I like the idea of an extended audition, but not for peanuts. It needs to be my actual rate or a significant fraction thereof or we're not really operating as equals now, are we?
I actually negotiated an extended audition as part of a recent contract. The decision makers were starting to say things like "we definitely want to hire you, but we need to flesh out requirements on the project" and "we'll get back in touch in a few months to get things kicked off". Code for "wow, that's a scary looking bill rate" perhaps, but certainly not the sort of talk that tends to lead to gainful employment.
So I suggested that we do a quick R&D project at a reduced rate just to see if the thing they wanted to build was in fact buildable. We'll just run for a few weeks and see where we stand, then reevaluate whether we want to work together.
The nice thing about doing it this way is that they get to see the "other variable" in the salary calculation. It's not just Bill Rate * Hours. It's Bill Rate * Pace. A fast, expensive guy can turn out cheaper in the long run, if the Fast bit outweighs the Expensive bit. 3 weeks to a Month is enough time to see whether a given dude is in fact good and fast; not just in bursts, but steady state.
Granted, that's one datapoint. And it just happened to work out nicely. But I think it's a good way to prove to a company that you are in fact worth the rate you've quoted them.
I actually negotiated an extended audition as part of a recent contract. The decision makers were starting to say things like "we definitely want to hire you, but we need to flesh out requirements on the project" and "we'll get back in touch in a few months to get things kicked off". Code for "wow, that's a scary looking bill rate" perhaps, but certainly not the sort of talk that tends to lead to gainful employment.
So I suggested that we do a quick R&D project at a reduced rate just to see if the thing they wanted to build was in fact buildable. We'll just run for a few weeks and see where we stand, then reevaluate whether we want to work together.
The nice thing about doing it this way is that they get to see the "other variable" in the salary calculation. It's not just Bill Rate * Hours. It's Bill Rate * Pace. A fast, expensive guy can turn out cheaper in the long run, if the Fast bit outweighs the Expensive bit. 3 weeks to a Month is enough time to see whether a given dude is in fact good and fast; not just in bursts, but steady state.
Granted, that's one datapoint. And it just happened to work out nicely. But I think it's a good way to prove to a company that you are in fact worth the rate you've quoted them.