What does it really mean to be a contractor or temporary employee? In this episode, we break down how contract work actually works, why companies rely on it, and what candidates often get wrong.
From the pros and trade-offs to the must-ask questions before accepting a role, we’re giving you the clarity you need to evaluate opportunities and succeed in a contract environment. Whether you’re hiring or job searching, this episode is your quick guide to making contract work work for you.
Transcript:
Transcript: Contract & Temporary Work Uncovered
Nancy: If hiring feels confusing.
Tiffany: and job searching feels overwhelming
Nancy: You’re not imagining it,
Tiffany: and you’re definitely not alone.
Nancy: Welcome to Talent Unfiltered. I’m Nancy, and I’m here to ask the questions candidates and companies are actually thinking.
Tiffany: And I’m Tiffany Wallace; I’m the CEO of Dagen Personnel. I’ve spent years inside the hiring process and I’m here to break down what really happens behind the scenes for you openly, honestly and without any corporate filter.
Nancy: Why great candidates say no, why companies move slow, why interviews go sideways, and why job descriptions miss the mark.
Tiffany: And how both sides can do better.
Nancy: If you hire people.
Tiffany: Or you want to be hired?
Nancy: This show is for you.
Tiffany: Today’s episode is contract and Temp work uncovered
Nancy: Yes, okay! So, we’re gonna dive into contract work and what it is temp work as well how it works and what people often get wrong and here to help us to truly understand the inner workings is Tiffany, So, with that being said let’s start simple: What does it actually mean to be a temporary employee or a contractor Because I think a lot of candidates hear that and then we don’t really understand the meaning
Tiffany: That’s true and I get a lot of questions when we’re putting people to work as temporary or contractor and they’re like can you tell me what that means I’ve never done that and if it’s a new career person they’re gonna say my parents don’t know what that means or whatever
Nancy: And I honestly didn’t know I’ve never been a contractor I’ve never been a temp anything.
Tiffany: So, you’ve always been in a full-time role
Nancy: always been in a full-time role.
Tiffany: Okay well at Dagen we do temporary we do attempt to hire and we do director
Nancy: So, this is gonna be like a learning episode for me as well.
Tiffany: 100% and so a temporary position or a contractor there is a difference A temp is an expected duration of employment and benefits basically So someone calls Dagen and says hey we need someone to come work on this project for us maybe possibly an accounting project to clean up their receivables So maybe they might need an accounts receivable specialist and that might take four or five months and so a staffing company usually employs them Right This means that you’re debuted employee with Dagen and then a contractor is more along the lines of a 1099 contractor and we’ll get to that in a little bit a little bit more detail but your eligibility as a temporary employee is that you work 40 hours, and you know sometimes you can get benefits through the staffing company if they offer medical benefits
Nancy: Okay, and what are the biggest misconceptions candidates have about contract or temporary employees.
Tiffany: Well, I can tell you one of the biggest misconceptions I had was that it was gonna be a waste of time for me you know when I that’s true when I first came to Houston and I had not started in staffing a staffing company called me and I was in a full-time job
Nancy: Okay
Tiffany: and they said you could have you know it’s a temp to hire it was more money it was all these things, and I was like I’m not doing that. I’m better than that and that’s false.
Nancy: You know I feel like maybe that’s kind of where I was coming from too because you hear temp to hire and it’s not very like a for sure thing and so you get kind of taken back and you’re like should I do, that should I not.
Tiffany: I’m gonna help you on that so there’s some questions that you can ask as the person that is interviewed gone through the process in order to get the temp to hire. Now temporary to hire typically means that you’re going to be an employee of let’s say Dagen cause that’s you know that’s the company I own say Dagen and so that for 90 days you’re gonna be a temporary and then at the end of 90 days you’re gonna become a full-time employee. So, what we ask at Dagen of our clients is this a budgeted position? Are you truly going to put this person in the position at 90 days? Or for you is this just a triumph and volume situation? I’m gonna try them and if I don’t like them, I’m gonna cut them loose because I would never and our team knows this; We would never take somebody from a full time opportunity where they have benefits PTO everything else and say “hey come to it try them and buy temp to hire” We don’t do that We wanna make sure that it’s a budgeted position So that’s very important you know they are not a waste of time Larger companies are well known So if you’re an earlier career person and somebody offers you a temporary position and let’s say Exxon for Oxy or large oil and gas company or just any number of companies that are well known then you’re better to take that contract position to go ahead and get something on your resume that proves that you are worthy of working there and that you’re capable of working there And it also can give you a reference So you’re getting paid and you’re getting a new reference. What’s better than that?
