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Subject:Re: Thank You Letter From:"Steven J. Owens" <puff -at- NETCOM -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 7 Jun 1999 09:07:50 -0700
Miller, Lisa writes:
> May be I missed this in the posts, but if you are being represented by a
> consulting company, do you still send thank you notes to the interviewers at
> potential client sites? Or, is that the responsibility of the consultant
> company that arranged the interview and who you represent?
Depends on what specifically "consulting company" means.
Typically a contracting company would prefer that all interactions go
through them, so they can control the situation. Whether this is a
good idea is something you have to decide.
I have no compunctions about getting and keeping contact info
during the interview, and I have seen and been in situations where the
contract company screwed up the deal on a job I wanted, but there are
contractual issues with regard to who closes the deal and who gets a
bite.
I'd say you have to play it by ear on that; if you think the
contract company is dropping the ball, you might want to send a thank
you to the interviewers to impress upon them that *you* want the job,
so they don't think that you personally are screwing up the
negotiations. And if you *really* think they're screwing it up,
i.e. you have a pretty fair idea that they're padding their rate too
much for the client and you see this job as a good chance for career
advancement... well, then you might want to think about talking to the
client carefully, and quietly.
Explain to them that you want the job, that you want $X/hour, and
that you're not sure the contract shop is accurately representing you.
Be aware that this is very inappropriate behavior, that you cannot
and should not try to cut the contract shop out of the loop, and that
you risk any future you have with both that employer and that contract
shop if you don't handle things adroitly. Still, if you really want
that job and you think the shop is screwing it up...
I have, in the past, set up a job independently of a contract
shop, then brought the employer to the shop and said "I'm getting
$X/hour, you guys figure out your cut for being the middleman." This
is, in my opinion, the best way to do it, but alas not always - or
even often - possible.
