In early 2006, I had decided to embark on the next phase of my career path, and seek experience with larger companies in order to round out/update my skill set. Although I had several years of senior level and progressive experience, I felt somewhat underwhelmed as a result of recent few years in a small organization.

From the beginning, I encountered a fairly high level of professionalism in the recruiting staff. I could always sense the confidence most of them exuded in their handling of the process. In most cases, they successfully countered with a logic that began to make more sense to me. Despite getting frustrated at times when I didn’t qualify to be presented on assignments, I came to appreciate that PTC was perpetually seeking to have the perfect match. The recruiting process required screening that would culminate in the selection of the right basket of candidates, and PTC always strived to present candidates that possessed the appropriate mix of minimum skills as requested, along with skills and experience that would be in store so that both the client and candidate would benefit in the future. Needless to say, this is a tough benchmark to explain to candidates that are seeking a quick start!

I was placed in 3 assignments over the next 18 months by PTC. This greatly assisted in both parties getting to know each other and measuring performance. I made it a point to let PTC know my frank opinion if I felt there was anything amiss. I also maintained contact with the various recruiters when I was between assignments, by browsing the website, and applying if a position made sense, and having frank discussions if they didn’t. As life goes, there were issues on two of the assignments that required management. In both cases, I was able to deal with the issues in a very effective manner by involving the candidate rep who brought in the client rep as required.

I maintained my desired compensation rate within the range, which helped tremendously, in my opinion. It ensured that I was presented to the appropriate positions, and in a way, validated my earning power. Of course, there were many occasions when I wanted to drop my rate range just to land a contract. In most cases, the advice and resistance by the recruiters was tough to deal with, but made inherent sense.

I firmly believe that any candidate that has a diverse mix of experience and skills, such as was my case, needs to trust the guidance of the recruiters. The wider the range of experience, the harder to land a narrow skill range position. I cannot speak to the experience of others.

I landed the final contract with the ideal type of company. This perspective was shared by both the client rep and candidate rep when I applied. I believe that my experience with PTC on previous contracts as well as my regular updating of resume, written analysis and matching of job requirements with my experience, and doing a sales job which emphasized my abilities, all came together.

Today, I have been hired permanently by the employer. If I were asked to match the features of my job with what I had stated to PTC during my first interview with them, I know that it would be a perfect match!

I have also built up the team here by adding 2 other PTC candidates that came on contract-to-perm assignments. Both had diverse, hands-on experience, and I did not have to be concerned about them delivering from Day 1, which made it an easy decision for the company.