Nancy: Okay, So, our mindset should not be stay away.
Tiffany: no, not at all no especially if you’re gonna be able to use that and capitalize on it for the future
Nancy: Okay and then what does a day-to-day work look like for either.
Tiffany: Oh goodness it could be anything you know but usually they’re gonna give you an agenda they’re gonna have a project for you. There is most likely gonna be a deadline you’re gonna be filling in for someone else. It could be for a maternity leave it could be a busy season during audit or tax depending on what your background is. It could be an engineer for a turnaround. So really the day-to-day agenda is driven by the person you’re working for at the client company. So that way you’ll know, and we’ll ask along with you.
Nancy: Okay and then how should candidates think about stability in contract or temporary work?
Tiffany: Well, I mean there really isn’t any stability.
Nancy: That’s what I was gonna say.
Tiffany: So, you have to be willing to take a risk, and the risk is now I’m not talking about temp to hire that we just discussed you know we have a budget position. We feel pretty good about that. I’m talking about somebody that comes in and says hey we have a project we need the temp. Is it budgeted? That be my first question is the you know a person dealing with a client is it a budgeted position for that temp, meaning how long will it last. So that way you’re not going into a temp position thinking it’s gonna be eight weeks and in week two they’re like oh we’re done we don’t need you we figured it out right.
Nancy: Yeah
Tiffany: um so you’ve got to be willing to understand that there are some highs and lows in the game but if you have the right questions to ask your staffing agency and they have the right client then most of the time you’re not gonna have that kind of situation
Nancy: Okay and I cause I think; I remember I asked you that last time because my mindset was okay well if you know your contractor your project is ending in six months, I’m sure they know already right like the employee or the candidate knows and so they’re kind of planning
Tiffany: Well at Dagen what we try to do is give them a timeline you know so maybe if we know that we have a budgeted project from a client and we need ten people or five people or whatever we try to say you’re gonna work from June until December but in December your contract is gonna end. So, you know you need to be responsible for looking for something else by the end of December and we are flexible with them and so that’s what I wanted to say about the earlier question You know how should candidates think about stability and contract work which you need to be thinking about is flexibility not stability but flexibility And so um but at Dagen we try to give you an idea of when that project will end so you can get something else.
Nancy: and maybe if they’re lucky there’s another project.
Tiffany: Yes
Nancy: kind of rolling up right.
Tiffany: Definitely and we try to find some other kind of work for them if their qualifications meet something else that’s come in the door.
Nancy: Okay, and what is co-employment?
Tiffany: Okay co-employment I hear this all the time because I’m a state, we are a staffing provider
Nancy: I don’t know what that is.
Tiffany: Yeah, so this is when two companies share certain responsibilities for the same worker So in staffing Dagen will handle your payroll, will handle your taxes will handle your benefits because we do have medical benefits through Blue Cross Blue Shield and will handle your workers comp. Okay, what we don’t handle is your day to day. Our client will handle what you’re doing at that location for them. So, we’re sharing with you with each other the employee that’s called co-employment. Now we’re clients get a little bit scared about co-employment that they don’t say direct your activity but if something should happen while you’re on the job let’s say for instance you know I’ll just use an example: We had a woman one time that reached over to pick up a box and she you know she hurt her back. Well, that’s not the client’s responsibility That’s Dagen’s responsibility So they called us and so she was on a workers comp case for a while and then the other part of that is for instance if you’re ever going to get feedback from a client where you’re a temporary and you’re on site hear this you need to call your staffing agency and say I’ve been asked by my hiring manager to get feedback or I’ve asked for feedback and your representative from the staffing agency needs to be present they need to be present as your advocate and they need to be present so that they can help you through whatever situation it is
Nancy: Okay everybody jot that down now or replay, replay.
Tiffany: Yeah, listen to us again
Nancy: in case you didn’t get that.
Nancy: Okay and then do contractors or temporary employees get treated differently within the organization?
