10 Do’s and Don’ts to Follow when Working with Independent Contractors

DO THIS	NOT THIS
Develop job descriptions tailored to the independent contractor audience Market the project scope in addition to the desired skills. Be clear on the bill rate range or learn about market rates. Consider posting your project as negotiable and expect to pay market rate after reviewing multiple applications. Make it clear what skills are required vs. nice to have. This helps talent decide if they are a good fit and helps recruiters send you exactly what you are looking for.	Don’t repurpose a full-time job posting for contractors without changing key details Simply repurposing existing job postings may not accurately describe the skills you are hoping to find in a contractor. Take a little time to ensure the job description is a good reflection of your project needs and appropriately framed for an independent contractor. Advertise a title that will attract the right candidates, like “Technical Project Manager” or “Sr. Front End Developer” instead of a title that may only resonate with an internal audience.
Evaluate resumes like you’re evaluating a potential vendor Contractors often present their resumes by illustrating core skills and outlining specific projects completed. Learn to evaluate a contractor’s resume based on what a candidate has done or can do, instead of being concerned about gaps or longevity with a company. Seek out work samples, portfolios, and references, rather than simply relying on the resume. Remember contractors are engaged for a project, not a lifetime. In some cases, it may make sense to focus on the work they can produce instead of looking for the perfect behavioral fit for your team.	Don’t become overly focused on candidate resumes. Consider their experience, not prior job titles or seniority Don’t assume contractors with many years of experience won’t be willing to do your project work. Independent consultants are small businesses eager to work with clients at various levels. Don’t count a contractor out based on previous titles or worry they are overqualified. If the rate fits, and they’ve applied to the role, don’t be concerned they won’t do the work. Many have gone back into contracting as they prefer hands-on work!
Keep the momentum going In today’s competitive job market, candidates expect project offers within days, not weeks or months. Ideally: Review submittals and give feedback within three days of submittal. Schedule interviews for those selected within five days of submittal. Schedule a second interview within a week of the first. Make a hiring decision within five days of final interview.	Don’t post projects if you’re not sure what’s happening While it can be tempting to hedge your bets when seeking a contractor, it can hurt both the hiring manager and the company brand in the long term. Be clear on bill rate (or rate range), job requirements, and expected outcomes before posting and interviewing to ensure optimal satisfaction for both client and contractor.
Keep lines of communication open After you’ve extended an offer, keep contractors engaged every step of the way. This includes communication about what to expect during onboarding as well as direct communication with your contractor before and during the project. Did you know that most contractors will start looking for projects 60 days before they wish to start? Transparency around project start and end dates can help ensure that your contractors remain available for as long as you need them and that they understand their importance and role not just to the project as a whole, but to key team members with whom they may interact.	Don’t forget onboarding and orientation Don’t forget that your contractors, much like FTEs, need some guidance about how to best find key materials and contacts, and how to follow processes and procedures. This may mean regular check-ins, a best practices document for how contractors can find necessary materials, or even an employee “buddy” for new contractors so they can best determine how to do their jobs. Remember, skipping these steps not only frustrates a contractor but can cost the company time and money too.
Re-Engage known talent Talent is eager to re-engage with contractor-friendly organizations, and it’s often faster and more cost-efficient to do so. Many have completed core onboarding tasks, ensuring they can get to work faster, and they may also take less time to ramp up, as they already understand internal culture, policies, and procedures.	Don’t let top contractors slip away Every good project comes to an end eventually. Once you’ve engaged talent successfully, reach out to your program manager to talk about adding these workers to an internal “talent pool” so that colleagues can easily re-engage for future needs.

DO THIS

NOT THIS

Develop job descriptions tailored to the independent contractor audience

- Market the project scope in addition to the desired skills.
- Be clear on the bill rate range or learn about market rates.
- Consider posting your project as negotiable and expect to pay market rate after reviewing multiple applications.
- Make it clear what skills are required vs. nice to have. This helps talent decide if they are a good fit and helps recruiters send you exactly what you are looking for.

Don’t repurpose a full-time job posting for contractors without changing key details

Simply repurposing existing job postings may not accurately describe the skills you are hoping to find in a contractor. Take a little time to ensure the job description is a good reflection of your project needs and appropriately framed for an independent contractor.
Advertise a title that will attract the right candidates, like “Technical Project Manager” or “Sr. Front End Developer” instead of a title that may only resonate with an internal audience.

Evaluate resumes like you’re evaluating a potential vendor

Contractors often present their resumes by illustrating core skills and outlining specific projects completed. Learn to evaluate a contractor’s resume based on what a candidate has done or can do, instead of being concerned about gaps or longevity with a company.
Seek out work samples, portfolios, and references, rather than simply relying on the resume.
Remember contractors are engaged for a project, not a lifetime. In some cases, it may make sense to focus on the work they can produce instead of looking for the perfect behavioral fit for your team.

Don’t become overly focused on candidate resumes. Consider their experience, not prior job titles or seniority

Don’t assume contractors with many years of experience won’t be willing to do your project work. Independent consultants are small businesses eager to work with clients at various levels.
Don’t count a contractor out based on previous titles or worry they are overqualified. If the rate fits, and they’ve applied to the role, don’t be concerned they won’t do the work. Many have gone back into contracting as they prefer hands-on work!

Keep the momentum going

In today’s competitive job market, candidates expect project offers within days, not weeks or months.

Ideally:

Review submittals and give feedback within three days of submittal.
Schedule interviews for those selected within five days of submittal.
Schedule a second interview within a week of the first.
Make a hiring decision within five days of final interview.

Don’t post projects if you’re not sure what’s happening

While it can be tempting to hedge your bets when seeking a contractor, it can hurt both the hiring manager and the company brand in the long term.
Be clear on bill rate (or rate range), job requirements, and expected outcomes before posting and interviewing to ensure optimal satisfaction for both client and contractor.

Keep lines of communication open

- After you’ve extended an offer, keep contractors engaged every step of the way. This includes communication about what to expect during onboarding as well as direct communication with your contractor before and during the project.
- Did you know that most contractors will start looking for projects 60 days before they wish to start?
- Transparency around project start and end dates can help ensure that your contractors remain available for as long as you need them and that they understand their importance and role not just to the project as a whole, but to key team members with whom they may interact.

Don’t forget onboarding and orientation

- Don’t forget that your contractors, much like FTEs, need some guidance about how to best find key materials and contacts, and how to follow processes and procedures. This may mean regular check-ins, a best practices document for how contractors can find necessary materials, or even an employee “buddy” for new contractors so they can best determine how to do their jobs.
- Remember, skipping these steps not only frustrates a contractor but can cost the company time and money too.

Re-Engage known talent

Talent is eager to re-engage with contractor-friendly organizations, and it’s often faster and more cost-efficient to do so. Many have completed core onboarding tasks, ensuring they can get to work faster, and they may also take less time to ramp up, as they already understand internal culture, policies, and procedures.

Don’t let top contractors slip away

Every good project comes to an end eventually. Once you’ve engaged talent successfully, reach out to your program manager to talk about adding these workers to an internal “talent pool” so that colleagues can easily re-engage for future needs.