    I worked for Robert Half for a year as a BI Consultant in 2011-2012 and think that they were okay -- there were some good pros and a few cons - my attitude about them is neutral. I think Tek Systems is better if you have the opportunity to work with them. I have worked with Tek System's people here and there for the past 15 years and they seem to take good care of their people. I also worked with them as a candidate and think they are good to work with.

    There are endless opportunities all over the country and employers are getting desperate enough to allow for Remote Candidates. My current employer, for example, allows for remote workers. My Previous 3 employers did so as well now that I think about it.

    Two two best sites IMHO for tech job seekers are: Dice.com and indeed.com.

    You nailed it, Alan B, I am in the Albuquerque job market. I seldom see any positions open in my local market.

    I've now got to ask you, what company is it you work for that they're willing to consider remote employees?

    I'm on Dice.com. Haven't heard of indeed.com, so will check them out. Thanks!

    Rod

  • Doctor Who 2 (6/12/2014)


    Alan.B (6/11/2014)


    I am going to make a wild guess and say that you are in Albuquerque, NM or somewhere nearby? I don't know much about that market but know that there is a desperate shortage of DBAs and good SQL developers right now pretty much everywhere in the US.

    I worked for Robert Half for a year as a BI Consultant in 2011-2012 and think that they were okay -- there were some good pros and a few cons - my attitude about them is neutral. I think Tek Systems is better if you have the opportunity to work with them. I have worked with Tek System's people here and there for the past 15 years and they seem to take good care of their people. I also worked with them as a candidate and think they are good to work with.

    There are endless opportunities all over the country and employers are getting desperate enough to allow for Remote Candidates. My current employer, for example, allows for remote workers. My Previous 3 employers did so as well now that I think about it.

    Two two best sites IMHO for tech job seekers are: Dice.com and indeed.com.

    You nailed it, Alan B, I am in the Albuquerque job market. I seldom see any positions open in my local market.

    I've now got to ask you, what company is it you work for that they're willing to consider remote employees?

    I'm on Dice.com. Haven't heard of indeed.com, so will check them out. Thanks!

    In that case, I strongly recommend that you do what I did and it REALLY paid off... Seek out 2 or 3 REALLY good recruiters and work closely with them. Most of the really good companies won't bother (IMHO) with Web Sites like Dice.com (etc) because every Tom, Dick, Harry, and Jane that even sat in the same room as a book on SQL apply. So, instead, they turn to good recruiters that actually do know how to do at least some preliminary filtering.

    Note that I didn't say "any" recruiter. It also takes a bit to find a good one but it does sharpen you up on the kinds of questions you might need during a job interview.

    --Jeff Moden


    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

    Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.


    Helpful Links:
    How to post code problems
    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

  • Contracting for most of the last 10 years now.

    Watch out for a particular thing Robert Half will do if you're not careful. They market your resume before contacting you about it. This means you can double submit (a HUGE no no) and not know about it. And their rates aren't the best for a competitive position. I don't go near them anymore. They may have changed over the years... but I doubt it.

    Contracting is a wierd animal. But at least when I rebuild a server for 48 hours over a weekend, I get PAID for the extra work week.

    I agree with Jeff above (that seems to be common, lately). Find a few GOOD recruiters and build up your reputation with and through them. They may travel to other companies. This happens. You can still work with them.

    Non-Compete usually means that you can't take a job for 6 months (don't accept any longer than that) after you leave a position with a company that they placed you at. It's pretty standard in the SW (I'm Phoenix). It's relatively common in NYC and Boston, as well, the only two other places I heavily contracted. There's a conversion fee for turning a contractor into an employee. Firing you, dumping the contract, then hiring you directly through a 'competitive interview process' is 'legal'... without that piece of paper. Thus why you sign it. It avoids them not getting $$ for a "Job for Bob" process.

    Experis has treated me well, after they bought Comsys who did me just fine. TekSystems are decent but I've only briefly worked for them. There's a few smaller recruiters around me (PCS, for one) who I usually work with but I've been out of the game for a few years... 3 month contract that will finally let me go 4 years later. 😀


    - Craig Farrell

    Never stop learning, even if it hurts. Ego bruises are practically mandatory as you learn unless you've never risked enough to make a mistake.

    For better assistance in answering your questions[/url] | Forum Netiquette
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    Twitter: @AnyWayDBA

  • Very interesting information here, Craig. I'm so ignorant about all of this that I thought I would have to just pick one recruiter and go with him/her. You're saying that I should cultivate a relationship with more than one! That's not what I thought of. Don't they not like that?

    Rod

  • First of all, not all recruiters will have the same opportunities. There will be some overlap, I have seen it in job postings on the internet especially. I have also seen overlap between local and national recruiting agencies. But some recruiters may be exclusive to some companies. This usually happens when a client company and agency develop a strong working relationship and the candidates presented are well qualified for the positions being filled and the candidates selected do good to exceptional work consistently.

    Good recruiters will talk to you first before submitting you for consideration. They will tell you everything they can except the name client company. If there are any companies that you do not want to work for you need to be sure to communicate that to them up front.

    You should easily determine if a position presented to you by one recruiter is the same as one a different recruiter may also have presented to you.

  • Most of them understand the nature of the business. There's no 'bench' anymore, where you're paid between work. Because of that, they really shouldn't try to hold you.

    Robert Half, in particular, has practices that attempt to do that, and thus annoy me.

    Don't burn them, and they won't burn you. The job descriptions should let you know if you're dealing with a contract you're already in negotiations on. Tell THEM what the company is so you don't double submit, and always get the name once you agree to submit.

    In most cases, I have a few guys who 'jump the gun' on contracts, but their rates are low. I'll tell them I'll think about it and decide, while I wait for others to get around to me.

    But, no, most reps shouldn't care.

    On the flipside, don't let them turn you into a 'spy', either. My usual response is this: "You know how this works. You want the scoop on your stuff, they want it on theirs. I won't release your stuff to them, and I won't release their stuff to you. C'mon now..."


    - Craig Farrell

    Never stop learning, even if it hurts. Ego bruises are practically mandatory as you learn unless you've never risked enough to make a mistake.

    For better assistance in answering your questions[/url] | Forum Netiquette
    For index/tuning help, follow these directions.[/url] |Tally Tables[/url]

    Twitter: @AnyWayDBA

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