Contract offered with no interview

[uk contractor]

Had this once with a triple aaa US investment bank! never again !!!! good money but hostile environment the permies did not co-operate at all tough gig because of that (supervisors best mate was rejected for the role I took so he was openly hostile about that from day 1!).
After 2 months of constant stress, hassle & abuse due to lack of co-operation I found another role with better money around the corner in canary wharf! Still managed to let Head Of HR in the US bank know though the sort of environment this was!!

[PerfectStorm]

So did it, indeed, start today?

[simes]

It's like watching Jackanory when you post.

And it's like listening to a funeral dirge when You post. Get over yourself and grow the F up.

[northernladuk]

You clearly were not around contracting in 2000.

Java Developers were treated like Kings for while, but all good things eventually come to an end and the crash in late 2001 was nasty.

I was, it's just the rest of the pompus guff you put around it. It's like watching Jackanory when you post.

[hungry_hog]

Tale of two contracts

Best - let's call this one Yes Minister
Interview at a cafe. Lead BA wanting support for contract (junior BA). Public sector / quango. Had a very brief chat on my CV then talked about football and cars (guy was well into Alfa). 18 months, not a brilliant rate but my first contract after a dreadful permie role. Nice workplace: massive booze culture.

Worst - let's call this one Office Space
No interview as I knew the PM from previous client. Project doomed to fail, psychopathic characters and our team made out as the fall guys. My highest day rate ever, left after 2 months with no other contract.

all other contracts (5, all in FS) had 2 rounds of interviews each and were decent

[Fraidycat]

There is reality and then there is your version of everything.

You clearly were not around contracting in 2000.

Java Developers were treated like Kings for while, but all good things eventually come to an end and the crash in late 2001 was nasty.

[jmo21]

I'd be wary of taking a contract without any interview. Even though as others have said, if a new contract want you out, then you are out, but this would feel different to me. It'd definitely feel like a "week long interview". I don't think it's that common though.

I've had a couple of contracts where the interview has been super short, around 30mins, barely technical, and got the gig.

I've had bosses from old contracts phone me up inquiring to my availability, 2 I took, without any interview as they obviously knew me, another I wasn't available.

[greenthumbs]

Absolutely this. You're supposed to be offering professional services and you're not even going to do the slightest due diligence? How do you know the work isn't going to be absolutely awful, boring or the client has totally unrealistic expectations? What if the hiring manager is a sociopath? Worse, what if the company was dodgy or doing something illegal for example?

Shortest interview I ever had was a 10 min chat with someone I used to work with plus 10 mins with the hiring manager. But I would never take a gig without knowing some basic details from the company themselves.

What's stopping you doing the same to them, after the first week if the work is bad, just tell them you're not doing it anymore

[edison]

Forget notice periods. If they want you out in the second week they can withdraw the work and ask you not to come in until the end of the contract. Outcome is the same.

I'd be concerned about not having an interview. It's your chance to grill them and make sure you even want the work. Christ knows what you are walking in to.

Absolutely this. You're supposed to be offering professional services and you're not even going to do the slightest due diligence? How do you know the work isn't going to be absolutely awful, boring or the client has totally unrealistic expectations? What if the hiring manager is a sociopath? Worse, what if the company was dodgy or doing something illegal for example?

Shortest interview I ever had was a 10 min chat with someone I used to work with plus 10 mins with the hiring manager. But I would never take a gig without knowing some basic details from the company themselves.

[northernladuk]

Were you even around at the time (year 2000)?

The £80ph contract a was ATG Dynamo Java gig, which was in demand at the time, wasnt uncommon to see contracts at even higher than £640 per day for that skill.

Java developers who knew how do basic JSP/Servlet stuff were also in huge demand at the time, £450 per day easy.

It was the dot com bubble era and startup dot com companies had lots of VC investment capital to splash around, they could easily match and beat the Investment Banking Java contractor rates of the day.

There is reality and then there is your version of everything.