Is it better to work as a contractor at a FAANG company or FTE at a smaller company?
For career growth and development which one is a better option? Edit: Smaller company names like Compass and Qualtrics. FAANG would be Google #tech #faang
It depends on which smaller company you're referring to. I know multiple contractors that converted, but they had to interview. The advantage for them was that they had a strong referral and evidence of good work done to improve their packets. A fte position at a smaller but relevant tech company would be much better though.
FTE FTW
Are you comfortable being treated as second class citizen? Because that's the reality of most contractors at FAANG. But at least you stamp the company name on your resume (with an asterisk of course)
FTE
People saying FTE without knowing what is the alternative, smaller company, have no basis for the advice... What if the pay, wlb, learning opportunities are worse? Give a concrete example and your answer may change op
i’ve been a contractor for almost a year. 80% of the time i’m treated as an equal with my peers. not having access to certain internal resources (some of which would aid in performing my job) is annoying but not a dealbreaker. having the company in my cv (albeit with an asterisk) has already gotten me a lot of attention from recruiters. the pay, if that is something you care about, is pretty incredible. i make 265k a year in cash. and there is a director who is offering to convert me in january should i want the job. personally, i don’t regret taking the contract position. i’ve learned a tremendous amount and have been able to work at a scale that i could only dream about at a smaller company. plus, i get all of these other ancillary benefits i mentioned above. i can’t give a recommendation on what you should do without way more context but if the contract work is more interesting to you, don’t not take it simply because it’s contract.
if you don't mind sharing, what's the conversion process like?
sure! i have yet to go through it because i haven’t fully decided if i want the job but this is what i’ve been told by the director who wants to hire me as well as my current manager: the process largely mimics that of a new hire outside the company except you skip the phone screening interview and, more crucially, you’re coming with a referral/recommendation from the person you’re reporting to. i’m not a swe so i don’t know how this might differ in those roles but for the role i’d be getting it’s a l6 lead position so there’s no test or assignment i have to complete but would just have to share my vision for the product and relevant past experience as well as do a culture fit check. whereas an external hire process can take a few months, i’m told this one can be completed in a few weeks. finally, this director said she has already converted a few people on her team which makes me believe it’s a pretty sure thing. you might have to royally fuck up in the interviews to get rejected. hope that helps!
What are the companies do contract with F &G
FTE any day!