Contract offered with no interview

[SussexSeagull]

Must confess my better contracts have been on the back of a short interview process. The ones with several stages just seem to keep going until they find someone to think of a reason not to get you on board.

[SueEllen]

In the last few years I've had short telephone interviews where I've thought - "Where are the technical questions?" Then had to go and met the client for the "second" interview. I then get told "I only had to meet you to tick HRs boxes".

[Fraidycat]

Back in 2000 there was consultancy looking for Java Devs for 80 per hour (£640 a day) without interview.

Agent wanted me to start on Monday.

I never took the role but was able to use it as leverage to get similar rate at my then current gig.
A jump from 55 per hour to 75per hour.

My accountant couldn't believe i had got such a large rate increase, he thought i had made a mistake on the invoice .

[northernladuk]

Back in 2000 there was consultancy looking for Java Devs for 80 per hour (£640 a day) without interview.

Agent wanted me to start on Monday.

I never took the role but was able to use it as leverage to get similar rate at my then current gig.
A jump from 55 per hour to 75per hour.

My accountant couldn't believe i had got such a large rate increase, he thought i had made a mistake on the invoice .

I'll do one better than your accountant. I don't believe single word you say. Made up story.

[Fraidycat]

I'll do one better than your accountant. I don't believe single word you say. Made up story.

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.

[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.

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.