Circumstances can change

Last summer I submitted a candidate for a position on my contract and the prime turned him down.

The team lead wanted someone with more specific experience then he head.

Last winter, I submitted the same candidate as a replacement for me since I was off to start a new project. They turned him down because the government hadn't indicated what they wanted for the next option year.

I ended up staying anyway because my new project didn't work out. But I AM starting a new project now and submitted the same guy to be my replacement again.

They accepted him so I will have a new employee in short order.

Same guy, same prime, same contract, but different outcomes depending on the circumstances.

If you're not getting the results you want, don't automatically assume it's because you're doing something wrong.

Sometimes the right circumstances have to appear for you to be successful.

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The guy I hired reached out to me at the start of COVID because of a job posting I listed. He had no experience in federal government but had a solid professional background. He talked me into putting him for a clearance, which he received in about 4 months. However, it took me three years to hire him! He even had another job in that time period!

The circumstances had to be right for him too.

Want the full playbook? Check out Going 1099.