Tiffany: Yes, um because there are some things because of co-employment they cannot do. Now most of the time it depends on who the company is and the size of the company. Sometimes they won’t allow you to attend town halls because you’re not a full-time employee, you’re a contractor so that doesn’t pertain to you. They would rather you be at your desk performing the job that they’re paying you to do so you know a 1099 contractor they pay their own taxes. Well, if you’re a W2 employee through Dagen as a temp we assist with the employer side of the taxes and so you’re considered more of an independent consultant as a contractor versus a temp And so you don’t have any benefits. You use your own computer and everything else. Um so it’s just different between a W2 person at Dagen and a 1099 contractor that’s independent.
Nancy: Okay, alright so now that we’ve defined what contract temporary employee is and what it actually looks like let’s flip the perspective, this is gonna be fun and talk about why companies even use contractors or temporary employees in the first place.
Tiffany: So, I started in contract staffing you know as
Nancy: That was strictly what you were doing.
Tiffany: Oh yeah, I mean I placed people in um light industrial jobs. So, my first job in staffing was being on the phone all day long and calling anybody that would go to work to go to a job.
And I can’t remember that was a huge company where there would go be on an assembly line.
But that was the time this is kind of interesting that was at the time that we had a lot of Serbian refugees that were coming into um the company. That was in large um staffing company at the time. They couldn’t speak English they had a Social Security card, and they were considered you know they were brought in here by the government because they had nowhere to go And so it created a lot of empathy for me and what I did. Okay but the bottom line is you ask what business problems to contract roles solve.
Nancy: Yes
Tiffany: Well accountants that come in during audit or tax when it’s busy season and people can’t get a job done if you have maternity leave some jobs, they don’t need full time. So they may bring in a temporary to handle the position until it’s completed and then it’s done So for instance a records position you might have to have someone come in and digitize records and make them go from a paper image to be put on the computer Well it might just be an illegal field They have one case at a time depending on how big the office is it could be anything So you would just have a fill in
Nancy: Okay
Nancy: And then when is it smarter for a company to hire a temporary contractor?
Tiffany: Probably wouldn’t have projects or turnarounds or they’ve seen that their budget is too lame in order to bring in a full-time person So we see a lot of contract workers coming up right now You know I mean we’re in a downturn No I wouldn’t say we’re in a downturn cause I hate to use that word I would say we are in a slower process of hiring people and so companies are more apt to bring in contractors to do jobs than they are to bring on a full time employee that they’ve got to pay benefits and they’ve got to worry about in other ways cool
Nancy: Okay, so contract rules are tied to budget timing or risk.
Tiffany: gosh, all three
Nancy: all three
Tiffany: Yeah so um every year I do a project for a company and we don’t know what the budget is until October So I can’t start gathering people for a project that will begin in December until we know what the budget is in October Um timing is when you need it done So you might have a group or a team of people at the corporation that really need something done but you can’t do it till the budget comes in You know
Nancy: Oh, gosh
Tiffany: So, then you’re really worried and then the rest is risk It’s the risk of the people that you get it’s the risk of they gonna show up It is it is people doing peopling So um I would say that
Nancy: People, show up!
Tiffany: We will show people. not so much at that point Once you have the budget, once you have the time of the project it’s not necessarily those things that’s finding the right people at the right time.
Nancy: Hmm okay and then how do times or contractors impact team productivity and flexibility?
Tiffany: Um have an example for that You know for instance at an energy company they had three attorneys and um they were overwhelmed with work and so they called us and they said they needed a paralegal to come in and help on every single thing that was administrative to pull off their desks so that they can work only on what the you know contracts or litigation or anything that they needed to accomplish what they were what their goal was And so, whenever we brought in that paralegal it allowed them to take all that off their desks. And then everybody felt like that they had some relief and they could go home on time to spend time with their families So, um.
Nancy: so, the contractors saved the day
Tiffany: Dagen Contractor save the day exactly, Let’s get it right
Nancy: Dagen Contractors saved the day.
Tiffany: right
Nancy: Okay, our contract roles often a try before you buy situation, mentioned this earlier.
