Straight answers to your questions
The IT Job Market
- What is the outlook for IT projects in the St. Louis market?
- Aren’t a lot of companies sending their IT jobs offshore?
- What types of positions are offered through Ferguson Consulting?
- What is the skill level required to be a Ferguson consultant?
Working at Ferguson
- Why do you require a face-to-face interview?
- How many consultants work for Ferguson? How many have skill sets similar to mine?
- Why should I consider joining Ferguson Consulting now, given the uncertain outlook that accompanies a slowing economy?
- In a sluggish economy, aren’t companies more likely to cut consulting relationships than staff positions?
- What is the average duration of a project or assignment? How long do most consultants stay with Ferguson?
- What’s the difference between full-time and billable-hours employees?
- Why would anyone choose to be a billable-hours employee?
- How do you market me - and re-market me once I have an out date?
- Will Ferguson disclose my bill rate to me once I join the company and I’m hired to work at a specific client site? How and when do I get a billing rate increase?
- Are all Ferguson clients located in St. Louis?
- Do any of the assignments involve travel?
The Ferguson Difference
- Do consulting positions through Ferguson typically lead to full-time job offers from clients?
- How do the advantages and risks of being an IT consultant compare to those of a full-time employee?
- Does Ferguson offer any sort of training and/or training allowance? How do I use the allowance?
- How does Ferguson stay connected to its consultants when they’re working on clients’ premises for long periods?
What is the outlook for IT projects in the St. Louis market?
Companies set their budgets for this year’s IT projects in 2007, when corporate America in general was experiencing strong financial performance. Even though some companies are delaying infrastructure investments while they assess the impact of the subsequent economic slowdown, the need for those IT projects continues and the necessary funding is in place. Our clients continue to lay the groundwork for significant IT activity.Aren’t a lot of companies sending their IT jobs offshore?
Not nearly as many as in previous years. Companies have learned from experience that strategic IT projects require the kind of specialized skills and collaborative approach that are Ferguson’s hallmark. As a result, they have returned to using local IT resources on their most strategic initiatives.What types of positions are offered through Ferguson Consulting?
The most common positions are as follows:
- Project Manager
- Development positions
- Data Architect
- .Net C# Developer
- Application Architect
- .Net VB Developer
- ABAP Developer
- Java Developer
- Data Warehouse Developers
- Network Designer
- Peoplesoft Developers
- Analyst positions
- Business Analyst-Application Development
- SAP Configuration Analyst
- Data Analyst
- Quality Control/Testing Analyst
- Compliance Analyst
- QA Technical Analyst
What is the skill level required to be a Ferguson consultant?
Candidates must have very good to excellent skills in their core capabilities, a college degree, and at least five years experience with excellent business references.Why do you require a face-to-face interview?
We built our business by establishing long-term relationships with clients who trust us to provide only the most highly qualified IT professionals. We believe there is more to being a successful consultant than an attractive resume and technical skills. We insist on face-to-face interviews because we want to be able to assess not only your technical skills but your ability to interact with clients and handle pressure situations. Our reputation reflects the confidence our clients have that we won’t send them a candidate whom we haven’t thoroughly screened.How many consultants work for Ferguson? How many have skill sets similar to mine?
Currently we have about 115 professionals on our roster. The approximate percentage of our work generated by each skill set is as follows:
Java Developer – 35%
.NET C# Developer – 35%
Business Analysts – 14%
Project Managers – 8%
PeopleSoft – 8%Why should I consider joining Ferguson Consulting now, given the uncertain outlook that accompanies a slowing economy?
Ferguson is especially well positioned to carry out IT projects even when the economy slows. Clients turn to firms where they have established relationships and can count on positive results. We have earned a place on the preferred procurement lists of nearly all of the major corporations and best firms in our market. Our capabilities bring stable employment for our consultants. Moreover, those who join our team now will be well prepared when the IT market picks up. Regardless of whether the economic outlook is challenging or encouraging, businesses rely on firms like ours with a track record of meeting their expectations.In a sluggish economy, aren’t companies more likely to cut consulting relationships than staff positions?
In our experience, the opposite situation is more likely. Clients must meet goals for carrying out budgeted IT projects, and they count on specialists like our consultants to bring up-to-date knowledge and an efficient approach to those assignments. Our strong relationships with leading companies in the St. Louis area also mean that some clients will have significant IT projects under way while activity slows for others. Our reputation and reach contribute to our ability to keep our consultants on the payroll throughout the economic cycle.What is the average duration of a project or assignment? How long do most consultants stay with Ferguson?
