Notes on Hiring Contractors: getting the good ones & keeping them

As organisations increasingly come to depend on ‘contractors’ to bolster their workforce, how do they get the good ones? Hiring the right person with the right skills is not always easy. A contractor’s skills can be divided into three main areas; technical knowledge and ability, interpersonal skills/ability to get things done through others, and motivation to produce not only a lot of work, but a lot of good work.

Technical

Tests and certificates are an obvious way to measure technical skills, but should not be relied on alone. How quickly and/or easily new skills are absorbed and how problems are solved are also key factors to consider. Whilst some on-the-job learning is to be expected, teaching a contractor the basics could end up being very costly.

Interpersonal

The ability for a contractor (or any employee) to get things done by, with and through others is a critical and frequently overlooked part of job performance. Anyone who works in an organisation needs to be able to get on with others - ensure that your contractor has at least some interpersonal skills.

When hiring bear in mind the fact that contractors move from one job to another and therefore have commitment to a specific organisation and no strong working relationships - this tends to put contractors under greater job stress. It is a mistake to assume a contractor will "fit in" just like a regular employee. A contractor who is "dropped" into the job for the first time may need more personal coaching than a regular employee to understand the political arena and immediate job expectations. Both the manager and the contractor should clearly understand that, since the job is temporary, both parties have the responsibility to capture the contractor's acquired project knowledge and experience. 

Motivation

If technical ability and interpersonal skills drive job "effectiveness," then motivation provides job "power." There are two primary aspects of motivation to consider. The first is the contractor's independence and the second is the contractor's attitude towards work. Most contractors like being independent. They can come and go as they please and feel little obligation to the corporate hierarchy. Managers who are responsible for supervising their work should always be aware of the fine balance between being "involved" and “getting in the way." It is in the organisation's best interest to maintain a healthy and productive relationship with the contractor - the longer a contractor stays on the job, the higher their personal performance.

The second aspect of motivation is the attitude the contractor has about work. Some contractors work diligently toward generating the perfect project while others are satisfied with just generating work. Personal motivation is hard to measure - ask your contractor about past projects and attitudes that correspond with the way work is conducted at your organisation.

Impact On The Organisation

Hiring contractors is different from hiring regular employees. On one hand contractors bring valuable skills while on the other they require different management strategies to produce maximum results. But what about the impact contractors have on your current workforce? Some organisations have reported that job satisfaction of full-time workers declined as the number of temporary workers increased.

Hiring contractors can be a very beneficial experience. Contract workers help keep costs under control, reduce long-term overheads, save benefits and may contribute scarce technical skills - but there is a trade-off. The use of contractors requires increased management involvement to balance and rebalance work among a shifting population of people with different skills, different interests and different levels of commitment.

Independent contractors, creatework.com members and team members have one advantage over employees – they cost less. You pay for them when you need them, and put them back on the shelf (where they work for other clients or wait for more business) between projects, when you don’t.

Another factor to consider is that some employees are unlikely to co-operate with contractors if they feel their jobs are threatened. A decision to use a contractor may be viewed as an experiment to assess losing a permanent job and so serve to de-motivate employees – de-motivated staff rarely perform well. Giving all the best projects to contractors will also serve to de-motivate employees, but giving contractors really mundane, boring work may attract only mediocre or poor quality contractors, maintain a balance.

Keeping the Good Ones

When you find a good contractor whose work you like, consider putting them on retainer or contract. Agree a rate and contract to go to them first with each new project. You may get a better rate if you can guarantee a minimum level of work. It may also be worth paying a small monthly retainer for reduced price work when required.

Agree with the contractor the outcome required - what you will and will not provide, and what you expect to get. Encourage Ideas - There is nothing saying that the idea for your project is the best out there, maybe your contractor can think of a better idea. Encourage feedback and new ideas.  Remember also your contractor may well have other projects for other clients in progress. You have less control over this than with an employee. But if you are their client of choice, they will be loyal to you and put you first when conflicting demands arise. Treat them well and they should respond in kind. And finally, be a good client – Contractors are free to pick and choose projects and clients. If you are too demanding or unreasonable, do not pay on time, and hard to get hold of or keep changing your mind, a contractor may decide they don’t want to take further work from you.

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