Semiconductor projects require a very specialized kind of knowledge. Talent recruitment for semiconductor positions can be very competitive, which makes it all too tempting to settle quickly on a new candidate for a position in your company. A hire that's not a good fit will eat up time, energy and resources though, so you should minimize the risk by bringing a little more caution into the hiring phase.
Contract-to-hire positions are pretty standard in the tech industry and can be beneficial to both the company and the candidate. Personality conflicts or a mismatch in what the candidate knows and what the company needs are bad for everyone. To build a stronger semiconductor team, giving people a try before the commitment of a full-time employee position can help for three simple reasons.
1. You can make sure their knowledge is actually what you need.
Most people are pretty careful about not misrepresenting their strengths and expertise on a resume, but neither a resume or a job interview is the most informative format for getting at what a candidate really knows. In the semiconductor industry, the breadth of technologies and information a semiconductor professional is expected to know can make it easy for there to be some misunderstanding of just what specialties a person has.
Working together on a contract basis will give you a chance to make sure that the skills and strengths the candidate brings to the company don't overlap too much with those your team already has, and do work well within the systems and technology you use.
2. Make sure they work well with your team.
Sometimes you add an employee to a team and they fit like a glove. Other times, there are interpersonal issues you can't predict in advance. Personality conflicts can decrease efficiency, increase stress, and result in inferior work from people who would be great at the same job in a different context. It's much better to find out what personality issues exist before someone gets hired in a long-term capacity.
Having a personality that doesn't fit well with one team doesn't mean a candidate might not still be a good fit for your business in a different department. A contract position will give you the chance to figure out what personality types a candidate works well with and which should be avoided, so that you can make a more informed decision about where in the company the candidate's strengths could still be utilized.
3. Make sure they're a good fit for your company culture.
Culture isn't just something to discuss on business retreats. It colors what the day-to-day experience at a company looks like. If your company has worked to develop a strong culture, having a professional come in who doesn't quite fit in or appreciate what you're doing can have a negative effect.
Some people just work better in some environments than others. Some semiconductor professionals will fare better in a laid back culture more concerned that work gets done than how it gets done, others will be much more productive in a well-structured environment with more planning and clarity of expectations. Contract positions give you a chance to evaluate whether a person works well in the environment particular to your company. If not, it's better for both of you to figure that out sooner rather than later.
Once you know you want to try a contract-to-hire position to fill a role at your semiconductor company, you still have to find the right candidate. To work up a good contract description to help you fill the job, let our Quick Start Guide help. Download it today to make the whole process easier.
