4 ms·

There's a stigma that offering a candidate a 3-month temporary offer (or any such short time length) will make them not want to accept. However, I've had succes

There's a stigma that offering a candidate a 3-month temporary offer (or any such short time length) will make them not want to accept. However, I've had success is using temporary employment as a great way to figure out if the candidates would work out or not.

ridruejo 7y ago
Main issue is not for the company, but the candidate. If he is a senior developer currently working elsewhere and you are trying to convince him to join, a 3 month temporary offer is a hard sell.
- soperj 7y ago
  Yeah, not a chance I'd leave my current job for that kind of instability.
  - C1sc0cat 7y ago
    You know that all jobs have a probation period even more so in the UK.
    - soperj 7y ago
      Then why bother with the song and dance?
  - lostcolony 7y ago
    Pretty sure no one would. You'll only manage to get unemployed people. Who will bail if they get a full time offer during that three months.
    - nicoburns 7y ago
      I would. Why? Because I'm confident that they won't want to get rid of me at the end of that 3 month period. Hiring is expensive, and unless I mess up badly, there's no incentive for them to fire me. If they wanted someone temporary, why would they not just advertise for a contractor?
  - pbadg3r 7y ago
    I wonder how much you'd have to pay someone in severance to make it worth it. If there's typically a 20% yearly salary piece for a recruiter, paying 10% direct to the employee in severance if their 3 months doesn't work out might make it work for a subset of people.
- z3t4 7y ago
  Could ask for a three month leave from current job. To travel the world or what not.
  - C1sc0cat 7y ago
    Doesn't mean you can go and work for potentially a competitor
  - AstralStorm 7y ago
    Even in EU it's a tough sell. Your current employer has to agree to it. Why should they, since you're leaving? It only complicates counting employees.
    - z3t4 7y ago
      Better to have an employee that knows the grass is not greener on the other side, thus he/she has been there. A good employer will let you take a leave, its even a right in some EU states.
- JimDabell 7y ago
  A probation period of three months is pretty common here in the UK, even for senior people. I've got 20 years experience and just checked my current employment contract, and I had one. Nobody seems bothered by it. Remember that if the company wants you gone, you're gone regardless of any probation period. The probation period only determines how many steps they have to go through to do it and how much notice you are given.
- cisomag 7y ago
  Yes. Quiet difficult to accept this offer as nobody will get agree to this short term offer.
freetime2 7y ago
I don't know that a 3-month temporary offer is really necessary. In California at least, where employment is "at-will", you can fire an employee at any time for almost any reason. My expectation when accepting a job offer is that if I am not successful in my role, I will be fired. Most jobs I have worked even have an official "probation period" for new employees where you have a set of goals you need to accomplish in your first 3 months of work, followed by formal review process with your manager and HR. It's rare to fire new employees in their first few months, but it does happen. Similarly I have seen people join a company, and leave after their first week because a better job offer came in. It sucks when it happens... but overall I'd say the system works pretty well.
- mieseratte 7y ago
  > I don't know that a 3-month temporary offer is really necessary. In California at least, where employment is "at-will", Yeah, in an at-will state you might as well consider the "trial" period to be in place no matter what. If things don't work out well they'll just toss your ass to the curb. Maybe if you're lucky like me your boss will have a soul and give you some amount of severance at least.
  - duxup 7y ago
    When I took my first job I just assumed that it was a sort of trial. Two people were hired. Me and another dude. The other dude was invited to look elsewhere (they let him stay and work while he looked for a job so that was very nice), and I got a series of raises after they clearly were comfortable with me. They then started looking for a replacement for the other dude. Effectively I assumed (correctly) I was on a sort of "trial" anyway.

ridruejo 7y ago

Main issue is not for the company, but the candidate. If he is a senior developer currently working elsewhere and you are trying to convince him to join, a 3 month temporary offer is a hard sell.

soperj 7y ago
Yeah, not a chance I'd leave my current job for that kind of instability.
- C1sc0cat 7y ago
  You know that all jobs have a probation period even more so in the UK.
  - soperj 7y ago
    Then why bother with the song and dance?
- lostcolony 7y ago
  Pretty sure no one would. You'll only manage to get unemployed people. Who will bail if they get a full time offer during that three months.
  - nicoburns 7y ago
    I would. Why? Because I'm confident that they won't want to get rid of me at the end of that 3 month period. Hiring is expensive, and unless I mess up badly, there's no incentive for them to fire me. If they wanted someone temporary, why would they not just advertise for a contractor?
- pbadg3r 7y ago
  I wonder how much you'd have to pay someone in severance to make it worth it. If there's typically a 20% yearly salary piece for a recruiter, paying 10% direct to the employee in severance if their 3 months doesn't work out might make it work for a subset of people.
z3t4 7y ago
Could ask for a three month leave from current job. To travel the world or what not.
- C1sc0cat 7y ago
  Doesn't mean you can go and work for potentially a competitor
- AstralStorm 7y ago
  Even in EU it's a tough sell. Your current employer has to agree to it. Why should they, since you're leaving? It only complicates counting employees.
  - z3t4 7y ago
    Better to have an employee that knows the grass is not greener on the other side, thus he/she has been there. A good employer will let you take a leave, its even a right in some EU states.
JimDabell 7y ago
A probation period of three months is pretty common here in the UK, even for senior people. I've got 20 years experience and just checked my current employment contract, and I had one. Nobody seems bothered by it. Remember that if the company wants you gone, you're gone regardless of any probation period. The probation period only determines how many steps they have to go through to do it and how much notice you are given.
cisomag 7y ago
Yes. Quiet difficult to accept this offer as nobody will get agree to this short term offer.

freetime2 7y ago

I don't know that a 3-month temporary offer is really necessary. In California at least, where employment is "at-will", you can fire an employee at any time for almost any reason. My expectation when accepting a job offer is that if I am not successful in my role, I will be fired. Most jobs I have worked even have an official "probation period" for new employees where you have a set of goals you need to accomplish in your first 3 months of work, followed by formal review process with your manager and HR. It's rare to fire new employees in their first few months, but it does happen. Similarly I have seen people join a company, and leave after their first week because a better job offer came in. It sucks when it happens... but overall I'd say the system works pretty well.

mieseratte 7y ago
> I don't know that a 3-month temporary offer is really necessary. In California at least, where employment is "at-will", Yeah, in an at-will state you might as well consider the "trial" period to be in place no matter what. If things don't work out well they'll just toss your ass to the curb. Maybe if you're lucky like me your boss will have a soul and give you some amount of severance at least.
- duxup 7y ago
  When I took my first job I just assumed that it was a sort of trial. Two people were hired. Me and another dude. The other dude was invited to look elsewhere (they let him stay and work while he looked for a job so that was very nice), and I got a series of raises after they clearly were comfortable with me. They then started looking for a replacement for the other dude. Effectively I assumed (correctly) I was on a sort of "trial" anyway.