A contract to hire scheme has many advantages for both the contractor and the company. Compared with full-time employment (FTE), contract to hire positions give both parties more time to test out the role. For contractors, it can be a great way to gain new experiences with the promise of FTE at the end of the contract period. Companies also have the opportunity to define a role more clearly and see how a given contractor is functioning in that position.

Contract to hire is a great way to have the necessary people brought on with short notice. The promise of FTE after an initial contract period generally indicates a greater commitment from both the company and the contractor. A contract to hire salary negotiation can be a bit complicated but a creative staffing agency can help simplify this discussion in addition to the various other benefits we offer.

Using icreatives will save tons of time and money for companies looking to fill contract to hire positions. Our superior pool of experienced creatives has been thoroughly vetted. We back every one of them with a 100% guarantee. Rather than spending lots of time and money on advertisements for an open role, icreatives can use our existing talent pool and referral stream to get the best talent for your company faster and easier.

There are many benefits of contract to hire positions. Their appeal depends on the structure and management style of the company and the program may not appeal to every worker. For people who like variety or want to build on their existing experience, contract to work agreements can be highly beneficial.

Contract to hire positions help cover sudden or temporary staffing shortfalls and leave room for a more permanent working relationship in the future. Using a creative staffing agency like icreatives is the fastest and simplest way to fill these positions with top-tier talent. Read on to find out how companies and creatives can each benefit from contract to hire jobs.

What Exactly is Contract to Hire?

In a contract to hire scheme, a company contracts an employee for work for a determined period. This is usually anywhere from one to nine months. In traditional contract arrangements, the employee and employer agree that they will part ways after the contract has ended. This is a great way to fill in seasonal gaps and fill positions when existing talent leaves. Contract positions are also used to bring on specialized or needed labor for single projects.

Unlike the traditional contract setup, contract to hire has FTE employment as its goal. The company and the talent make an agreement that the talent will provide some number of services to the client company. This agreement should have the services enumerated and usually indicate that the relationship will end once the services have been rendered.

This allows for a more flexible relationship than a traditional full-time work agreement. Either the employee or the company can terminate the agreement after the contract period rather than moving on to FTE. They can also work together to define a role that satisfies each party’s needs.

Should Companies Use Contract to Hire?

Businesses can use contract to hire jobs in various ways, although they may not be the best choice for every situation. Here are some of the most common ways we’ve seen companies use contract to hire jobs with great success:

• Filling Staffing Gaps
  

People have to take medical leave, maternity or paternity breaks, or they just move on to other positions. Finding talent to fill in for an entry-level position can be done with a temp position, but highly skilled workers are unlikely to take such positions. Contract to work allows companies to attract skilled creatives temporarily.

Even if conditions change and a full-time position can’t be created, there’s an existing relationship between the company and the worker for temporary or full-time work in the future. Many highly skilled creatives relish the opportunity to work with different companies and in different situations.

• Create New Roles
  

When a company isn’t completely sure what duties need to be reapportioned or assigned to a new employee, using contract to work jobs is one of the best ways to get everything figured out. The worker will also likely enjoy helping to construct a position. In the best-case scenario, they will then be able to step into that role seamlessly.

Contract to hire positions can also be used to test out a role that will later be filled by insourcing or pulling talent from outside the company. Even when that’s the case, having experience creating a new role is something any creative will be happy to have on their resume.

• Bring in Seasonal Talent
  

During peak seasons, many companies find they need additional labor that it wouldn’t make sense to keep around for the rest of the year. Some workers take on extra work during holiday seasons to bolster their savings or make up for slowdowns in other industries. Finding these types of workers to join your team when demand is at its height is most easily done with contract to hire because contract to hire positions can be more clearly defined from the beginning if so desired.

• Finding New & Highly-Skilled Talent
  

Contract to hire jobs are interesting because they help companies find both experienced workers and fresh faces that have just finished their education. Many creatives who possess the greatest skill and ability in their field choose to move to contract positions so that they can travel and have more variety in their working life. The right contract to hire job can attract them to your team and possibly lead to an FTE position.

Those just starting their careers tend to gravitate toward contract to hire jobs because that’s where they can get the most varied experiences to fill out their work histories. These contractors are also very likely to accept FTE after a period of contracted work if they are a good fit with the team.

• Add Budget Flexibility
  

When you create a new full-time job, it entails lots of agreements, the beginning of benefits, and paid salaries that are all hard to reverse quickly. There’s more flexibility in contract to hire meaning it’s easier for either side to terminate the agreement at the end of the contracted period if the conditions aren’t right for FTE or the contractor prefers to remain a contractor. This means businesses can use contract to hire to test new positions without having to pay as much. And if the role is not as useful as once thought, they can let the agreement end when the contract period is over, saving tons of money.

Benefits of Contract to Hire for Talent

Flexibility is one of the greatest advantages of working on contract rather than in a traditional FTE role. Many contractors get to travel, work with different teams and in different scenarios, and even take on different roles as a contractor.

While many people dislike contract to hire jobs because they don’t typically involve any benefits, many of these jobs are paid a bit more than FTE so that the worker can cover their health insurance. That’s a very important consideration during a contract to hire salary negotiation.