Tiffany: Yeah, they can be you guys have to ask you know a lot of the positions that you had get a lot of turnover in Sometimes it’s a receptionist position I’ll just use that as an example you know it’s often times not the highest paid position at your company You know you have to really find the right person that is okay with that I can live on that amount of money you know so it could it could be is what I’m gonna say
Nancy: alright, so now that we’ve covered why companies use contractors and how that makes sense from a business standpoint but for us candidates it really comes down to what’s in it for us.
Tiffany: Sure
Nancy: So, let’s break that down the pros and the cons. What are the biggest advantages of being a temp employee or contractor?
Tiffany: I would probably say independence would be number one because you’re picking and choosing your schedule you know you can pick and choose where you wanna work and that’s really gonna depend on if you have enough money right
Nancy: You know what I was gonna say that because I remember um my brother when he was gonna go to Europe and he was a contractor at that time.
Tiffany: Yes
Nancy: And he’s like I’m gonna leave for a month And I’m like what and he did and he did.
Tiffany: yeah, and he did in fact he called me about that you know and we talked through it and he get but the difference is on that particular position he gave plenty of notice right. He called at least six weeks ahead of time and called me and then called the manager and said hey this is what I’m thinking I’ve got some things going on in my life where this might be the time that’s best for me And I know you may not be able to hold my job but they were gonna hold that job for him. He’s now full-time at that company.
Nancy: He’s so likeable.
Tiffany: He’s so good and so, um but he asked if he could go you know and then could they survive without him and if not, he understood so independence and flexibility, but he knew that there was a risk.
Nancy: That’s true and I think just you know, be a good employee.
Tiffany: Yes, yes
Nancy: you know.
Tiffany: Yes, and you know what do you think is a good employee?
Nancy: I feel like be loyal yeah, you know do your work and then just be like be a good person I don’t know.
Tiffany: Yeah
Nancy: okay what are the tradeoffs candidates should be aware of?
Tiffany: Well oftentimes there’s no benefits and no PTO so a temporary position
Nancy: The PTO is what killer to me.
Tiffany: it’s tough, the temporary position is there for someone who is in between jobs, or you know is having a difficulty finding a full-time job for whatever reason But they need to go to work and make some money But the challenge is sometimes the clients don’t pay enough to the staffing agencies that are providing the temporary to cover benefits or to cover um PTO Now the length of the assignment matters If you’re there beyond 60 days then you can then get Blue Cross Blue Shield benefits through Dagen If you’re not there beyond 60 days you don’t get benefits and then obviously the PTO is huge because if it’s not paid by the client and we don’t pay it
Nancy: Why do you think so many people are? Sorry I’m going back to this just because you mentioned health insurance it’s important but then.
Tiffany: that’s important
Nancy: So that’s kind of like a trade off right So if you go with contract work and you’re not there for how many days did you say?
Tiffany: sixty
Nancy: 60, then you don’t get it right and a lot of people are in contracting and contemporary why do you think that is
Tiffany: Well it’s expensive you know and so it depends on what kind of staffing agency you run and so you know for instance let’s say um there’s a couple of much larger agencies and I’m just gonna use the name of one staff Mark right They’re all over the country you know and um in a lot of their locations all they do is run light industrial It’s short term light industrial and so it is a administrative headache to have to get somebody for a two week assignment a one week assignment whatever and to sign them up on benefits
Nancy: And do you think that most of these contractors or temporary employees have a partner that already has insurance Is that a common case?
Tiffany: I don’t know. You know I know we offer benefits now and we’ve been a business 25 years and we’ve only offered benefits in the last five.
Nancy: Woohoo! Not a lot of people, not a lot of recruiting does that
Tiffany: No, a lot of recruiting companies don’t. But it was a goal of mine to get benefits because for me and my mind I couldn’t stand knowing that I had people employed that were working as hard as they do for us and for the client that I couldn’t provide benefits for them So we made a business decision five years ago that we would be able to you know bring in a broker We did a lot of research and then we ended up The first few years our plans weren’t that great And so only in the last two to three years and we’ve been able to offer Blue Cross Blue Shield And so uh but that was a business decision by Dagen And there’s a lot of other companies don’t care you know mean it’s a headache and it’s expensive so
Nancy: Thank you, cause I’m also using the insurance. Hey but how can contract roles or temporary roles actually accelerate someone’s career?
