How do I list third party contracting positions on a resume?

June 28, 2015 1:34 PM

The global, major well known main company has their laboratory IT work contracted out to a global outsourcing company. The global outsourcing company has hired me to be lead consultant for an upgrade project. So the work I am doing is for the main company. I want to update my resume to include this position, how do I list it on my resume? Also, since I'm one of the only people that has done this upgrade before, I have no job description beyond "Lead Consultant for" the project. I'm the extra resource with relevant experience. So when I list it on my resume I need to write my job duties as a combination of what I've done in the short time I've had the position, what I'm doing, and what I know needs to / will be done. Any advice in regards to that would be appreciated.

In the past I've listed contract work as "'Main Company (contract through 'contract agency')", but that was all straightforward working in the lab contract positions. Now I'm doing consulting work. The story: Main company eliminated all of their in house expertise and then hired back some percentage of those affected on a contract basis through a global outsourcing company. This made a mess of their needed upgrade project so they hired me because I'm one of the few people that has experience doing the upgrade. Basically a recruiter got a hold of me and hooked up the position. The recruiter is CEO of an unknown S corp that serves no function other than making me aware of the position and doing the taxes that are the difference between a W-2 (which I am) and a 1099. But that recruiter's S corp is my actual paycheck paying employer. I'm thinking to put it on my resume as one of the following:

Main Company (Lead consultant for X project)
Main Company (3rd party consultant)
Outsourcing Company (as outside consultant, for Main Company (project X?))

Or some variation of those. Any advice on which is the "correct" or at least best and accepted way to list this on my resume?

posted by ender6574 to Work & Money (5 answers total)

I use: Contracting Company, Onsite at Main Company

I used to be this and my job was running all background checks for main company, there is no "correct" way but the incorrect way is to only put main company on the list. Make sure that the actual people who employed you are listed.
posted by magnetsphere at 1:49 PM on June 28, 2015

Response by poster: So, since I'm a third party contractor, you would suggest that in my example above I would ignore the third party recruiter / contractor and just put:

Outsourcing Company, Onsite at Main Company

If I'm understanding you correctly. That looks appropriate. Thank you.
posted by ender6574 at 2:02 PM on June 28, 2015

I've had this happen to me, even within the same company. And also within being a 1099. I think, what do you want to present? Your skills or your ties with Main Company?

Let's say my main company was Motorola. I was a contractor and an employee and then a contractor. And then I got contracted by a subsidiary of Motorola to write a book.

I would go:

Motorola:

- Contractor, ad sum metro chip project (1999-2001)
- Employee, Grand Puba of Operations, 2001-2004
- Consultant, ad sum metro chip project and advent most hairy project, 2004-2007

I think, if you have done all of your work for this Main Company, whether it be via an agency or other means, you have to be consistent in listing that. That you have been a valuable employee of this company, whether it is via an agency or your own consulting activities, that you have stuck with them and given them value.

Of course, if you are filling out job applications online, you have to list your real employer, but in your case, wouldn't you be talking to headhunters?
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 2:04 PM on June 28, 2015

Response by poster: I think I should be clear, I wasn't with the main company or the outsourcing company previously. The shake up with the main company trying to "save money" by shedding personnel, some small percentage of whom were then hired back through the outsourcing company happened a couple of years ago. But basically main company didn't do it right (management "saving money" is always unbelievably expensive, right?) so the critical upgrade that was just being started absolutely stalled for a period of a couple years. THEN I was brought in from the outside to get the project moving again. I haven't been there long but the project is definitely moving now. I'm just comfortable updating my resume, LinkedIn, FB etc. at this point. And other companies want the updated resume because they might offer me significantly more money to help them out.

So this is just for a resume for headhunters / consulting agencies, and general purpose use (I just try to keep it updated). I want to highlight that I'm lead consultant for main companies upgrade project. Maybe:

Lead Consultant for Outsourcing Company on site at Main Company
posted by ender6574 at 3:31 PM on June 28, 2015

You should list what sort of project was done, what's the scale (how many users), reception by staff, was it done on-time and on-budget, how did it improve whatever it was supposed to do (any metrics) and so on.
posted by kschang at 1:16 AM on June 29, 2015