Four Signs You Should Hire Your Contractor Full Time

by Susan Mullin

Hiring Contractor Full Time

When companies like yours bring in contractors from recruiters and staffing firms in DC, they are usually focused on short-term needs. However, the nature of your operations and your relationship with the worker often shift over time, making it a better choice to hire them full time.

If you are trying to decide if you should extend a job offer, here are some signs you should make the contractor a part of your permanent team.

You Need Their Skills Long Term

Business needs can change quickly between the time you brought your short-term staff member onboard to the completion of their assignment. Even if you didn’t anticipate this when you offered them a contract role, you can absolutely approach them about staying on permanently by simply letting them know the situation has shifted.

If you would struggle to accomplish certain tasks without them, and those duties are not going to disappear any time soon, then hiring your short-term worker is an efficient means of securing the skills you require.

They Have Potential to Learn and Grow

Most contractors join a company for a specific purpose. Maybe the organization needed extra hands on deck during peak season, or a particular skill set was necessary to make a project successful.

Regardless of the reason, if you discover your contractor has the potential to learn and grow beyond their current job, hiring them may be a smart move. Skilled professionals often covet chances to expand their horizons, acquire new skills or otherwise advance in their field. Plus, since you have direct experience working with them and you know they are reliable and capable, they are a less risky permanent hire.

You Are Preparing for Growth

Contract assignments can vary in duration. Since your company can change substantially after the contract begins, the climate you are in today may not match the one you were in when the contractor started.

If you know that company growth is on the horizon and your contractor would make an excellent long-term addition to your team, consider bringing them on board permanently. Even if you are slightly ahead of the actual growth, you’ll know you have an employee you trust by your side as you work toward a brighter future.

You Keep Extending the Contract

While there is no formal rule regarding how long a worker can remain on a contract, if you keep extending it or finding reasons to create a new contract, that could be a sign you could use them as part of your permanent staff.

Even if the nature of their duties shifts a bit each time, repeatedly contracting with the same worker suggests you are relying on them. Once that happens, having them with you part of your permanent team is just good business sense. Take the extra step and secure their talent; hire them full time.


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Posted in , Hiring Managers