After too much consideration of the issues involved with working aaall the waaaaay out in Tacomaaaaa, and the possibility of relocating for the work, I finally had a long talk with my agent today. I can’t tell you how grateful I am about her attitude and her openness to my questions!
As a rule, I never enter into conversations about what a transition would look like if the assignment I’m on becomes an opportunity to become a regular employee. There are too many factors involved, and too much can change during the assignment. Some agencies are extremely negative about such conversations, and bringing such issues up with the client when you’re on the assignment can cost you your job, and more importantly your good reputation!
Um… I’ve had a bad experience regarding this kind of issue, and it has left a distinct impression on me. After a lengthy assignment with a client, I was approached by the management within this client company about a permanent position. (Since this kind of situation would imply cutting my agency out of the loop, it is considered a very serious no-no.) I directed the client back to my agency, but communication kept getting fouled up. After a few very long and frustrating months of working for the company without any further discussion from my agency, I finally got an official offer through this agency: I could be hired for the same job I had been doing all along, but at an $8 an hour pay cut! In the end I chose to leave the company, giving them ample time to find my replacement. Unfortunately, even though I’d done a fantastic job for nearly a year, I’ve had less than comfortable relations with the involved parties ever since. (I highly recommend that all who can avoid this experience do so. It’s not a good feeling.)
So, back to my present situation: From what I’d gathered in my initial conversation with my agency about this opportunity (last Friday), accepting this assignment seemed to require an ultimate willingness to accept permanent employment. The client company would like to hire someone as a permanently employee right this moment, but can’t due to budget constraints. Their solution is to bring in the right candidate now, as a temp, and hire them permanently at the beginning of their next fiscal year, when they have the budget. And although they have an immediate need to fill this position, they are dedicated to making a right choice.
Obviously, as I’ve weighed all of the contributing factors, I’ve become concerned about making sure that everyone’s expectations were clear up front,especially when the job is located 38.8 miles away! With a better understanding of the whole situation (especially those taboo questions about my “permanent” employment) I could start making plans about how I will conduct my life over the next few months.
What a blessing! Like I said, Jessica was great! She made me feel very comfortable about the whole thing. She clarified that I indeed had interpreted the client’s desires correctly, plainly stating that she would not be recommending any candidates that were not sincerely interested in long-lasting employment with the company. Entirely respectful of the implications of such a decision, she also agreed that I should be able to ask the wage offered upon transitioning into a permanent employee of the company, and that I shouldn’t have to take any kind of pay cut. She’s even going to ask the client directly for a definite amount (or ballpark figure) tomorrow, and will get back to me.
I am very relieved. And excited.
My initial research on this company has revealed that they ranked 11th on Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 companies to work for in America for 2002! Since I am very seriously considering moving from Seattle to Tacoma to take this job, Jessica quoted the Cost Of Living Index when we spoke on the phone:
- National Average: 102.76
- Seattle: 153.6
- Tacoma: 94.0
Hell, earlier tonight even Mary had printed out and handed me an article she had found about Tacoma that really points to its strengths. We’ve even peeked at some of the apartment rentals we could find online.
Yeah, I’m pretty high on gratitude right now! I’m working to approach this whole experience from a metaphysical grounding, and I’m seeing results…but we’ll get to all that later, I’m sure….
