A recruiter calls about a contract role that sounds like a good fit. They want your up-to-date CV and your permission to put you forward, ideally today. Before you say yes, it is worth spending ten minutes on questions. A good recruiter will be glad you asked. A poor one will struggle to answer, and that tells you something too.
This is the list we would want a contractor to work through with us, and with anyone else.
Why the submission matters
Submitting you to a client is not a neutral act. Once your profile is with a hiring manager, a few things tend to follow:
- If another firm later submits you to the same role, the client may reject both submissions rather than deal with a dispute over who introduced you
- The rate the first recruiter quoted is the rate the client associates with you
- If you were submitted without being told, you may find out from the hiring manager, which is an uncomfortable way to start an interview
That is why we never send a contractor's profile anywhere without telling them the company and the role and getting a clear yes, every time. It is also why you should expect the same from any firm you work with.
Questions about the role
Who is the client? Some recruiters withhold the company name at first. That can be reasonable for a very early conversation, but before you consent to a submission you should know where your profile is going. If you have already applied there directly, or through another firm, say so now.
Is the role open and approved? Ask whether there is an approved budget and a hiring manager actively interviewing, or whether the firm is building a pool of candidates for a role that may appear later.
Why is the role open? A backfill, a new project and a team that has had three contractors in six months are very different assignments.
What will I actually be doing? Ask for the brief, not only the job title. Which system, which team, what the first month looks like, and which of the listed skills really matter.
What is the interview process? How many stages, who runs them, whether there is a take-home task, and how long the client usually takes to decide.
Questions about the terms
What is the rate, and is it hourly, daily or monthly? Get a number, not a range, before you are submitted. Ask whether the rate quoted is what you will be paid, and on what basis.
How will I be engaged? As an employee of the staffing firm, through your own company, or another arrangement? What is permitted depends on the role, the client and the country, and it changes your take-home pay, your benefits and your obligations. A good firm tells you which applies before submission, never after. Where the arrangement affects your tax position, take advice from someone qualified in your jurisdiction.
What is the term, and is it likely to extend? Ask about the initial length, whether extensions are common on this team, and whether there is any intention to convert the role to permanent.
Onsite, hybrid or remote? Get specifics. "Hybrid" can mean one day a month or four days a week. If there is travel, ask who pays for it.
What are the working hours? Particularly for roles that span time zones, such as a US client with a team in India. Ask whether any shifted hours or on-call are expected, and whether they are paid.
When and how do I get paid? What the pay calendar is, how timesheets are approved, and what happens if a client is slow to approve them.
What notice applies on each side? Both how much notice you must give and how much the client must give you.
Questions about the recruiter
Have you placed people with this client before? A firm with a working relationship can tell you about the team, the manager and how interviews usually go. A firm that found the role on a job board cannot.
Who does the technical screening? If there is a screen before submission, ask who runs it. At NorthStackHub the screen is run by someone who works in your field, and you get feedback afterwards whatever the result.
What will you send the client about me? Ask to see the profile or summary before it goes. You should be comfortable with how your experience is described, and nothing should be exaggerated.
Will you tell me what happens next? Ask when you should expect to hear about the submission, and whether the recruiter will pass on feedback if you are not shortlisted.
Red flags
Walk away, or at least slow down, if you hear any of these:
- Pressure to agree to a submission before you know the client's name
- Reluctance to give you a rate in writing
- A request to change your CV in ways that are not accurate
- Any fee charged to you for being placed; contractors should not pay a staffing firm to be put forward
- Vague answers about who your employer will be
- A recruiter who tells you they have already sent your CV "to save time"
Keep a simple record
If you are talking to several firms, keep a list of every submission: client, role, firm, date and quoted rate. It takes two minutes and prevents the duplicate submissions that can knock you out of a process you would otherwise have won.
The short version
Before you consent, you should know the client, the role, the rate, how you will be engaged, the term, the working pattern and what the recruiter will send. If you cannot get clear answers to those, you are not ready to say yes.
If you want to work with a firm that asks for your consent before every submission, see our open roles or register your profile so we can call you when the right one comes in.