I disagree. I am tech lead at a small company, and when we look for help, permanent (rare) or contractor (usually), big software company experience is a defini

I disagree. I am tech lead at a small company, and when we look for help, permanent (rare) or contractor (usually), big software company experience is a definite plus. At least they have been vetted to some level by others first, and have probably had some decent exposure to current methodologies and practices. I really dislike looking for new help, and this experience provides a valuable data point.