Working on contract is also one of the fastest ways to get back to work. Whether you were let go somewhere or re-entering the workforce after a period of absence, contracting is a great introduction. Finding contracting work through icreatives is even faster than finding it on your own.

Depending on the individual role, you may find a less rigorous schedule with work to hire meaning a better work-life balance. It’s also a great way to test out a new job or company to see if it suits your tastes.

If you have a contract to hire job, it’s not necessarily the case that the result after the contract period will be either FTE or termination of the relationship. Sometimes, even when conditions change and FTE isn’t viable anymore, the company can extend the contracted period. Many people might work under a single agreement for up to a year.

You get to work alongside full-time staff when you work contract to hire meaning you’ll likely get the chance to network during the contract period. Even if it doesn’t lead to FTE, expanding your list of professional contacts is never a bad thing.

What to Look for in a Work to Hire Agreement

The first step to setting up a contract to hire job is to work with attorneys who are qualified in labor law. Remember, this is a legally binding agreement, and setting it up incorrectly can have ramifications for both parties. What follows is not legal advice but rather a general outline of some things to look out for when setting up a work to hire agreement.

1- Defining “Contract to Hire”

Many localities, states, and federal governments have created their own definition of independent contractors. Take care to create a position that matches the legal definition. For example, many places require that the agreement be signed before the work begins and outline exactly what the relationship between the company and independent contractor can entail.

Working together during a contract to hire salary negotiation and contract drafting will also build the relationship between the company and the contractor. If it’s done the right way, it can lead to a long-lasting professional exchange.

2- Establish Effective Communication

Companies and contractors both benefit from being able to test out a position using contract to hire meaning communication will be essential throughout the agreement. This might start during a contract to hire salary negotiation or it might begin even earlier, but both parties should have a way to discuss how things are going during the contract period.

There’s not a better way to make sure the company is getting the results it wants and the contractor is happy in their role. If the goal is to create a new role, then frequent updates and reports are the only way to gauge progress. Taking notes of successes and shortfalls will help both parties understand the role better, and open communication is one of the best ways to keep employees happy too.

3- Clearly Defined Parameters

Its duration is a defining factor of work to hire meaning a definite timeline is essential from the beginning. This will ensure the project or role doesn’t drag on. Workers who are looking forward to FTE at the end of the contract period might be deflated if there is no clear end in sight. Extending the contract might be the best decision at certain points, but a single contract should expire eventually. Plus, setting a start and end date will help the contractor plan a work schedule and help the company see what the contractor can really do.

If there is no definite period, the contractor could easily put too much work in, skewing the company’s perception of them and possibly ruining their work-life balance. Clearly defined start and end dates could also be a requirement by law.

4- Agreement in Explicit Terms

Make sure to hash out essential parts of the agreement like rights over the work created and what is expected of the contractor. There should also be an explicit acknowledgment that the relationship created in the agreement is a contract to hire job. A contract to hire salary negotiation should also include when and for what payment will be given. Make sure everyone has the same expectations and the contract to hire job will go much more smoothly.

How Creative Staffing Agencies Help With Contract to Hire

One of the many benefits of using a creative staffing agency is the wealth of experience available. At icreatives, we have been placing creatives with some of the biggest companies successfully for a long time, so we have plenty of know-how. It’s often a huge help to businesses who are implementing contract to hire positions for the first time since we know exactly how to plan and implement them.

No matter what kind of position it’s for, using a creative staffing agency like icreatives will give companies access to a thoroughly vetted pool of talent. We specialize in creative industries, so we know what we’re looking for when we look over portfolios, design tests, and case studies.

Best of all, icreatives covers all liabilities during the contracted period. If the company is looking to test out a role, we’re happy to help make sure it goes as smoothly as possible. Companies can save money on advertising and won’t have to spend tons of time pouring over resumes and portfolios to find the best creative talent for a contract to hire position.

Companies that combine contract to hire jobs and insourcing can also improve employee retention rates. Employees who see that they have a good future with the company are much more likely to stay. Each time a contract to hire job doesn’t result in FTE for the contractor, promoting from within where possible is the best strategy.

With icreatives, you can be sure to get the best of the best. We’re always looking for talent and receiving referrals from our wide array of professional contacts, so we can fill roles faster, benefitting both companies and people who want to get back to work.

Conclusion:

Contract to hire jobs allow for much greater flexibility for both companies and contractors. For workers who want to have a better work-life balance or enjoy variety in their professional life, contract to hire is likely the best option. For companies and contractors, contract to hire is also a great way to test out whether a role is needed and whether the contractor and business work well together.

Creative staffing agencies are a huge help to fill contract to hire positions. At icreatives, we have top-tier talent at the ready to join your team. Companies with sudden gaps and creatives who want to get back to work quickly can both benefit from working with icreatives.

Using a creative staffing agency to fill contract to hire positions can help promote budget flexibility and it can even be a good employee retention strategy if you insource and then promote from within.

For help filling contract to hire jobs, contact icreatives today!