Match: A Systematic, Sane Process for Hiring the Right Person Every Time

Appendix I. A Word about Contractors

Try Before You Buy

Consider this: according to the National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services (NATSS), more than half of temporary contract assignments last more than 11 weeks. More than 1 in 10 last longer than a year.

Gone are the days when companies just "need a warm body to fill in until Mildred gets back from Orlando." Companies are using contract help strategically, to complete specific projects and to manage the regular overflow of work. In my experience, about one third of contract hires eventually become full-time employees.

The role of the internal contractor impacts today's hiring trends. Project-based accounting and financial professionals are now handling extremely complex work. While the temporary accounts payable clerk is certainly still a standard, it is no longer unusual to bring in a contractor to handle mergers and acquisitions, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting, or forecasting. While this may be slightly more expensive on an hourly rate, a contractor's flexibility allows the department to expertly handle more work without having to add a permanent staff member.

The Benefits

The fee for a contract employee is an hourly rate. You are billed only for the hours the employee works. The contract employee is on the staffing firm's payroll, and they are therefore responsible for unemployment and payroll taxes. In most cases, employers can hire a contract employee onto their payroll at any time. The conversion ...