Comms People, Inc.
Placement Process
< Internal Draft >

Last Update: 01.22.08 06:02

Humanizing Information & Technology

In the business of IT consulting, the match of skill to task is the simpler fit in a jigsaw puzzle made trickier by the other piece, human nature; the character of contractor, client and team.

Some IT staffing firms are willing to overlook those extra pieces. They may disregard the personal element to force a match and collect a fee. Not us.

Comms People became an international leader in technical staffing by delivering long-term solutions to our clients, not short-term profits to our bottom line. Client and contractor are equally served by a placement process built on careful personal attention and an exacting assessment of skills.

The Personal Evaluation

The better we know you, the better we’ll serve you, the better you will serve the client.

By the time you sit down with your Comms People consultant, that person will have already reviewed your resume and have an understanding of your qualifications. During the interview process, you’ll expand on your skills description and further define your areas of expertise. Together, with your resume as an outline, you and your consultant will discuss the nature and specifics of past projects and establish a plan for the future.

Then, we listen.

The consultant will seek a better understanding of you, the person. This insight is largely gained by answering some essential questions. What were the good, and not so good, aspects of those jobs listed on your resume? What are your professional and personal likes and dislikes? What sort of IT team is it that you wish to join? What is it about your work that motivates you? Those answers will enable you and your consultant to lay out a career track that will get you where want to be today, and tomorrow.

After the initial interview you’ll be scheduled for a QWIZtek skills evaluation. Designed by technology experts, this highly-refined, Web-based evaluation system is built around more than 35 online tests which you can initiate seven days a week, 24-hours a day. You can run through the exam at your home, in our office, wherever you have Web access.

QWIZtek will provide an accurate, nearly instant gauge of your skills whether your specialty is in programming, developing, networking, telecommunications or another IT field. (You can learn more about QWIZtek at: www.qwiz.com)

The one-on-one consultation helps us understand you as an individual. QWIZtek is the instrument by which we, and potential clients, measure your capabilities and match your potential. Together, these soft and hard elements of evaluation enable us to select projects which best fit your professional objectives, your areas of expertise and your individualism.

Placement Procedures

After your personal profile becomes a part of our active contractor database, you’ll know what to expect. Your resume will never be presented to a client without your knowledge and approval. And you’ll know which organization is looking over your profile, and for what position.

Depending upon the demand for your particular skills, Comms People consultants will call to advise you of potential opportunities. You’ll be informed of the fundamentals, including position requirements, project specs, length of contract and rate of pay.

Beyond those basics, the consultant will brief you on what is known about the personalities involved. You’ll know what we know about your prospective supervisor, IT team and the work environment.

Professional growth means more than logging time and paydays. It means finding and accepting the sort of projects that present challenge and open new opportunities for learning.

Comms People will not force a fit just to earn a fee. And you should not pursue a job only for short-term financial gain.

Taking the Job

If the position as described sounds right for you, if you decide to interview, then it’s up to you and the client.

Your meeting with the client may include all the procedures and rigors of a formal employment screening process. Or it may not.

Many of our established clients consider us an extension of their HR function. They trust our judgment. In these cases, you are coming in their door as a pre-qualified candidate. The meeting may only be a formality prior to hiring. But don’t take anything for granted. In all cases, in every interview, conduct yourself as if you were a technical consultant, to be hired or not based on your own merits.

After the interview process is complete, if you’re ready to take on the project, you should be prepared and on-call for the next two business days while the client makes a decision. If the pieces match, and you’re offered the job, you’ll visit our office to complete the pre-employment paperwork.

Then, your job begins - our job continues.

Follow-Up

You will be on-assignment with a client, but you remain our employee. To us, your job satisfaction is just as important as your job performance.

You can expect your personal consultant to be in touch via phone, e-mail and, when schedules and locations permit, the occasional luncheon meeting. And we expect and welcome your calls. We want to know how you feel things are going on the job. And we expect you to be honest. If the situation doesn’t seem quite right, it is your obligation to let us know, immediately.

You and the client are each provided with quality assurance (Q/A) cards for submittal to Comms People. This is a convenient device to monitor performance and job satisfaction. A similar online form can be accessed and electronically submitted via the company Web site, www.comms.com. The report the client issues provides a rating of your performance from the customer perspective. The report you submit rates your job satisfaction within the client environment. Both records become part of your file. Respectively, each evaluation enables us to better serve you, as well as the client.

Expectations and Obligations

For the benefit off all parties, there are rules to abide by and responsibilities to fulfill.

Be punctual. All meetings and interviews with Comms People and clients must be attended on schedule. Everybody’s time is valuable and their workday must be respected. If you need to cancel an interview, do so no less than 24-hours in advance.

Be honest. You must truthfully represent yourself, your employment history, skills, past salaries and level of commitment to a prospective assignment. Any misrepresentation will be regarded seriously and may result in your termination as a contractor.

Maintain confidentiality. Do not discuss any Comms People proprietary issue with clients or co-workers. This would include, but not be limited to, salary or other compensation issues. If you are in doubt about a particular subject, ask your personal consultant.

Honor your contractual commitment. Before taking on a project, you will sign the Comms People contractor employment agreement. Contractual terms and provisions include obligations such as confidentiality and non-competition. You must understand and abide by these terms with no exceptions. For a detailed explanation of contract provisions, consult the relevant Q & A section of the New Hire Orientation Package. You can also find answers in the Q & A pages of the Comms People Web site.

Communicate. Immediately notify your Comms People consultant of any negative on-the-job issues. Be forthright in advising us of offers from other companies. Let us know if you are continuing your job search while on a project.

Adapt to your environment. Recognize that all companies operate differently and have particular corporate idiosyncrasies. Make yourself immediately aware of the client’s mode of business and interpersonal operations. Under no circumstances involve yourself in inter-office politics. You are considered a professional. Your conduct should be in keeping with the highest standards of business performance, personal communications and ethics.

Keep us informed. You will likely be learning new skills and systems while on the job. Update us on this additional marketability. We may have an even more challenging, more rewarding project at the ready when you complete your current project.

A Pledge

The creative synergy generated by the meeting of a skilled IT contractor and the right client-employer is rarely achieved through luck or guesswork. It’s produced by a joining of intuitive and hard science. This is a process reliant not only on systems and tools, but also on careful consideration of the contractor as an individual.

At Comms People, we won’t forget that you were a human before becoming a resource.

Other Elements
Contractor Care Program | Contractor FAQ | Quality Control
Welcome | About Comms People & Glotel | How to Get Paid FAQ's

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