Calculated Risk or Pie in the Sky?

So I've got a situation that I'm contemplating and need some outside perspective. I've got a pretty good job, pay is 80k and the work is relatively rewarding, but I'm pretty much tapped out as far as advancement. Again though, it's good money in my area, stable and my family and I are comfortable.

There's another company in town that is pretty much the big dog and most desirable place to work in the market. I have wanted to work there for a number of years, but the stars have not aligned and it's a tough place to break into without a referral or particular background, and even then it's still highly competitive with low turnover. I got a call from a staffing agency last week for a position there. My initial reaction was to politely decline, but as I thought about it I started reconsidering. The pay is far better than I assumed (98k) and the contract is a year + with opportunity to be hired full time at any given during or at the end of the contract.

So my thought process is the money worth the gamble even if it's only a year contract. A year is actually a fairly long time to for a temp job and ample opportunity to network and push for direct hire, assess whether it looks like it will be offered and prepare if it's not. Also the work site is an incredible campus chock full of amenities (which is 5 minutes from my house vs 35 currently) that I'd be able to enjoy even as a temp.

So take a gamble on a high paying temp job that lasts a year+ with potential to turn into a full time opportunity at one of the best (and hardest to break into ) places in the city, or stick with the bird in hand which is a pretty good, comfortable position that I've all but maxed out?

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scaredoftests

Go with the calculated risk, or else you will be kicking yourself later for not doing it. Carpe Diem

Trucido

I'd take the risk. Its a full year and if you show you're hungry and want to be there, willing to help and put forth what it takes, there's no reason they wouldn't hire you. And if they don't it sounds like your resume can get you another 80k/yr job. Like scaredoftests said; You'll wind up kicking yourself if you don't try.

If it were a 3 month contract, that'd be a whole 'nother story.

danny069

A contract position through a staffing agency, hoping you will get hired directly with that company, is like going all in, in Texas Holdem. It's a big risk and something you should talk over with your family. I don't like contract positions at all. You have to take into account the benefits (health, dental, 401k, stability) I don't like staffing agencies either. Have you tried to look on the actual company's website to see if they have any open positions so they can hire you directly? (so you can cut out the middle man) I agree with scaredoftests with calculating your risk. You must weigh your options and furthermore, exhaust all of them before you make a decision being that this will effect not only you but your family as well.

beads

Ask if C2H or Contract to Hire is the normal practice or if DH, direct hire is more common. Unfortunately, with anything IT related C2H has become very common and you must be willing to accept the risk sometime during your career.

The other question relates to the fact that this is a contract but you haven't mentioned whether or not you HAVE to have benefits or not. Is this a true contract position? Chances are the offer will not cover benefits. In which case is also a good but not always the best indication as to whether this contract will lead to a full time employment opportunity or not. Reason being is the budget for a FTE will be less, paying benefits, than paying a sub or contractor to do the same work.

Sometimes you just need to needle some information out of these people first.

- b/eads

josephandre

Yeah I agree with you, I'd never consider a staffing position in any other scenario (outside of being jobless and needing immediate employment).

When the recruiter told me she was with a staffing agency I had zero interest whatsoever.

But as I said I've attempted to get on with said company for years. I've had referrals, I've applied to jobs that my resume was a perfect match for. I've gone to job fairs and spoken to managers directly and to no avail. I thought once I got my CISSP that would tip the scales but still never even so much as an interview.

So with all that in mind (and the fact that the temp position pays significantly more than I make) I thought it might be worth considering.

beads wrote: »

Ask if C2H or Contract to Hire is the normal practice or if DH, direct hire is more common. Unfortunately, with anything IT related C2H has become very common and you must be willing to accept the risk sometime during your career.

The other question relates to the fact that this is a contract but you haven't mentioned whether or not you HAVE to have benefits or not. Is this a true contract position? Chances are the offer will not cover benefits. In which case is also a good but not always the best indication as to whether this contract will lead to a full time employment opportunity or not. Reason being is the budget for a FTE will be less, paying benefits, than paying a sub or contractor to do the same work.

Sometimes you just need to needle some information out of these people first.

- b/eads

didn't see your post before applying. I'd say it's a 90 / 10 direct hire to contract to hire ratio, maybe even higher for direct hire. They offer benefits they're just murderous and only for posterity's sake. I can't imagine anyone paying the premiums for the plans they do offer.

Also my wife has benefits I could hop on, the loss would be in 401k for the year.

beads

@josephandre;

Sounds like you've already started doing your own detective work and you have some contacts within the organization. I'd reconnect with your internal contacts both current and former employees and see what they may think. With some luck you might be able to inspire a spontaneous (don't ask directly) referral or buzz around your candidacy. When contacting people about such don't forget to ask how they were hired and anything to add or avoid during the process as you maybe able to tilt the scales a bit in your favor.

The rest... well, you know the drill. Nothing like building up some excitement and having the fear of being turned down for a position you really want. Most senior people on the board have likely had similar prospects but we can always cheerlead a bit when you need us.

