Contingent workers have the “always on” mentality. The self-employed workers live and breathe time management since they work according to their own schedule. They also pick and choose how many clients they want to have. This means contingent employees must use their time wisely and take advantage of any time-saving tactics available. Managers with tight hiring budgets can benefit from onboarding contingent workers for special projects or part-time needs. While contractors can save managers time and money, there are a few steps to consider before taking a leap into hiring the contingent workforce.

The Monetary Benefits of Hiring a Contingent Employee

Those who work independently contribute $715 billion in earnings to our economy (high five!). Why do managers want to onboard contingent workers (or independent contractors) anyway? While contingent workers can make 20-40% more than the traditional 9-5 employee, employers are not responsible for paying Social Security taxes, unemployment compensation taxes, workers’ compensation coverage or provide employee benefits such as health insurance and paid time off. These costly expenses employers normally have to pay for with traditional employees drop when considering an independent contractor.

Accommodating Time Crunches

When a new full-time employee doesn’t fit the budget, managers and their companies can benefit from hiring an independent worker. 14.3% of independent workers are also considered “moonlighters”– meaning, the IC works a traditional employee while managing private consulting and side jobs for extra cash. Hiring managers rushing to get a big project done, but without the budget for a new salaried employee can benefit from this subset of the workforce.

Best Practices For Scheduling Interviews

Because many contingent workers are juggling multiple projects, hiring one calls for mobility and flexibility. One way to accommodate the needs of a contingent worker’s time is by integrating mobile interviewing within your company. This allows for on-the-go interviews when hiring for specific, part-time projects while maintaining face-to-face contact and creating a reduced time-to-hire.

Companies around the globe are seeking contingent employees, which means your hiring process should be global and scalable. Contingent employees selling their skills across the world have a high need for web contact with potential employers. Two-way video interviews can save employers and employees up to 67% on regular travel costs while creating professional interpersonal relationships before, during and after the hire.

Saving the candidate and the company time and money starts with the scheduling time. Preparing for an interview or call takes on average 10-15 minutes, so it’s common for most people to run 5 minutes late for a meeting or phone call. Because meetings and interviews generally take 45 minutes, start the interview 15 minutes past the hour. Candidates are likely to have plenty of time to prepare themselves for the interview and can comfortably give you their full attention.

Accessibility

Since a large percent of independent contractors do have day jobs, they may not have much free time after hours. This is where mobile interviewing can benefit the candidates managers wish to hire. There are many options for the user of the video interviewing software via a mobile app to speak with hiring managers at their convenience. Having access to mobile interviews maximizes opportunity for both the candidate and the company using the video interviewing software.

Bio: Julie Salerno, VP Sales

Julie Salerno provides guidance and leadership to GreenJobInterview’s sales team and is responsible for the ongoing growth of the company’s revenues and profitability. She is involved in strategic planning, helping to managing the company’s resources, and improving its business processes.

Previously, she served as a partner and senior executive recruiter at Personnel Strategies, Inc.

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