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Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?

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Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?

#101

Post by Optimal_Persona »

lakecityquietpills.com.

Oh, not that kind of contract work? Well then...My first stop when hiring extra help is a tech-focused temp agency, here in the SF Bay Area I've had outstanding luck with Robert Half. Their recruiters speak tech and understand my company's needs. Temps I've used/interviewed really know their stuff and have been happy with the arrangement (pay, flexibility, possibility of benefits through the temp agency). As far as I've experienced they treat customers and their temps fairly as they understand the value of all involved. I'm contacting them this week for a database setup gig. Downside is buyout cost if we really like the temp and want to hire.

For finding contractors, schmoozing at conferences and personal network have been the best, but that takes time. Have spec'ed things out on Upwork and had good work done (I've never based contractor selection on low price).

Best of luck on your search!

Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?

#102

Post by sgt »

nonameking2026 wrote: post #42
caseydm wrote: post #36

I was very successful on UpWork. However, it is not something you can jump into with no work history on the site, like "I have 16 years experience so my rate is $125/hr." People don't believe you when you say that. They want to see proof from a third party. So you need to start lower ($30 to $50/hr), stay in a niche, and successfully complete jobs while gradually raising your rates. When someone sees glowing reviews…

This - I recently hired someone for 80$ an hour for a quick Sharepoint Powerblabber fix - one online meeting, he pointed me to the solution in 20 minutes, charged 30 minutes - everyone was happy. All very professional - answered promptly knew his stuff + the necessary meet and greet in the beginning.

It may also be a bit strategic from his side. You know he is reliable and doesn't overcharge now. He could be very useful going forward.

Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?

#104

Post by pottertheotter »

pessimizer wrote: post #80
brtkdotse wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're alive and well in Northern Europe at least. I'd say a majority of contracting work is done through them since they somehow get exclusivity deals with big clients like H&M, Scania, SAAB and the like. They charge around 5-15% (almost always 10% though) of every invoice. Before you balk at the number, consider that during my almost 5 years as a solo contractor I've spent _zero_ hours doing sales. None. When I wa…

> They charge around 5-15% (almost always 10% though) of every invoice. That's nothing to balk at. In the US, being a contractor is like selling wholesale, and being an agency is like selling retail. I'd expect the contractor cut to be 30%-50%, and the rest to go to the agency.

Yeah, 5-15% sounds awesome. I was recently considering doing some project-based work through a consulting firm and their cut was more like 60%. Wouldn't have to do any sales, but that seems absurd.

I wonder if it is a US thing of employees having too little power. A couple years ago I heard an interview on Fresh Air [1] where a woman talked about her experience cleaning houses. She said she at first made $8.55/hour while the agency charged clients $20/hour (later it was $9.25 and $25, respectively). That means the agency got 57% (63%). I told my wife if we ever hire someone to clean our house I'm asking how much the person doing the work gets paid, and if it's not above something like 70% of the total, we're not doing it.

[1] https://www.npr.org/transcripts/689611873

Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?

#105

Post by mekoka »

harel wrote: post #37
akuji1993 wrote: post #27

Toptal is trash if you're in the US or in EU. They have shit hourly rates and you compete against developers from anywhere in the world, so you can't ever match the rates they are throwing in. If you are in the EU, check out Freelancermap, Austin Fraser, Hays, Malt, Darwin Recruitment, Upper.co (for less pay, but startup work). I think one thing which is restricting your search is your tech stack. I'd honestly concen…

Toptal had me go through a paired technical test which I did ok but had a small minor fix about 1-2 seconds after the clock chimed 30 minutes. Failed me at that point. I never bothered to re-apply, mostly because I've been busy with client work. Interesting to hear that they not described favourably here. I was under the impression that this was the platform where much higher rates are acceptable.

I had the exact same experience. 30 minutes paired leetcode type test of moderate difficulty. My solution seemed algorithmically sound and efficient, but the test wasn't passing at the buzzer. The guy failed me and we said our goodbyes. As soon as we're done, I slowly look at the problem without the distraction and see that I just need to swap two variables. I email the guy back barely a minute after we hang up, explaining that I just figured what was missing. He emails me that he's sorry I have to try again in a few months. Three years later I'm here on HN learning that I dodged a bullet.

Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?

#106

Post by OJFord »

benjaminwootton wrote: post #97
larksimian wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My recruiter(in the UK) sends me contracting offers as well. Am I missing something about what a contracting agent does?

The responses in this whole sub-thread are a bit strange regarding the UK. The typical model is for end clients or employers to hire a recruitment agent to find them either contract or permanent staff. For contract staff, the agency will invoice the customer, keep approximately 10% and pass the difference to the contractor. A contractor can choose to work as a LTD company or through an umbrella organisation depending…

> A contractor can choose to work as a LTD company or through an umbrella organisation depending on how much admin they want to take on and requirements of the client such as IR35.

IR35 is not a 'requirement of the client', it's HMRC's judgement of the relationship between contractor & client that matters.

Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?

#107

Post by throwawaythrow1 »

Long time UK contractor/freelancer here, I've also done a lot of hiring in the UK.

The problem over the past few years has been IR35 which has effectively gutted/killed the UK contractor market (including lorry drivers and temp roles).

Because of this many companies will only take on contractors within scope of IR35 which drives down the day rate. So employers have found it easier to focus on permanent recruitment.

Your best bet is to look for contracts overseas, or just move out of the UK. I've had some success with braintrust (usebraintrust.com) but with US orgs

Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?

#108

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

Aulig wrote: post #90
brtkdotse wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're alive and well in Northern Europe at least. I'd say a majority of contracting work is done through them since they somehow get exclusivity deals with big clients like H&M, Scania, SAAB and the like. They charge around 5-15% (almost always 10% though) of every invoice. Before you balk at the number, consider that during my almost 5 years as a solo contractor I've spent _zero_ hours doing sales. None. When I wa…

Where do you find these contract agents? Or which are some popular ones?

I don't think they exist, anymore.

Whenever I mention them, I'm scoffed at, like I believe in unicorns.

Re: Ask HN: Where are the good platforms for contract work?

#109

Post by kposehn »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #14

One thing that makes me sad, is the old "contract agent" seems to have gone the way of the dodo. I clearly remember these folks. They acted in almost exactly the same way as literary or artist agents; searching out opportunities for their clients, and setting up interviews, etc. As a hiring manager, I dealt with them frequently, and had friends that used them. They used to make a lot of money, because they would char…

Upwork et al have really made it easy to resource on demand for a myriad of needs, but they don't really fill the gap where knowledge, skill and trust are needed on. a high-priority project. There's probably a lot of opportunity if you can find someone who is working to fill demand for work, even if they're not an agent per se.

Funny enough, I'm finding myself doing this gap too. Last December I ended up consulting as a fraction CMO/VP for mid- to late-stage startups. As the business has grown I've had demand for more work than I can fill, especially related to software, data infrastructure and analytics. At this point I'm starting to bring people into projects to augment what I can offer and frankly can't do it fast enough.

I know there's a lot of people doing similar work as myself, so looking through your network and checking with people who have found their niche as a consultant are probably a great resource.

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