- b/eads

josephandre

I appreciate it. I've definitely done my due diligence, and talked to some internal guys. Most share a similar story of trying for long periods of time with no headway, and then boom. But specifics are scarce. No one seems to want to divulge what finally got them through, and NO ONE is sharing recruiter info lol. It's like the illuminati once you get in I swear. I can't think of another company I've encountered (other than google, fb etc) where employees don't extend info/help to the network that they would under different circumstances. With that said, I got my GCIH recently and there's an IH role that requires it along with a few other boxes I can check, so I will try again.

Kyrak

Why not interview and see if you get offered the position and then make your decision? What is the downside? And you may learn some things during the interview process (regarding future plans and contract to hire stats) that will make your decision a lot easier.

ITSpectre

In life I have been presented with situations that I have later regretted not taking. Other times I took jobs that I later regret that I took. with your situation its a 50/50 shot... either you will opt for more pay and a better opportunity or you will stay where you are comfortable and not advance... You have to ask yourself 2 things

1. Where do I want to advance to
2. Am I willing to take a leap of faith to get where I want to be

Interview and then make your decision. I have been in the boat where I was presented with 2 offers and chose the wrong one because I did not think it through. ALWAYS weigh the pros and the cons in ANY situation you encounter... if the pros outweigh the cons then go for it.

Also the only loss you would have is the 401K for a year... do you have enough saved that you would not miss it? Also have you looked into your own 401K or a Roth IRA?

In the end like Captain Planet says.....

"The Power is Yours!"

Danielm7

If it's a contract and you could get 98K vs 80K now with benefits I'd be curious about what they' pay for direct hire. Might be less than you're making now. They typically pay a lot more for a contract to balance out taxes, insurance, 401K, etc.

AverageJoe

I like the advice everyone is already offering. I'll just add, if you don't get kept on or offered a position at the end of the year, do you have what you need banked to cover your family for a while. That means the rent/mortgage, car payments, kids' tuition, etc. Hopefully it won't come into play at all, but I've seen it happen several times.

Just my 2 cents.
Joe

josephandre

Danielm7 wrote: »

If it's a contract and you could get 98K vs 80K now with benefits I'd be curious about what they' pay for direct hire. Might be less than you're making now. They typically pay a lot more for a contract to balance out taxes, insurance, 401K, etc.

Yeah direct hire is less but in line with what I currently make, but with much better benefits, far more generous 401k, and a healthy annual bonus. In addition to being a place to build a career, great work environment and close to the house. I would take a direct hire role there for 10k less than I make at my current job.

Average Joe, I've got enough of an emergency fund for 3 months currently and with the extra income (and my son leaving daycare for kindergarten ) to pad it more, and even though I typically plan for the worst, I honestly don't see a scenario where I couldn't find immediate work if push came to shove. I also wouldn't sit on my hands towards the end of the contract placing all my hopes on being offered a job. I'd have contingencies well in advance.

anhtran35

Interview with them. Get a feel for it. If they give you an offer you can decide to accept it anddddddddddddddddddd inform your current company. MAYBE they will match or SURPASS the offer. You never know.

volfkhat

josephandre wrote: »

I also wouldn't sit on my hands towards the end of the contract placing all my hopes on being offered a job. I'd have contingencies well in advance.

Bingo!
What's really the harm?
At the 60-day countdown, start making noise about the future of your employment status there.
At the 30-day point, begin actively Seeking other opportunities.

Look, according to you, this is your Dream employer.
You tried (unsuccessfully) getting in through the Front door...... so now, why not try through the Back (c2h) door?

Here's my only advice:
Don't sign any Non-Compete Agreement.

This should be pretty self-evident, right?

If the contractor insists on it.... then WALK.

josephandre

good point. are non-compete clauses becoming more commonplace?

I recently had to turn down a pretty sweet part time gig because it had one in the contract. initially I glossed over it as standard language, but thankfully I didn't sign and reviewed in full. I would have been in a real bind if I'd have gone through with it.

And.... I'm going to interview for the position. I was holding out hope because a rare direct hire position was posted and my application made it through the first wave, but ultimately I got the auto response last night. So, looks like it's put up or shut up time.

Thanks for the advice everyone, I even managed to get my wife on board

volfkhat

In my opinion... non-competes are pretty common.

My last gig was a 6 month contract-to-hire dealy;
but I had to sign a non-compete (i needed the income)

Well, unbeknownst to me,
the client was very happy with my performance and decided to bring me in after 4 months.

However, my contractor/pimp demanded that the client "buy out" the remaining 2 months of the "contract".

(yeah.... seriously)

Well, the client Declined; and decided to wait out the remaining 2 months (makes cents).
So as you can see... my Pimp used the non-compete for their own personal gain;
so be warned.

Trucido

volfkhat wrote: »

the client was very happy with my performance and decided to bring me in after 4 months.

However, my contractor/pimp demanded that the client "buy out" the remaining 2 months of the "contract".

This sounds illegal... lol

if I were the Manager of your company, I would let my boss(es) know what they did and stop working with that staffing agency.

jamthat

@OP - just curious, are you located in the same state as me?

thomas_

The funny thing about non-competes is that in some states they're not even legally enforceable.

josephandre

jamthat wrote: »

@OP - just curious, are you located in the same state as me?

Just south 😉

jamthat

josephandre wrote: »

Just south 

Gotcha, your situation sounds exactly like mine earlier this year and I actually thought it was the same company haha..I was going to say DO IT!!