Tiffany: Okay so let me give you an example. One of my best clients is an oil and gas company here in Houston and we run a lot of positions for them their project related And so I have one example of a young man who was an industrial engineer and he graduated from Texas A&M And he had been he had not had a job since he graduated had been a year So he called me I think he was well he was a referral from a friend of mine She goes you think you can help this young man And I said well it’s gonna be depending on what he’s willing to go into And so after I spoke to him I said you know I have this position I can put you in- It’s gonna be in an oil and gas company on your resume It’s gonna show proof that you are smart enough and have enough grit to work in that type of environment and then it’s also gonna make you more noticeable when someone looks at your resume because they’re well known all over the city really. They’re well known all over the world so you once you go to work there may not be what you think you were gonna come out of college and get and do as an industrial engineer but it’s a starting point and that’s what you need is a starting point.
Nancy: just to kind of get your foot in the door
Tiffany: Yes and to show that you’re capable of working And there are a lot of I’m sorry Gen Z people You don’t wanna prove that you’re capable of working and you’ve got to still even just like I did Gen X you know 30 years ago have to prove that I can work And so he is now been promoted He’s still a contractor but his next position is gonna be full time at that company If he had never taken the risk just to go and be taught how to do some things on a project and he never would have had the opportunity that he’s got now So I mean that’s just a short little story about how you can accelerate your career by taking a contract job better than sitting at home not talking to anybody not meeting anybody and not learning anything
Nancy: You said it. Seriously I think people need to hear that again probably.
Tiffany: yeah
Nancy: rewind
Tiffany: Yes
Nancy: okay, so type of candidates thrive in contract environments?
Tiffany: Um people that know
Nancy: I’m interested in what you’re gonna say to this.
Tiffany: Yes
Nancy: I’m curious.
Tiffany: Definitely people that know they have to hit a deadline. You know, I mean when you’re brought in is a temp you’re brought in is a temper a contract worker because of the additional help or expertise that they need from you at the time. They’re not brought in just to have a body there so you’ve got to be deadline driven and then you also have to be somebody that can you know kind of live in some ambiguity for a little bit. I say for instance they’re gonna bring you in. They know what they want you to do but they have to get you there and then kind of get it going until they can kind of get him into a rhythm and sometimes people can’t live in that kind of ambiguity. So you’ve got to be able to be flexible and kind of roll with punches and then also you’ve got to know that you’re gonna be working from a list you’re gonna be working from some kind of task you’re gonna be working from somebody else to help someone accomplish something and so you’re not gonna get to go in most of the time and drive your own day. Your day will be driven by someone else.
Nancy: Can you tell when you’re interviewing somebody for a contract role whether they’re gonna be a good fit or not?
Tiffany: I can
Nancy: You know what I mean?
Tiffany: I believe at this point and my career 25 years in that I can
Nancy: Like even though they’re saying no yes, I can do this contract work I’m okay but you’re getting the vibe like no
Tiffany: right, there are so many other questions that go into what you’re talking about in order to understand it. So, um you know someone may just be hungry you know they have to go to work. They’re gonna be grateful you know So they might be a technical rider that really is used to doing technical documents but yet I have a position where they’re gonna be doing proof reading and only formatting and changing of documents for someone else. Now they’ve got the skill set but would they really be okay with taking that contract doing something that’s beneath them? That’s when I start to look for somebody who has gratitude. You know will you do this job? Are you humble? Can you go in and do it that way? So, I start to listen really intently to the responses of what they’re saying to me.
Nancy: So okay
Tiffany: it just depends
Nancy: Okay And then well this is kind of like its kind, I think I went ahead cause it says when my contract work not be the right fit?
Tiffany: If your family needs benefits if your family needs benefits if you’ve got to have benefits for a child or in a divorce situation or someone is sick or something like that. Contract work is good for the money but they’re not gonna provide you any benefits unless you’re gonna be on the contract longer than 60 days. So, if you’re on it Dagen longer than sixty days
Nancy: yeah, I was gonna say.
Tiffany: then you’ll have the benefits but if you um, if it’s something where they don’t offer the benefits then that could be tough
Nancy: Okay
Tiffany: you just have to look around
Nancy: Well, that’s honest.
