Okay, so I have a contract job at a major company (one that at least half of those reading this have most likely heard of). Its (at-will) term is six months; I’ve been there since mid-August. I’d never worked at this company before. The job itself is okay; not the most interesting work (obviously, since I’ve never worked at this company before, I’m not likely to get the most interesting stuff), but I do it well.
Now, I’ve found out that a company I’ve worked for in the past as a contractor is starting up a new project. This project starts next month, and runs for about three (best current guess). This company is one I really loved working at, and the project is for something I really had a positive impact on the last time I was there. I love(d) the work and the people. Their office is a shorter commute and pays more (though not by a huge amount) than my current job. I am 100% certain that if I asked, I would get a position. (I had that good an impact, and was that well-liked, personally and work-wise, by my supervisors.)
I frankly do not know what to do at this point. I plan to consult with my temp agency contact about this, to get her thoughts, but I’m having such a hard time with this that I’ve decided to dare ask the Dope. What do you all think? What should I factor in?
Find out if you have a job on the new project first, then quit the other job. Unless your current job could turn into a permanent gig, I don’t see any advantage to it.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Try for the new job but don’t quit the old one yet - a 3-month contract isn’t much to throw away adequate work for.
Is there any likelyhood of the current contract being extended? If so, by how much? If it isn’t going to be extended, they would expect you to start looking for your next contract now anyway.
Very good question above. From what I know of certain rules and the job itself, I’m relatively sure that the chances of my contract being extended in this case are extremely slim to out of the question. Whether they’d offer me a permanent position, I can’t be certain, but given the make-up of the department and (again) the nature of the position, I would say it’s extremely unlikely.
Frankly, the company I’m looking at is a lot more likely to do so; they really like me and my work there. This would be my third project at this particular place. And as I said in the OP, I’m pretty sure I would have a position if I asked for it (though it doesn’t hurt to ask my old supervisor just to be sure, especially when she has more info on their allowable hires).
But always have a backup plan. I once had the rug pulled out from under me when they decided to spend my upcoming salary (and a whole lot more) to purchase a small company instead. My boss had no say in the matter.
Talked it over some via e-mail with my temp agency rep. She did think it would/could hurt my chances of being hired with this company again in the future for anything if I were to leave early. Which I would have to be an idiot not to guess. On one hand, it took me a LONG time of applying before I got anywhere close to being hired, and as I said, this isn’t the most interesting work. OTOH, who really knows? As I also said, this company is pretty big.
Finish out your contract so that you will be considered for future positions at this big company. In the future perhaps the other company will have some other project starting up or need additional help on the current one and you will be considered. With the at-will nature of your employment at this point I would think you wouldn’t want to even singe any bridges much less burn one by breaking your current contract.
If I’m reading correctly – you haven’t talked to anyone about this other position, you just know it’s there? In that case I would say to let them know you’re interested and you’d like to talk to them. That doesn’t mean you’re obligated to work there if they give you an offer, you’re just inquiring. You don’t even know all the details (pay, how likely it is to be permanent, etc), there’s no way you can know if you want it already. And who knows, maybe they’ll pay a bunch of money and make it a no brainer, or maybe there’s no opening and at least you know you tried. No point in trying to figure it all out now, you still need to collect information.
Sorry, I perhaps was unclear. I know the position at the other company exists (it’s just that certain scheduling details and such need to be worked out), and I know I can get it if I want to. I also know it’s contract (unfortunately).
Oh, and yes, they will hold it open until I leave the big company; only I’ll have lost most of the time in the project and a LOT of interesting work.
But saying that’s not the only reason I’m bumping. I’ve also discussed this with my parents. My dad thinks I should do what I want. My mom says to go with my gut (which is close to, but not necessarily, saying the same as my dad; I think she’s making allowances for the possibility that I might just think staying is doing the right thing). Still undecided; I haven’t heard back from my old supervisor yet, meaning the schedule and manpower needs aren’t set in stone yet. I figure I have at least until then to figure this out (though sooner would be better if I were to leave).
Would it be possible to complete your current contract, and maybe tackle the new project on a part-time basis, nights, weekends, etc., until your old contract runs out and you can fully commit to the new one?
Would you be OK with not ever being able to work for the current company that you’re with or any of their affiliates? If you are OK with that, then go for it.
It’s a tough choice, but ultimately it’s up to you. I personally hated to burn any relationship I’ve had with a contract company. I’ve done contracted IT work for several years on both the working and the staffing side. I’ve seen my share of contractors bail on a project for something else and I usually avoided them in the future for other projects.
