Are you hired underneath a specific company, or a firm that distributes workers such as yourself?

Hi Laniya,

I am currently working as a Technical Consulting Engineer hired directly by CISCO.

We do have engineers who are a part of direct hires and a part of distributed work force. It all boils down to the fact that the entire workforce works on the same projects.

The only differentiating factor being the payroll. For direct employees the payroll is managed by the company and for the rest it is done by the vendor distributing/leasing the employees.

When you are working for a 3rd party vendor who is distributing workers based on their projects and requirements, there are a few things that need to be considered:

1. Ensure that you know the project that you are being hired for. This is important in order to understand if that role peaks your interest.
2. Understand for opportunites for growth and for a permanent movement to the company you have been distributed to.
3. Before joining a company, do check reviews (work-life balance, the enviornment and day to day work).

Hope my anwers helped a bit.

Thanks,

Rohan

Laniya,

That's a good question and I just went through the process of going through a professional services agency to obtain a position in SAT! It's a contract to hire position, so I'd work for the 3rd party for set contractual time and have opportunity to direct hire with Client when end of contract is reached. For some, working via short or long term contacts are what they like. They get to work for same services company, for variety of clients, which helps maintain the "newness" feeling.

I've been a contractor before working a client site, but those companies were not just an agency handling talent. It felt no different than working directly for company other than the name on your paycheck.

If you're considering what's best for you, start with asking yourself if it matters who you work for as long as you're doing what you like. The main differences will be benefits and politics. In my experience, I've found that the contractor has better benefits than the Owner, as they are often more flexible in their options. As a contractor, you've got a buffer between you and normal office politics of the client.

Some fields of work are more suited to consulting environment, as they are to solve temporary/short term needs and are usually specialized, like the Business Continuity you mentioned. Large companies may hire direct, mostly for confidentiality, but you'd be required to sign a nondisclosure agreement regardless.

Good luck in your career endeavors.

Mary