Question about Contractor position on resume

I work as a contractor for a major company here in SC. The question I have is this:

Do I put the company that I work for (the employment agency) or the big firm on the resume as the company I work for? Would I put the employment agency in parenthesis beside the company?

If I put the employment agency on the resume, to me, it would look like I am doing all of the things I am listing on the resume with them, but instead doing it at the other company.

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I want to make sure my resume is correct.

Also, would I list my boss on a bank loan or the employment agency number. seems to me that would hinder me from getting one if i put the employment agency since its not a perm position. my boss wouldnt tell them its not a perm position unless they asked.

Thanks again for the advice

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JDMurray

As a contractor, you work for the employment agency, which then farms you out to employers. On your resume, put the temp agency as your primary employer and list in subsections each contract job that you worked. This makes it clear that your temp agency should be called for a reference first and your contract jobs second. I've worked several temp jobs, and if called for a reference the HR department would have no idea who I was. The only way to get my reference would be to call the temp agency that employed me.

In any case, do not represent a job worked through a temp agency as having worked as an actual employee of the company you were contracted to. One phone call resulting in a "never heard of him!" from HR will end up being a missed employment opportunity for you.

Breadfan

I have been here for over a year (officially free from obligation from contract agency but still employed with them). my dept has 3 of us contractors. 2 have been there for 4 years. my wife works here and my boss and her work together on projects which is how i got my foot in the door.

company is only allowed to hire contractors and is in hiring freeze. i will be here for as long as i want (or the insurance contract we work for terminates).

I left a perm position for this one b/c of the potential for going perm and b/c my wife knows my boss so well and the stability of the job (unlike usual contract jobs of 6 month here and there).

This is the ONLY contract job I have taken with this agency and hopefully will take.

I would estimate that about 35% of the employees at this large company here in SC is contract employees (and a lot of them have been here 5 or 10 years and still contractor).

Thanks again for help.

Kaminsky

I have worked as a contractor for the last 4 years and put the contracted job as I would any normal job. I do however, have two Previous Employment sections in my CV, one for contracting and one for the 8 years permanent employment before that. As long as you make it clear it was contract work there isnt a problem and you are not trying to make it sound as if it was a permanent position.

My references actually come from both my agent and the line managers I have worked for in contracting roles as 4 years ago long time to ask my previous permanent employer to give a reference. Each of the line managers have been more than happy to offer their services whenever they have recieved a phone call for references.

There seems to be a fiction that contract employees are inferior to permanent employees and in my experience it is usually the other way around. Contract employees get on with what they are hired to do and develop a very good attitude toward work and getting the job done. It's either that or we are out on our ear.

Breadfan

So if I were to list the company I report to in bold and then put the employment agency in parenthesis or say contracted with xxxx) that should be ok?

BTW, what is CV?

For some reason late tonight I am drawing a blank on it

There seems to be a fiction that contract employees are inferior to permanent employees and in my experience it is usually the other way around. Contract employees get on with what they are hired to do and develop a very good attitude toward work and getting the job done. It's either that or we are out on our ear.

I am glad I am not the only one who believes this. My coworker and I (he is a contractor as well) do more than double what our other 2 perms do. We not only work hard b/c it's the right thing to do, but it's my work ethic and always will be, and of course if the company starts tightening the belt, we are the first to go regardless of how worthless they may or may not be.

Again, as always, many thanks. I just want to make sure I am not putting things on my resume which are wrong b/c this is my first contract job. if i was younger i would do more, but hopefully this will be my last.

DeJay

I Worked as a contractor my first job out of college. I put the big firm as the company I worked for, and give as refrences the managers at the big company. I don't even mention the contract house.

Philippatos

For contracts I put WHERE I worked, not who I worked for/through. People calling are much more likely to get hold of someone who knows you that way.

EDIT: Of course, that's not always a good thing. It'd be nice, for example, if you could let people know beforehand the reasons why you left. Then when someone calls, say, Atos Origin in Cincinnati, they'll know that John Stahl is a thief who tried to get you to pad client-billable hours on your timesheet and that Tim Weldishofer is a liar who keeps telling people you took a laptop bag you never even had in your possesion. But, unfortunately, you can't do that.

Oh, and the truth really is your best defence.

Kaminsky

Breadfan wrote:

BTW, what is CV? For some reason late tonight I am drawing a blank on it

I'm based in uk. Curriculum Vitae is our word for your "Resume"