Observations of a long-time TEK-kie
Pros
I have been a contract IT resource for the better part of the last 30 years. Over that time, I've worked with dozens of IT contracting agencies. I've worked with TekSystems on several contracts across the country over the last ten years and have some observations to share. First, there doesn't seem to be consistency of "quality" across offices, or even within an office. I have been fortunate to have established relationships with recruiters who have been at Tek a long time and who approach our business the same as I do - that it is far more about establishing and maintaining relationships than about filling specific time-based needs. Others, however, don't seem to get that. The fact that I've been with Tek as many times as I have indicates that my experiences with them are more positive than negative, and I attribute that to specific individuals in the company who have gone above and beyond for me. Tek paid for me to take a Scrum Master class and obtain my certification. Tek has many internal programs to network and grow employees in the hopes they will be long-term employees. Tek has has established good relationships directly with hiring managers and, in fact, many of the managers I've interviewed with are former Tek employees. They leave me alone, they let me do my job, they pay me farily well - every week (not bi-weekly), they have a variety of different "flavors" of being an employee (tiered benefits) and I appreciate that. Once you have been "vetted" - your qualifications have been verified, your references have provided input, and you're "in the system" they have an extensive network for placement. Those are all good things.
Cons
I do have some complaints. Their healthcare options are rediculously limited, and expensive. I'm told that's the way it is everywhere but I don't buy it. If Tek wants to be an employer of choice they have to make it more reasonable. I find that if you're not "in", or if you don't fit an active need, you are actively ignored. I recommended a dear friend for an option and asked that they give her a few minutes of face-to-face time to introduce herself. Instead, she received a "we'll call you if we need you" letter - not good. Sometimes I feel that some of what attracted me to the company a decade ago has been lost to a more "body shop" mentality. But - for me, the pros have outweighed the cons so it would be easy to recommend this company.
