The demand for top talent has never been greater, and our consultants are busy speaking with practices that need candidates in place immediately. As we see an uptick in demand for the best Architecture and Design talent, practices are now requiring candidates who hold very specialist skill sets.
With a high percentage of permanent candidates reluctant to move roles, the war for talent is growing at a rapid pace and the demand for candidates is paramount. So, how can businesses overcome this challenge?
We have seen a huge increase in the hiring of contract staff. As businesses try to overcome the war for talent it is clear that contractors have become a fantastic solution for many businesses who need great talent fast.
Contractors are usually hired because of their extensive and specialist experience as well as their reputation in the market, and so there are many reasons why practices could benefit from hiring a contractor. Especially, as the return on investment usually outweighs the cost.
If your practice is finding it challenging to source great candidates, or you need to hire experts with specialist skills sets for a particular project but you are unsure whether to go down the permanent or contractor hiring route, our team have put together some insights into the benefits of hiring a contractor.
Contractors are fantastic for:
An urgent project or skill requirement
Contractors are highly skilled and experienced in what they do, making them an extremely valuable additional resource for specific projects that require a certain calibre of candidates on an urgent basis.
Ensuring deadlines are met
If your practice is approaching a crucial deadline, a contractor will be able to start at very short notice (if not immediately) and implement their specialist skill-sets to ensure the project is completed on time.
Using them on an ‘ad-hoc’ basis
Unlike permanent employees, contractors are typically employed for a certain period of time. Meaning practices can hire these experts as and when required. Contractors are usually hired during busy times and when practices are working on a large volume of projects.
Holiday cover
Employees' annual leave can often coincide with some of the busiest periods for practices. You cannot predict that a huge project could come in when several members of staff are out of the office for a week. Therefore, contractors are great resources to bring in to keep the workload going and help to avoid additional hours for your permanent staff.
Sickness cover
The great thing about contractors is that they can typically be hired for any period of time, whether it is one week or several months. This is great when it comes to situations such as covering the sickness leave of your permanent employees, as it guarantees your project timescales are not affected.
Flexibility
Contractors are usually immediately available and on a day or a week's notice. This is ideal for practices that have not initially predicted the need to hire a contractor.
Skills shortage
If you need a specific skill set with a particular software or sector experience, a good contractor will be able to implement their experience and specialist skill sets. This is one of the most popular reasons for hiring a contractor across many industries, and not just Architecture and Design.
Experience
Contractors will have typically worked for several different practices and as a result, will have experience working on numerous projects. This experience means they have the ability to hit the ground running and make a positive impact from day one.
Maternity/paternity cover
Contractors are typically hired to cover a skills gap or leave, making them a perfect interim solution to help cover workload during time frames such as maternity cover.
Keep your overheads down
Simply pay by the hour or day for the contract duration needed.
If you currently need help and support with your hiring efforts, please get in touch with our team.
If you are currently seeking a new role, you can view all of our current vacancies online, or you can register yourself with a FRAME account so that we can help seek new positions on your behalf.
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