Tiffany: Yeah,
Nancy: okay so if someone is considering a contract role or a temporary role the next step is knowing how to evaluate the opportunity? Let’s talk about the questions candidates should be asking so what’s expected duration of the contract and likelihood of an extension?
Tiffany: Yeah, that’s pretty good. I like that question. You know what I have for that is that you need to be taught that if you’re gonna take a temporary role you need to ask and we’ve said this before that it is you know is this a budgeted position that possibly could go permanent or am I only in a position that is here to assist and to help And so that one question is gonna give you a timeline for what you’re doing
Nancy: okay and then here’s another question: It says what does success look like in this role.
Tiffany: Um are they accomplishing what they were hired for and do they know what’s expected from them
Tiffany: So, I say the first thing you do on day one if you haven’t already learned this from your staffing agency but since you’re taking direction from the person at the client then you need to ask them what is your expectation from me for this job for week one. What do you want and then let’s break that down into weeks until we get two months. Because really that first month if you don’t walk in and have a rhythm and know what’s going on that could be tough and then also you know ask throughout your program throughout your project or how long you’re there how am I doing. Call Dagen and we’ll call you. Most of the time we’re calling you and say could you ask my hiring manager how I’m doing. You know I mean am I living up to the expectations and that goes back to your question before about the extension you know if you have a good relationship with your staffing agency and they are engaged with a client about you.
okay it because it is about you then you have a better chance of being extended than just saying oh well Rob’s job is over, we’re done we’re gonna move on
Nancy: Okay, the next question I’m going to ask you I’m curious about this one just because it’s going to go back to where my brother took all that time off. So, it says what are the expectations around hours over time or flexibility? Like is that something that you just call them and say you know my-our contractor is gonna be gone for XYZ and then
Tiffany: Well, you you’ve gotta ask. Um, I really know I had that that situation was very different. I’ve never had a contractor ask for that kind of time off. But I also knew that he was in a role that was budgeted. You know I knew he was gonna be there for at least a year or longer and he was there for about roughly a year before he went full-time, maybe even a little longer.
Nancy: So, I think the timing also just kind of panned out for
Tiffany: right, but you gotta be the guy or girl that is worth the ask
Nancy: I see.
Tiffany: So, if Joe Blow comes up to me and says hey, I need six weeks off and he’s kind of been a loafer and hasn’t made a difference at where they’re at, we can just replace him with somebody else then they’re not gonna do that for him. So, I mean it really depends on the type of worker you are and all these things about the hours overtime like you got to ask that up front in the beginning you know because you know Cristian didn’t say in the beginning when he took that job by the way I’m gonna
Nancy: No, he didn’t. I was just curious like, so I think okay you’re right, so it just has to be the right person the timing and all of that to kind of stuff to pan out.
Tiffany: right
Nancy: Okay, how is performance evaluated for temporary employees or contractors?
Tiffany: That’s usually handled between the hiring manager and Dagen and so um depending on the type of position it is then we will set up a time period to talk to your hiring manager two weeks after you started. You know usually we’re calling at the end of week one how’s everything going. You know what I mean and then it’s two weeks and then it’s four weeks and then you’re roughly two months and it depends on the length of the assignment and what they’re doing. Back to the temp to hire situation you know if I have taken someone from a role and put them in a temp-to hire and it is a budget to position I’m staying very close to the client because I don’t want to be the person that gets the call that says you know this isn’t working out. I wanna be the person that’s calling and knowing it’s not working out. So that I can either talk to the candidate say hey you need to make some changes or you’re gonna be out of here right
Nancy: Uh huh
Tiffany: or that there’s just not any surprises. I don’t like surprises. The longer I’ve been in this the less surprises we have the better off we are.
Nancy: Okay, then how long have you had a contractor stay at a specific organization, like
Tiffany: I have people now that have been at once you know a specific organization going on 10 years
Nancy: see and I think candidates’ people like me that we don’t know. We’re not knowledgeable in this we think contractors and we think like I don’t know a year six months.
Tiffany: right, well it is status quo that usually you’re there only one or two years you know but I mean some companies do have contractors that are there for long term for projects in the way to define them and um I can say and I believe I could have a group of people here from Dagen that are long term contractors that have said it to me that they love working for us because we love them. We love them as much as we love on our internal people. You know we do lunches we do gift cards we do bonuses um we do we try to do as much for them as we do the people that work inside our corporate office.