Projects vary in length from six months to two years, but our consultants often stay on a client site for one project after another, sometimes for as long as 10 years. In most cases, they leave when they decide it’s time for new challenges in a different industry. As for the average tenure at Ferguson, many of our consultants have been with us since we started our business in 1993. A major reason for that is the fact that our consultants experience very little idle time. However, when they are between assignments, they know we will stand by them.What’s the difference between full-time and billable-hours employees?
Both full-time and billable-hours employees receive W-2s from Ferguson. Full-time consultants are paid an hourly rate for all hours worked and are eligible for paid vacation, holidays, sick leave, bench pay, training reimbursement, and profit sharing. Billable-hours consultants are paid an hourly rate for client billable hours only, until reaching 10 years of service, when 40 vacation hours are available.Why would anyone choose to be a billable-hours employee?
The costs of benefits and training, which are provided to full-time employees, are built into the rates paid to billable-hours employees. Some consultants – for example, those who get benefits through a working spouse – would rather have the cash to control themselves. In some cases, where we see limited opportunities for a consultant’s skill sets, we may offer only the billable-hours option.How do you market me – and re-market me once I have an out date?
We market your core capabilities, and leverage your secondary skills wherever possible. We market current employees before new hires with the same skill set.
We don’t wait until your current assignment ends to begin marketing you for your next job. The sales and operations managers will meet with you four to six weeks before the end of your assignment. From that point on, you’ll receive at least one written communication per week as to your status.
Our operations managers work with marketing reps to match new assignments with suitable consultants. We help consultants develop new skills to take advantage of opportunities on the horizon. We never submit your resume without your permission. When you are re-marketed, we reassess your wage rate in light of current market conditions.Will Ferguson disclose my bill rate to me once I join the company and I’m hired to work at a specific client site? How and when do I get a billing rate increase?
Ferguson will disclose your billing rate upon placement and anytime thereafter. In fact, we respect our consultants enough to share with you the complete financial picture – including your costs and profitability – as a basis of mutual understanding and trust. Generally, we increase billing rates annually when it can be justified. To qualify for a rate increase, it’s essential you meet project milestones and take advantage of training opportunities.Are all Ferguson clients located in St. Louis?
Yes. Our clients are in Metro St. Louis, including downtown, the I-270 corridor, Clayton and Creve Coeur. If we place you with a client downtown, we pay your city earnings tax and parking.Do any of the assignments involve travel?
Occasionally, your client may require out-of-town travel. But we can’t recall a Ferguson consultant ever having to travel out of town for more than a week.Do consulting positions through Ferguson typically lead to full-time job offers from clients?
On occasion they do, and we don’t stand in the way of clients who want to hire our consultants. But we’re not a permanent placement firm. We provide staff augmentation to clients, and we hire consultants who want to become part of our team at Ferguson. We’re looking for people who are passionate about their IT careers and don’t find the challenges they need as full-time employees at a corporation, where they might be on a single track and don’t have the opportunity to build a portfolio of marketable experience.How do the advantages and risks of being an IT consultant compare to those of a full-time employee?
If you’re a full-time employee in a corporate IT department, your professional development is determined by the dictates of their business rather than your career objectives. At Ferguson, IT isn’t our secondary business – it’s our only business. You choose the assignments you accept based on the ones that enable you to pursue your passion. The best way to protect yourself from unemployment is through training and client diversification to keep your skills current. And that’s what we provide our consultants at Ferguson. In addition, our consultants often develop relationships with clients who ask for them specifically, further ensuring continuous employment.Does Ferguson offer any sort of training and/or training allowance? How do I use the allowance?
Full-time employees accrue a $2,000 training allowance each year. The cost of training is integrated into the hourly pay rate of billable-hours employees, who are expected to cover their own training expenses. We attract the kind of people who want to invest in their sustained employability, and we’ll work with you – whether you’re a full-time or a billable-hours employee – to help you do that, even increasing your training allowance if necessary. While the training must be related to your professional career track, you can select courses that enhance “soft” skills such as communication or time management in addition to more technical training. Besides providing training reimbursement, Ferguson offers in-house classes and focus groups to all of our consultants on the latest technology when it’s new – even before we know if it will be adopted and by whom.How does Ferguson stay connected to its consultants when they’re working on clients’ premises for long periods?
We stay connected in part by providing the training and communicating the opportunities that allow our consultants to control their own destiny in the IT marketplace. In addition, we frequently acknowledge our consultants’ contributions to our clients’ success and we recognize our consultants’ service anniversaries every year. We also stay in touch through individual and team lunch meetings, discussion groups and social events. We’re always looking for opportunities to make our consultants proud to be on the Ferguson team.
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