Contract-to-Hire

Our Contract-to-Hire services allow you, the employer, to hire a potential employee with the added benefit of a trial period before permanently committing to a candidate. A contract-to-hire position is one in which a candidate is initially hired on a temporary basis with the intention of becoming a permanent employee within your organization dependent upon their performance during the initial contract phase. This staffing arrangement benefits both the employer as well as the candidate in many cases, allowing each to, for lack of better words, try before they buy. When considering hiring a candidate on a contract-to-hire basis there are two important factors that must be determined and agreed upon by the employer, the staffing company, and the candidate. 

1.) What is the amount of time you intend for the candidate to remain on contract before hiring them directly?

In regard to the intended time frame before hiring a candidate directly, the most common contract-to-hire durations are six-months-to-direct. In other words, the candidate will start out on a six-month contract and upon contract completion, a decision will be made whether or not to hire the candidate as a permanent employee. If the company decides to hire the candidate permanently, the candidate simply becomes a direct employee of that organization, subject to their employment polices, on their payroll, and eligible for their benefits. If for whatever reason the company elects to not hire the candidate permanent, the contract has simply been completed and the candidate remains an employee of DTS. While six months to direct is the most common time frame used by most companies, DTS can work with you to customize a contract-to-hire scenario that works best for you.

2.) What are the performance metrics you will use to determine whether or not you will hire the candidate directly?

As with most other things in life, communication is key. When hiring a candidate on a contract-to-hire basis it is imperative that the employer establishes a set of key performance indicators (KPI’s) that will be used to decide whether or not the candidate will be hired permanently upon the completion of the initial contract. It is extremely important that the employer and the potential employee are in agreement on the KPI’s before starting in the position. When everybody is on the same page it ensures that the candidate knows exactly what their managers are looking for and their performance can be measured upon these well-defined performance metrics, not arbitrariness.