In the area of information technology, temping is all about supply and demand. If you can supply the computer skills that are demanded by businesses, you are in a profession that staffing services are aggressively recruiting for.
Staffing services want you, the expert in information technology, to join them. They are now offering great benefits and will pay you a salary, sometimes even when you are not out on a project. When you are not out on a job, many staffing services will help you get the training to stay ahead for future demands. That way, you will continue to work for them and consequently make money for them.
Flexibility is often a major requirement of temps with computer skills because of the frequent changes in this field. People who are systems analysts or programmers are constantly training themselves to keep up with innovations. There are staffing services that keep a pool of up-to-date trained people for special projects.
It is difficult to even attempt to address salaries for the professional technical temp who has specialized computer skills, because the types of skills are changing daily to meet the demands for information technology. Skills that are listed as hot today may be even hotter tomorrow and then may be obsolete next week. As a professional technical temp working in computer technology, your salary will constantly change, depending on whether businesses and, in return, staffing services are recruiting people with the skills and knowledge you possess.
Companies often call staffing services to provide temps in the computer field instead of hiring someone on their own, because many of the computer jobs are project work that will be completed in a span of six months to two years.
People who have computer skills that are in demand often work for a staffing service and move from job to job. These jobs may require mobility on the part of the temps. They are placed in positions that pay well. The staffing service often provides benefits to these highly skilled computer people to keep them employed by the service. Staffing services who place these temps often make a great deal of money because the skills are in such demand. Professional temps in these and other jobs may make more than people who are in the same jobs on a permanent basis. Because the temps may not be receiving benefits such as insurance, the extra money allows the temps to pay for the benefits on their own.
Pay in the area of information technology depends on experience with systems and applications. Salary for a senior programmer position depends on background and experience. Some staffing services work long-term-a year or longer. Know the salary that corresponds to your experience. Someone just graduating from college is entry-level. More experience pays more. Project management pays more. Those who have been in the market longer can command a higher salary. Many services prefer experienced people, as they cannot charge a fee for an entry-level worker. However, you can gain experience as a professional technical temp and you also have a chance of landing a full-time job working through a staffing service in a temp-to-hire situation.
Several staffing services provide representation in this area, for example, Robert Half International (RHI), Consulting Information Technology Staffing, General Employment Enterprises, and New Technology Services (NT).
There are various hiring methods for information technology people. The traditional way is where a staffing service hires a professional technical temp and pays the temp by the hour for hours worked. Those who are consultants usually work for a company like Arthur Andersen, which employs consultants who are hired by various businesses to come in and consult. There is a difference between what staffing services do and what Arthur Andersen does. If you do not believe this, just ask someone from Arthur Andersen!
Global Dynamics is a staffing service in California for those in the field of information technology. They place more than 70% of their temps, or consultants, as they are called by this company, in straight contract positions. That means someone is placed on a job, stays on it from start to finish, and then goes to another job, much like a traditional temporary worker.
Global Dynamics hires professional technical persons to temp for them by using a search list the company has developed. Those on this list have signed up with the company by using the Internet, by faxing their resumes, and many times by referrals from others.
People who temp for this information technology company have to complete a qualifying questionnaire and state whether they prefer to work on contract positions or on temp-to-hire positions. (Remember, a temp-to-hire job is a position you, the professional technical temp, try out for a period of weeks or months to give you and the company where you are temping ample time to determine if you are a match for each other.) Candidates must also list their required salary, their flexibility on relocation, and whether or not they are an independent contractor.
Global will then ask the candidate to complete a second questionnaire listing specific software skills. The client where the temp will be working may also review the questionnaire and the candidate's skills and resume before interviewing the candidate on the phone.
Many contract workers will then be interviewed in person. If that requires travel, most information technology temps will be expected to pay their own travel expenses as part of being a contract worker. The information technology temp can also expect to sign a release to submit to a background check and to take a drug test.
Paul Sharps, who is with Global Dynamics, says his business relies on word of mouth or referrals. Global pays a bonus to people who are currently working for Global who advise other skilled people to sign up with Global.
