Should I accept a contract role at Google or keep looking?

New
🍩MessWitMe

New

🍩MessWitMe
Feb 21, 2021 12 Comments

I quit my job in December because of some issues, and I have been job hunting ever since.

I am making steady progress with my interviews, but I don’t have any on-sites lined up.

Last week I got offered a contract role at Google. Although it’s a 6 month contract, the hiring manager said it would extend upto 2 years.

I have worked at startups most of my life, and I am inclined to accept it just because it’s Google. Although I don’t expect it to convert to FTE, I’m hoping that it will open some doors for me at other companies in the future because of the Google brand.

However, a friend had once told me that once you get branded as a contractor, it’s really hard to find a full time job. I have no idea how true that is, as neither my friend nor me have ever contracted.

What’s your advice? Has anybody gone through a similar process?

#google

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TOP 12 Comments
  • Airbnb
    wise taco°

    Go to company page Airbnb

    wise taco°
    Contract work for Google won't open any doors. If anything it might signal that you couldn't find a decent FTE position and settled for less.
    Feb 21, 2021 2
    • Google / Project
      kXgR05

      Go to company page Google Project

      kXgR05
      I generally agree. Some contract workers have been able to use their time well and get converted to full time on their team (rare) or network to apply for another role (not sure how common). So it might open a few doors, but not guaranteed.

      However, it does signal that you picked a contract job over FTE. For some, it's a great choice, but if you saw that on an applicant's resume, what would you think?

      Lastly, look carefully what type of work you will be doing. Is it grunge work the FTEs don't want to do, or are you filling in for a temporary demand to do real FTE-type work?
      Feb 21, 2021
    • Google
      wqpr$.)yw

      Go to company page Google

      wqpr$.)yw
      Google is severely over staffed and has a lot of access restrictions for TVCs so I highly doubt they will hire contractors do to FTE job. The contractors I’ve seen either work on internal tool UI implementation or on some manual repeating tasks such as testing or rating.
      Feb 21, 2021
  • Google / R&D
    Yeet__Code

    Go to company page Google R&D

    Yeet__Code
    You'll be treated like trash, it's not worth it
    Feb 21, 2021 3
  • New
    QEYx65

    New

    QEYx65
    I was in a similar position this month during my job search. I actually accepted a contract role at MSFT but kept looking for a FTE role and got a much better offer. Keep looking for a FTE role, as it's likely that once whatever project you are working on is complete you will be let go.
    Feb 21, 2021 0
  • Google
    RyTke

    Go to company page Google

    RyTke
    My wife is a contactor and the bit about getting stuck as a contractor seems true. She has a solid resume but mostly seems to get interviews from other contracting firms. That being said, if you are going to contract somewhere, Google is a solid choice. The contractors on my team are treated as a part of the team - we all grab lunch together (pre-Covid) etc. They are excluded from team events though which sucks a bit.
    Feb 21, 2021 0
  • Google
    Moondar P.

    Go to company page Google

    Moondar P.
    I'd stay clear
    Feb 21, 2021 0