Nancy: Okay then when you’re there you’ve got your contract role and everything. What tools on boarding or support are gonna be provided for us?
Tiffany: Um, well we have Amanda. So, Amanda handles all of our onboarding through our um payroll system that is done all electronically. I mean over your email and everything else and so we have um like I’ve said before we have the benefits, but she’ll walk you through that process and your W2 and then at the end of the year is your sent to you so you’re not having to dig through it or find it yourself. The taxes
Nancy: We should give Amanda a shout out, she is amazing.
Tiffany: She works really hard. Amanda Lynn is our HR manager and she really is. She interacts with our contractors and temporaries as much as anybody else.
Nancy: Okay and let’s not forget your recruiter is your biggest advocate here. So, what should candidates be asking you?
Tiffany: Okay, so you ask me questions for recruiters right
Nancy: Yeah
Tiffany: and so, you know most of the time the first thing it says oh how does my pay work? Well, number one is you’re a W2 employee of Dagen so you’re gonna turn in a timesheet you’re gonna have your supervisor sign it. If we tell you that the pay rate for the job is$50 an hour, then you get$50 an hour. The only thing taken out of that of the taxes that you designate on your W2 um after a year we have a 401k so you could then at that point also designate some of your money to you know go into the 401k because we vest immediately. So, remember that and the way it should work is staffing companies are you know they’re given bill rates and so then at that point in time we’ll have an idea of what we can pay based on what the client tells us that the bill rate is. So, you’ve got to know your worth. You know; you need to know what your hourly rate is and cause some staffing agencies will try to undercut you where what we do is we just tell you what it is and what we’re up against
Nancy: Okay, there’s another question on here: It says what benefits of any are available to contractors?
Tiffany: Most of the time it’s health insurance like we talked about most you know and if you have a health insurance plan you have to extend it to every single W2 employee no matter what
Nancy: but just so everyone knows it’s rare right.
Tiffany: But it is
Nancy: We’re like a diamond in the rough
Tiffany: Just say we like will spend more money than most people
Nancy: How often will you check in with me during the assignment? That’s a question that we should be asking you directly.
Tiffany: Yeah, and then we need to be checking in with you frequently and we ask that you check in with us frequently so whatever that looks like you know at least once or twice a month you know I mean we’re not gonna call you weekly right
Nancy: I mean every day.
Tiffany: Yes, and how are you doing You know um we
Nancy: How’s your lunch?
Tiffany: Camille even said on our team said that she had someone that said Camille you don’t have to call me. I’m good, we’re good. You can quit calling me now So she you know.
Nancy: So, a healthy checking in
Tiffany: that’s right
Nancy: is good.
Tiffany: that’s right
Nancy: What happens if the contract ends early? That’s another question that we could be asking.
Tiffany: Yeah, well, we try to find something else for you if we have something available at the time that your contract ends or if they call you and say that it is over early you know but that doesn’t always happen Um I like to think that when we do call you and let you know I don’t beat around the bush I will pick up I’ll pick up the phone I’ll call you and say hey I’ve got bad news so that you immediately then know oh my contract is ending You know because we don’t often get to tell people during the day while they’re at work that hey at 5:00 your contract is over You know most of the time you’re gonna get a phone call after five And so I don’t like to beat around the bush and say hey how you doing? How was your day? You know I’ll just call and say hey, this is Tiffany at Dagen and I’ve got some bad news.
Nancy: You can cry now.
Tiffany: Yes, That’s terrible
Nancy: I’m kidding, I’m kidding.
Tiffany: It’s never, it’s still not easy. It’s been 25 years and that’s still the hardest part of my job and my team’s job I’m not having to do that as much anymore but it’s really if I have a really close relationship with somebody who’s a contractor that I put there you know that maybe I’ve known for a long time or whatever Um but uh it’s still it’s still one of the hardest things I do
Nancy: It’s just a courtesy right.
Tiffany: Yes
Nancy: to let them down a little bit easily.
Tiffany: Yes
Nancy: and then your soothing voice will calm them down. Now, okay now let’s say you land the role. Now what how do you actually stand out as a contractor or a temporary employee? The focus shifts to performance and making that opportunity count. So how can contractors or temporary employees build strong relationships quickly? I wanna know what your answer is.
