Archives July 2021

Hire Contract Workers for Your Open Positions

Sometimes it’s beneficial for a workplace to fill open positions with contract workers instead of direct employees. These are some of the major benefits of choosing a contract worker to fill an open position.

Staffing Flexibility

With the flexibility of short-term contracts, you can make staffing part of your business strategy. Contract workers allow you to be more flexible when planning for your company’s busy and off-peak seasons.

When you hire an employee, you commit to giving them paid hours year-round. Hiring a freelancer allows you to commit to a shorter amount of time and renew the agreement as needed.

Contract Workers require Less Supervision

If your managers already have their hands full, hiring a freelance contractor instead of an employee can help lighten their workload. This is because contract workers require less supervision than regular employees.

Unlike employees, contract workers can track and manage their own hours. They also don’t require the same amount of professional development as employees.

Easier Onboarding

Onboarding and training a new employee can take up to a few months. Since contractors pay their own employment taxes, it is simpler and takes less paperwork to onboard them.

While businesses may give contract workers some basic instruction in office processes or proprietary software, they are generally brought on with the expectation that they have the technical knowledge to complete the job at hand without much training.

Save Money

There are some circumstances when hiring contractors can be less expensive than bringing on employees.

While a contractor may cost more per hour than an employee, you can choose to only hire them for the duration of a project rather than retaining them for the long term.

Hiring a contractor instead of an employee also means the employer is not required to pay for benefits, health insurance, PTO, and employment tax.

Find Your Perfect Fit

When bringing on a contract worker, you can hire for a set of specific skills instead of looking for someone to take on a more generalized role.

For example, ABBTECH matches businesses with skilled IT personnel ranging from Java developers and cybersecurity experts to proposal writers and clerical staff. These temporary workers have the experience to jump right into a role with a company.

Choosing a contractor for an open position gives you the chance to find the perfect fit who checks all the boxes you have in mind.

Hire Contract Workers with ABBTECH

Finding and onboarding qualified contractors is easy when you work with ABBTECH.

ABBTECH is a tech staffing and recruitment agency that recruits talented IT contractors for your workplace. Contact ABBTECH today to match with contract workers to meet your IT needs.

How to Ask to Work Remote Full-Time

With in-person work resuming in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees have found they’d prefer to keep on working remotely. Others may be considering remote work as a viable alternative to their current office position.

Are you thinking about asking your manager to work from home full-time? Review these guidelines to find out how to start the conversation.

Make a Proposal

Drafting a formal proposal to request a shift to full-time remote work shows that you are serious about the request. It is also an opportunity for you to plot out some of the logistics of working from home.

Include information about your computer setup, how you would plan to attend team meetings and communicate with your coworkers, and any improvements or contributions your remote work could bring to your team.

Schedule a Meeting

Once you have your talking points in mind, reach out to your employer to schedule a time to talk. Since you’ll be conversing about a significant change in your work routine, it’s best to have the conversation face-to-face or over Zoom instead of on the phone.

Discuss Past Performance

Provide specific examples of how your work performance demonstrates that you can handle the responsibility of a full-time remote position.

Besides bringing up projects or assignments you completed while working remotely, you can touch on broader trends in your productivity and time management.

Address Potential Problems

During your conversation, acknowledge any potential issues that may occur if you work from home on a full-time basis.

By laying out a plan to prevent problems like technical barriers, security concerns, and communication gaps from derailing your work, you demonstrate that you are being proactive in your planning and have given the topic the thought it deserves.

Be an Active Listener

Once you’ve made your case, your manager may bring up concerns. Listen carefully and show that you are taking them seriously.

Your employer may ask for more time to consider your proposal. If this is the case, schedule a follow-up meeting. Let them know that you will be available to answer any questions in the meantime.

Find Remote Jobs with ABBTECH

Submit your resume to ABBTECH to start finding remote tech jobs. We are an IT staffing agency that matches IT personnel with temporary work opportunities.

