Okay, so it's been over a month since my last blog entry! Geez. I guess it's partly a reflection on having nothing to report until now. And now it's definitely looking up, although I am officially in a quandary that I have to resolve by Monday. So - - I am open to advice, as long as you realize I might completely disregard what you have to say. But I do listen to all input and take it into account (you know me, the analytic)!
The good news is, I have a couple of options. The bad news is, neither are full time (which may be just fine) and they are both contractor not employee (again, fine because that is what I am accustomed to). Although stability and benefits would be nice. . .
Oh, and I should mention that interestingly enough, both roles are in the realm of business development (read: sales and consulting)!
First option: Highly regarded leadership assessment firm (in business 25 years), 30 hours a week, requested to work most hours in the office (downtown Mpls), primary responsibilities to learn their assessment center process to be certified and to develop 4 new client sales proposals in 4 months. Contract to be renewed after 4 months if mutually agreeable, anticipate full time employment in 2010 if conditions are right.
Second option: Highly regarded recruitment advertising and services firm (in business 40 years), undetermined amount of hours yet, work virtually, primary responsibility to take one of their new lines of business into other industries (it has been successful in healthcare so far) and develop 2 new client sales proposals in 3 months. Note - there is immediate or long-term opportunity to be a full time, virtual employee.
Pay for the first one is low, given what I normally bill hourly. In fact, it's about 1/2 my typical rate, but I recognize there are discounts for a committed number of hours every month. However, it's a monthly set fee for the 30 hours per week worked. The commission rate is 5-15% of new business brought in (I need to clarify if this is calculated on project income or revenue).
Pay for the second one is yet undetermined in terms of number of hours and hourly rate (I should hear by Friday). The commission rate is 5% of revenue, and they have an established 60% overhead calculation for the service I'm selling because it's labor intensive. Thus, if I sell a 100k project, revenue is 40k and my commission is 2k.
My additional concern, however, is the structure the assessment firm is imposing on where and how I work. They have asked that I not work with any other assessment firms (which of course legally they can't ask, but I understand their concern about conflict of interest and intellectual property and such). Further, the amount of hours in office greatly reduces my ability to engage other clients and raise my overall income.
What I wonder, and I really welcome thoughts on this, is whether my background and expertise in both areas could actually be a huge benefit to clients in terms of understanding and resolving needs they have in both recruitment and assessment processes. I could thus leverage contacts on the recruiting side to develop business for assessment, and vice-versa. Obviously recruitment and selection are two sides of the same hiring coin, and most companies have a need for both at some point. In this scenario, I would continue to be an independent consultant and represent the recruitment firm and the assessment firm, ideally working 1/2 time for each. By the way, they do not offer any of the same tools or services, so there is no conflict of interest.
I am leaving for SIOP this afternoon, heading south to New Orleans. I doubt greatly that will clear my head and provide me illumination on my dilemma, but at least it provides more chances to network and stay visible and credible!
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On the one hand, it's a tough call; on the other hand, it's not that big a deal.
ReplyDeleteI had several consulting/contractor opportunities float my way during my long unemployment period. None of them paid what I was used to getting, but they did pay better than unemployment. Although they all hinted at potential transition to full-time, regular employee status, in several cases, that wasn't a motivator for me, as I didn't want to work full-time with them. However, as short-term opportunities to bring in some money, keep my skills current, add to my c.v., and possibly do some networking that could lead to better work elsewhere, they all had potential. But, like you, I also looked at the opportunity costs of taking each position.
I turned down one position because the commute was almost two hours each way. I was willing to take another because I thought the networking with an organization I wanted to join in a better capacity outweighed the low pay and time commitment. The one I ended up spending the most time on gave me a lot of flexibility. I negotiated to work in their office one week each month, telecommute the rest of the month, and have the freedom to take some days off per month if I had job interviews or other projects. You might try to counter-offer some conditions that give you the flexibility you need.
Good luck!
Hey Jordan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts - sorry I'm just getting back now (I was in New Orleans at SIOP). Agreed with what you say here about considerations. The issue is not yet resolved, as I did counter-offer (while at SIOP, actually, because the CEO of the assessment firm was there) and I haven't heard back on their decision yet. Mostly I just want to avoid being treated like an employee in terms of hours and location demands, but with no benefits - losing the flexibility and premium pay of a contractor who has to balance other clients and pay my own SE taxes! I'll let you know how it turns out. How's your new gig?? Are you enjoying SF? I'm so jealous - I love that city!
That's exactly right! When I negotiated with the long-term consulting gig, I did point out that they were getting my services at a discount rate (and without benefits) and locking in my commitment to them, so the tradeoff would be the conditions I wanted. They were pretty agreeable to my terms.
ReplyDeleteWe're still in Mpls dealing with the thrill (ugh) of getting ready to sell our house and move. It looks like we're leaving around the start of June. And it's LA, not SF. Still, this should be an adventure. :)
Hi again Jordan,
ReplyDeleteOops - why did I have SF on the brain? Yes, LA will be an equally fun adventure - will you live near your work? (The most salient fact about LA for me is the crazy traffic!) Does Rachel stay home with Ellen full time, or will she be job-seeking once there?
I am hoping to get a response to my counter offer today, but it worries me that it's taking them so long to consider. I truly think they want me as an FTE and can't seem to embrace the fact that if they can't afford that, terms are different. We'll see!
Rachel is going to be job-hunting, so we'll end up settling down somewhere that's hopefully a tolerable commute for both of us. The LA metro is HUGE, though -- that could be anywhere!
ReplyDeleteAny response yet? The waiting sucks. Sometimes it's hard to remember that dealing with a contractor/applicant is #20 on their to-do list, even if it's #1 on yours. Good luck. I hope you get what you're asking for.