If you’ve never considered accepting a contract position before, it might seem like the process lacks a logical starting point. With hundreds of staffing companies to work with and thousands of companies looking for qualified technical professionals, getting started as a contract professional may seem like a task too daunting to endure. We have good news though, with the demand for technical professions higher than ever, there has never been a better time to get started with contract work.
The Initial Interview
You’ve decided that you want to try working a contract position, now what? Now, it’s time to contact a staffing company with whom you’ll work. When you first contact Black Diamond Networks, you’ll be matched up with a technical recruiter who has a deep understanding of the industry in which you work.
Your recruiter will be your single point of contact at BDN, whose job it is to match you with contract opportunities that fit your skills and experience. Your recruiter will interview you and review your resume to learn more about your professional history and what led you to start your contract job search.
Technical Skills Check
Next, your recruiter will walk through your resume in an effort to gain a better understanding of your specific technical capabilities, experience, and the projects you’ve worked on in the past. The initial interview and technical skills check serve to paint a detailed picture of who you are as a professional. This ensures that your recruiter will only present you with positions for which you’re qualified.
Reference Check
After the technical skills check has been conducted, your recruiter will ask you for professional references who can speak to your technical and interpersonal skills. This reference check typically takes about 5 – 10 minutes per reference and the questions asked will cover where you worked with the reference, for how long, your strengths, and other pertinent questions. The professional reference check gives your recruiter additional insights regarding your skill set and how you interact with your co-workers professionally.
After the reference check has been completed, your recruiter will verify your availability for contract work, technical skills, and your areas of professional interest. These questions give Black Diamond Networks the information we’ll need to find you the perfect contract position.
Finding a Contract Job
Now that your recruiter has collected all the necessary information, s/he will get to work finding a contract position that matches your professional experience. Black Diamond Networks is a national staffing agency that serves both Fortune 1000 companies and startups alike, therefore we have hundreds of available jobs for which you could be a good fit.
Your recruiter will work behind the scenes screening our new positions for opportunities that meet your specifications. When they’ve identified positions that may be a good fit, they’ll reach out to you via telephone or email to discuss the relevant details about the potential match including hours worked, compensation, and work environment. As a contractor, you’ll have the full authority to choose whether or not you’d like to move forward in the interview process for any position you’re presented for.
Getting Hired
When your recruiter has found you a position that meets your requirements, he or she will formally submit your resume and credentials to the client. The hiring manager at the client company will review your work history and set up an interview if they think you’d be a good fit for the role.
Because Black Diamond Networks works with companies throughout the United States, interviews are typically conducted virtually over a platform such as GoToMeeting or Skype. For candidates who are local to a prospective contract opportunity, it may be possible to set up an in-person interview.
After the interview, the hiring manager will send your recruiter feedback and let them know whether they’d like to move forward in the hiring process. If the interview was successful and the client wants to move forward and hire, your recruiter will then work with the company to finalize your work schedule and the expected start date.
Once these details have been finalized, a member of the contractor services team at BDN will reach out to help coordinate any lodging or travel needs that may be necessary for your assignment. Your contractor services representative will also be in touch with the client you’ll be working for to ensure that any credentials, access, contacts, or equipment that you’ll need to have a successful assignment ready prior to your first day on the job.
Get Started Today!
We hope this blog post helped shed light on what it’s like to start working as a contractor with Black Diamond Networks. Since our inception, we’ve worked to make the onboarding process as painless as possible for both new and seasoned contractors alike. If you’ve considered working a contract position in the past but didn’t know where to start, our technical recruiters are here to help.
View our open positions or give us a call at 1.800.681.4734 to get started today!