ABBTECH places tech professionals in startups, small businesses, and Fortune 500 corporations. We connect you with employers that fit your preferences and provide feedback throughout the job search process to help you stay on track.

How to Support your Team as Offices Reopen

As offices reopen after more than a year of remote work, you may be looking for ways to support your team through the transition process.

Here are some tips for ensuring your team’s return to the office is as smooth as possible.

Support your Team with Clear Timelines

Keeping your team informed ahead of time about your business’s reopening plan will help them mentally prepare for the return.

As early as you can, send your team a timeline of when they’ll come back to the office. If you’re moving to a hybrid model, make sure to communicate exactly what days employees should plan to be in the office as opposed to working remotely.

Review Safety Protocol

Before you return, send employees information about your workplace’s policy on masks, social distancing, and sharing office equipment. You should also let them know about the cleaning standards in the workplace.

This demonstrates your business’s commitment to safety and may help ease anxiety among workers who are still unused to being in close quarters with other people outside their households.

Upgrade Your Workspace to better Support your Team

When your offices reopen after a year or more away, it presents an ideal occasion for making some changes around your workplace.

From paint touch-ups to a whole new office layout, there are many opportunities to ensure employees come back to a better space than they left.

Upgrading your workspace can help put your team in a positive mindset and help them think of returning as a step forward, rather than simply a reversion to a past work environment.

Celebrate your Offices’ Reopening!

Show appreciation for your team on the first day with a team breakfast, “Welcome Back” banner, thank-you cards, or another gesture celebrating your return to the office.

While there may be mixed emotions among your staff about returning to in-person work, many or all will be grateful for the recognition of the hard work they put in to achieve reopening.

Show Empathy

The transition back into the physical workspace will be harder for some people than others. In the wake of a global pandemic, you may encounter employees struggling with mental and emotional challenges during the process.

To best support your team, check in often with individual employees during the first few weeks back. If they confide in you about struggling with the change, be empathetic. Listen to their concerns and work with them to make their return to the office as comfortable as possible.

Grow Your IT Staff with ABBTECH

Reopening your office may require you to seek out new staff. ABBTECH will help you find skilled professionals for placement in your business.

ABBTECH works with you to recruit top IT talent and fulfill your company’s needs. Contact ABBTECH to learn how our strategic staffing can help your business succeed.

Social Media and Virtual Networking Best Practices

The global shift to online platforms for social interaction has had a huge impact on the professional world. These days, hiring managers don’t just check applicants’ social media as part of the hiring process—they also use it to recruit new talent.

Follow these guidelines to use your online presence to your advantage during the job search.

Clean Up Your Social Media

When you begin looking for a new job, giving your social media a tune-up should be a top priority.

Make sure your profile pictures, bios, public posts, and tagged photos present a professional image of you as a candidate. Delete any content that could be considered objectionable.

Highlight Past Projects

Use your social media to share professional achievements and projects.

Whether you recently completed an IT certification or finished building a server from scratch, consider spotlighting your achievement in a public post that will leave a good impression on recruiters who scout your social media.

 Leverage LinkedIn for Networking

Maintaining a profile on LinkedIn makes it easier for potential employers to discover you. It also gives you the chance to reach out directly to recruiters about jobs.

Once you’ve ensured your LinkedIn profile is up to date, you can start searching for recruiters in your industry. When you find a promising one, send a connection request with a short introduction in the attached message.

If the recruiter accepts your request, reach out with more information about the kind of position you’re seeking. Your communication should be courteous, professional, and personalized to the recruiter’s company.  

Attend Virtual Events & Follow Up

It’s easier than ever to attend online conferences, meetups, and job fairs for professionals in your field.

When you connect with other professionals at these events, make sure to trade contact information. Reach out in the following week with a brief email letting them know you enjoyed meeting them.

Find Your Next Job with ABBTECH

When you let ABBTECH handle your job search, you ensure that you will connect with clients you’ll want to work for.

ABBTECH is an IT staffing firm that helps tech professionals find jobs in startups, government agencies, and Fortune 500 corporations. Visit our Career Portal to begin your job search today.