IT Contractor Tricks
IT Contractors complain at agency tricks but agents say that there are IT Contractor tricks too.
We received a whole load of responses to people who agreed or disagreed (mostly disagreed) with our ‘Ten Dirty Tricks Played By Contractors‘ article written by an agent from an agent‘s point of view. Here are some of the responses.
Agency Urban Myths
‘I am sure that every thing on the list HAS happened but several of them
are ‘Agency Urban Myths’ and some are paranoia. I have NEVER (in fifteen
years) heard a contractor slag off an agency to a client – it’s a bit like saying to a client in front of their brand new 10 million pound NOC saying “who sold you that then!”
The worst thing is when you are honest with the agent and client about
your abilities and skills, get a middling rate, and then some arsehole who
knows jackshit comes in as tech lead on double the rate. This happens because IT management is now about as technically illiterate as the average agent.
Developing Relationships with Contractors
But then everything on the list is down to the agencies themselves. If
they bothered to develop a relationship with the contractor then they would
know what they were getting. I’ve never done ANYTHING on the list and yet I have NEVER had an agency or agent bother with me on expiration of a contract.
My last contract lasted eighteen months, everyone was pleased all round, yet the agent never bothered to contact me once to place me somewhere else. (I have multiple skill sets). This used to amaze me when I first started out. I thought an agent would be like a Showbiz agent and would be a long term partnership – Nooo! If I were still a contractor now I would be MORE likely now to do stuff on the list because the whole setup and industry is transient and unprofessional.
This is the dumb way agencies do business and it lets the contractor
cowboys and scumbags flourish’.
New Contractor
‘I am a new contractor and have waited nearly a year to find my first contract. In all that time, I have had terrible trouble with Agencies who also lie and never come back to you.
I think it‘s a case of supply and demand – when the jobs are scarce the agencies are the baddies, and when the jobs are plentiful, the contractor‘s are the baddies
I‘m sure the majority of contractors are decent and honest and grateful for a job – I know I am!’
Unprofessional Contractors
‘The reason that contractors become so unprofessional and lie as they indeed do is that they learn all about being underhand from the masters themselves – the agents’.
From a Contractor
I must have just entered a parallel universe because that is the biggest crock of sh*t I have ever read in my life.
Agents No Angels
‘Yes I do Disagree, STRONGLY. I do not know any contractors like that.
The state of the market place these days no-one can afford to upset an
agency. At the end of the day business is business and everyone is out to
make and save as much money as they can.
Agencies are no angels themselves – I have found several agencies very underhanded. Lastly as for contractors being whingers, what the hell are you doing now. Why don’t you keep shtum and get on with some work you whinging get’.
So, there we have some contractor tricks to balance outthe agency tricks.
