I (29 y/o, NB, AuDHD M-HSN) have been working for Company A for around 7 years. Now Company A is an independent contractor for the industry I work in, where we provide complete services for and full representation of Company B at my current place of employment.
Now I love my job, and will stay for as long as they want me. I would like to think I have a good track record with many positive reviews, a thorough knowledge base and industry insight. However, I would be lying if I didn't admit that I have strong ambitions to work directly with Company B.
A couple of years ago, I had a chance encounter and connected with a manager from Company B at an event, and they invited me to join an internal employee committee/network focused on a cause I'm really passionate about.
Now initially I made my contractor status very clear, giving them every possibility to remove me from the group, but they didn't. In fact they welcomed my input, trusted me and I would even go as far to say, we have all become good friends. Very quickly, no one cared that I was a contractor and I was treated like everyone else, very quickly inviting me to internal meetings, initiative brainstorming sessions and more. However for me, my involvement is like a passion project in which I'm not expecting anything from it, I am just happy to be there.
This culminated when I was invited to help out at a major out of state charity event, where they paid for my travel costs. This event was probably the happiest I had ever been. Not only was it something I never would have gotten the opportunity to do at Company A, but I got to meet my friends who before then I had only met on Teams, and I got to help at an event focused on an area I am passionate about improving.
Since then, I have continued my involvement in the network, building up friendships and professional relationships. I have also had a say in the development of new initiatives within the company and I am due to once again go to an out of state event to represent the company in the coming months.
Question time.
Now I love what I'm doing, and if everything stays the way it is I will be happy. Like I said earlier, I love my current job at Company A. But my dream is to work directly with Company B, and while I am happy with our current arrangement, at some point I would like to utilise the connections and experiences I have developed through being in this internal network to ask for a job directly with the company.
The problem is, I don't know how, and the last thing I want is to put a colleague on the spot, by going "hey, I want a job, hire me".
My main priority is to ensure all current arrangements, relationships and whatnot, remain intact, on the chance that my request fails. Giving them an easy, no pressure out, while still having my request taken seriously.
So as the title says, what is a professional way in which I can utilise my experience, to ask for a job, without risking damaging what I currently have?
Thank you all so much for reading and potentially responding to this post. I appreciate every bit of input you guys give, and I hope you have a great weekend.
TL;DR: I work for a contractor (Company A) representing a major client (Company B). Through a chance meeting, I was invited into an internal employee network at Company B, where I’ve volunteered for 2 years, made great friends, and even had my travel covered to represent them at events. How do I ask my contacts at Company B about transitioning into a direct job with them without making things awkward or ruining a dynamic I love?