Two consultants on the call

[florydev]

I just had a client who scheduled a call to discuss his needs and he said there would be others on the call.  It turns out just one other but it became clear that the other person was also a consultant that he also is considering  for the project.

I made the other consultant aware of this and told the client that I did not want to get in the way of the other person trying to find work and then left the call.

Would you find this situation as unusual as I did and how would you have handled it differently?

[prestonhunter]

When a client hires me to provide consultation, the client is supposed to use the official HIRE button, so that I'm on an hourly contract.

That is the correct way to schedule a talk with a freelancer to consult on any project.

If the client has done that, then I don't care AT ALL if there are other people on the call, or if the other person on the call is the one who will actually be doing hands-on work on the project.

But if I am NOT under contract, and I am NOT getting paid? Then why would I waste my time?

If you were not getting paid for this call, and you could see that you were not going to be paid for any work, then of course you did the right thing to let them continue on their own.

If they wanted your input and they were thinking about hiring you, then by ending your participation in the call, you may have removed yourself from consideration as an additional hiree.

[florydev]

I wasn't hired, we were still talking about requirements and scope.  I don't expect someone to hire me to provide more information and, in effect, interview me for the work.   Are you saying that they always hire you first before you do this?

Well the other freelancer, to my knowledge, had no idea that I was also bidding on the same work.  I could be wrong about that but when I brought it too his attention he said "well this is an odd situation."  I asked the client and his intention was to only hire one of us.  I realize the client was just trying to save time but I felt, especially since I realized the situation way before the other guy, that it was kind of awkward.  I don't mind working with other people, it was just weird, to me, to be on a call before being hired.

I wouldn't have expected them to hire me after leaving the call no, but I withdrew from the project anyway.  Overall it just did not feel like the right fit regardless but I was just wondering if the situation was odd.

[feed_my_eyes]

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Mark F wrote:

Well the other freelancer, to my knowledge, had no idea that I was also bidding on the same work.  I could be wrong about that but when I brought it too his attention he said "well this is an odd situation."  I asked the client and his intention was to only hire one of us.  I realize the client was just trying to save time but I felt, especially since I realized the situation way before the other guy, that it was kind of awkward. 

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I'm with you; the client put both candidates into an awkward position and I wouldn't have continued with the call either. Did he say that it was just to save time? If so, it's a poor excuse. 

[florydev]

That's the only reason they gave me.

[gilbert-phyllis]

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Mark F wrote:

That's the only reason they gave me.

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if the client really thought that was an appropriate time-saving measure, then IMO you dodged a bullet. Life is too short (and expensive) to get tangled up with clients who are that clueless. And if he was playing some kind of game, you're definitely well out of it.

[florydev]

Also realized I phrased my original post poorly so I tried to make it more clear what happened.

[gilbert-phyllis]

Were you in direct competition with the other consultant, i.e. you both bring the same capabilities to the project and the client was choosing between you? Or was it a situation where you would each be doing a different part of the project but would need to collaborate--or at least not get in each other's way? If the former, I would have bowed out. If the latter, then probably not, at least until I understood more.

[florydev]

Yeah, I fixed my original post, we were in competition.  The other guy did not even know that until I pointed it out to him.

[prestonhunter]

re: "I don't expect someone to hire me to provide more information and, in effect, interview me for the work. Are you saying that they always hire you first before you do this?"

I don't always get hired before scheduling a call.

Sometimes prospective clients interview me via phone or Skype.

But if a client hires me as a consultant, then I am under contract before we schedule a consultation. And during that consultation call, I bill for my time.

[feed_my_eyes]

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Preston H wrote:

re: "I don't expect someone to hire me to provide more information and, in effect, interview me for the work. Are you saying that they always hire you first before you do this?"

I don't always get hired before scheduling a call.

Sometimes prospective clients interview me via phone or Skype.

But if a client hires me as a consultant, then I am under contract before we schedule a consultation. And during that consultation call, I bill for my time.

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That wasn't the question, though - the OP was asking if it's weird to be interviewed at the same time as another candidate. I say yes; what about you?

[florydev]

To be fair to Preston, I think the way I originally phrased it was poor and it sounded like I didn't want to be on a call with another consultant.

[feed_my_eyes]

Well, if it was a job that I really, really wanted, I might have just said something like, "It makes me a bit uncomfortable to be interviewed alongside one of my competitors; perhaps we could reschedule our talk for a time when you're less busy?" But I see nothing wrong with bowing out gracefully either, if you think that it wasn't a good fit.

[alphazomgy]

If I were you, I would've stayed on the call. 

I think the client was just trying to see which one of you had bigger kahonies. 

Considering your experience, I'm surprised you hung up.

[feed_my_eyes]

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Alexander B wrote:

If I were you, I would've stayed on the call. 

I think the client was just trying to see which one of you had bigger kahonies. 

Considering your experience, I'm surprised you hung up.

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Nah, if this was some sort of a misguided attempt to pit them against each other, then the one who walked away is the winner, IMO.

[gilbert-phyllis]

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Christine A wrote:

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Alexander B wrote:

If I were you, I would've stayed on the call. 

I think the client was just trying to see which one of you had bigger kahonies. 

Considering your experience, I'm surprised you hung up.

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Nah, if this was some sort of a misguided attempt to pit them against each other, then the one who walked away is the winner, IMO.

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Agree. This is Upwork, not 'Mad Men'.

[florydev]

If they can't see whose is bigger without you showing them then you shouldn't bother showing them.

[lysis10]

Totally missed your opportunity to say "WHAT UP BRAH??? How about them Upwork clients???" to the other consultant. He probably woulda chuckled or thought you were crazy but it's ok cuz he woulda definitely understood.

[florydev]

That would have been a good one.  I had also thought I should just sit and listen and then give the other guy a critique of his performance.

I am not someone to give much of a benefit of the doubt but in this case I can say I feel pretty comfortable that this client had no idea that it was odd.  But man, it was odd.

[gilbert-phyllis]

A million years ago, I moderated a series of consumer focus groups, testing ad mock-ups created by two different agencies. Members of each agency team were in the back room with the clients. There was a backstory that I didn't even want to know. It was a very strange, tense evening.

[Anonymous-User]

Anyone that would throw you into the ring with another to duke it out is unprofessional, unethical and it's rather insulting to both you and the other applicant. 

You did the right thing by politely bowing out.