Tiffany: In the last few months weeks year whatever I have had clients that have called me and said with us coming out of this environment where people have been working from home and now, they’re coming into the office even on a hybrid schedule. Sometimes they are still in this mode of I’m not gonna go to lunch with anybody. I don’t wanna get to know you. You know I mean I’m gonna talk to you on teams and so I would suggest that if you take a contract role and you get there and you try to build relationships immediately ask somebody to lunch you know see if the team is going so that you can start to get to know them which is then just gonna fortify what you’re gonna be doing. If you’re on a team’s call later in the week on a Monday or Friday cause that’s typically when a hybrid uh schedule is running and then I would go in at the end of the first week as a contractor and this is for any level of temp contractor my first question to the hiring manager at the end of the week is you know how can I be better for you. I’ve been here a week.
Nancy: okay
Tiffany: I’ve absorbed what I can in the week. You’ve taught me A, B and C but now how can I be better for you? And just you asking the question is gonna and you’re gonna get some.
Nancy: and a lot of us don’t like asking, well that’s not me but there’s a lot of people that they don’t wanna ask.
Tiffany: That’s right but that’s where we come in, you know, I mean you have to call your agency you know, or we have to call and say hey did you go in and ask them how you can be better for them this week. You know we need to call the client and say what can they do better for you this week and that’s a partnership.
Nancy: Yeah
Tiffany: and that’s another benefit to being a client that has a agency that will partner with you for a better experience with a temporary or contractor
Nancy: Hmm and you know the next question says what are the fastest way to make an impact. I feel like that this also gonna help make a faster impact.
Tiffany: Yeah, actually great. Um what I say to everybody is ask for the top 5 things needed when you’re going in for the job and you’re there that first day and they’re gonna start training What are the first five things you need me to know by the end of the week so that I can be successful second week and then they’re gonna they they’ll tell you
Nancy: they need to put those on post It’s like you have in your office.
Tiffany: uh huh
Nancy: you know.
Tiffany: yeah, what are you trying to say?
Nancy: Well, you do have a lot of posts that have like sayings and stuff and
Tiffany: oh, oh
Nancy: It keeps you, like you know what I mean so you don’t forget. You don’t wanna ask what the five things are and then you’re going midweek, like
Tiffany: Yes, right?! You need to write it down. Yeah, that that points true.
Nancy: yeah, that’s true and then how do you position yourself for extension or full-time conversion?
Tiffany: that I believe comes with building rapport and building trust. You’re never gonna go full time unless the hiring manager that you’re there with trusts you with the project or the job or anything else. That means doing what you say and saying what you mean.
Nancy: I think like being a go getter.
Tiffany: Well, being a go getter
Nancy: Team player
Tiffany: all those things are very important but you’re never gonna do it without the trust
Nancy: That is true.
Tiffany: You could be the biggest “go-getter” in the world and the whole team love you and you be the favorite office hire but if nobody trusts you, they’re not pushing they’re not putting you in front of somebody else they’re not talking about you behind a closed door and they’re definitely not gonna let you lead
Nancy: So, you know you said that my friend told me that she felt that she was a personality hire.
Tiffany: Yeah
Nancy: That like I guess that’s a thing I think that’s a thing.
Tiffany: I mean these, I don’t know, I don’t know
Tiffany: I really don’t know. I mean I but yeah, it’s a thing on Instagram and TikTok, yes Facebook, yes.
Nancy: Well, the last question what mistake should contractors avoid.
Tiffany: Okay number one mistake that a contractor should avoid is don’t ever talk about anybody, not your coworker not your boss. If you go to a contract job and you think Betty Boo is your best friend in the world and she’s been working at so called company 20 years and y’all made best friends and you begin talking about other people within the office, you will ruin yourself. So go to the job, do the work, be kind; meet people but shut your mouth when it comes to talking about people.
Nancy: Well, they always say if you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all.
Tiffany: 100%, So that would be my you know answer for you
Nancy: Okay y’all heard it. All right well everyone thanks for listening. I think that wraps up today’s episode.
Tiffany: Catch us on our next episode. Follow and subscribe and listen to us on Spotify and Apple
Nancy: Woohoo