Contracting insights from a leading Swiss wealth

The ability to get up to speed on the job and the opportunity to ‘try-out’ a new hire are some of the benefits that contractors can bring to your business. We speak to a client from a renowned Swiss investment bank who shares more insights into contract hiring.

Why do you hire contractors?
Contract hiring, compared to permanent hiring, offers a quicker process of obtaining talent for the business. It helps to meet temporary needs such as back-filling of roles and maternity cover. Also, contract hiring offers employers a strategy to ‘try before buying’.

Share with us any positive experiences you have had with contractors. What qualities stand out from your contract workforce?
Our contract hires often got up to speed quicker on their jobs. They have also demonstrated a great sense of adaptation into our business.

‘Perfect’ contractors can be hard to find and even harder to hire as the experience level becomes higher. What are your thoughts about this?
On contrary, I don’t think that finding the right fit is far from reach. We did manage to hire good senior or high-level professionals as part of our contract workforce.

Many people resist contract jobs for fear of job instability. How would you overcome this objection from a potential hire?
Job-seekers can look forward to quicker career progression in some contracting roles. Good salary progression and wider exposure in a contract role are also other pull-factors for one to take up a contract role.

Employee engagement is a key focus for many companies now. How do you engage and include contractors as part of your existing workplace culture?
We try not to make a difference between contract and perm employees. We also put in place a strategy of converting high-performing contractors into permanent employees.