Crackerjacks

Have you got a question or need some help? Why not check out our frequently asked question for Contractors and Businesses. If you still can’t find the answer to your question, why not get in touch with us.

Crackerjacks Contracting

General Stuff

• Why Crackerjacks?
  Crackerjacks is the ultimate contracting resource. Not only do we have contracts available across a wide range of functional areas, but we have all the info you need – from the benefits of contracting right through to filing your tax return. Crackerjacks is a portal that lets you deal direct with businesses. We’re freedom from your nine to five.
• How do I join?
  It's really simple; you can begin your registration right now. It takes no time at all to get started, and then to begin using the site and getting the contracts you’ll need just 15 minutes to fill in your profile. What are you waiting for?
• What's the cost?
  For contractors – free! Like we said, what are you waiting for?
• How much should I charge?
  Working out what to charge can be one of the most difficult parts of being a contractor. There’s no definitive answer that we can provide, but we’ve written an article on the different things you may want to consider factoring into your rate. It’s also a good idea to keep up with our latest reports, as these provide valuable information on what your fellow contractors are charging.
• What if I take on a permanent job or want to close my profile?
  We understand you may shift from contract to permanent work in your career. The time you spent building your Crackerjacks profile does not have to be written off. Simply block out your availability using the calendar function and you will no longer show up in business search results. This way - if you want to consider contracting in a few years, your profile will still be there for you to use.
  
  If you no longer wish to have a Crackerjacks contractor profile, we can de-activate this for you. You can contact us on info@crackerjacks.co.nz to request this.

Getting Started

• I didn’t receive/have deleted my confirmation email, what do I do?
  If you haven’t received an email from us confirming your registration, it’s a good idea to take a look in your junk folder just in case it’s been misdirected. If it’s not there or if you’ve accidentally deleted it, you’ll need to send us through an email on information@crackerjacks.co.nz letting us know, and we’ll sort it for you as quick as we can.
• Help, I've forgotten my password!
  Never fear! Go to our login screen, where you can input your email address and then click on the ‘forgot password’ link to get us to email it out to you.
• Why do you need to know all this stuff about me?
  You only get out what you put in. At Crackerjacks we’ve worked out what it is that businesses want to know about their contractors and have put it all together in one form for you to complete. The more info you include about yourself and your work history, the more value you’re adding to your profile and the more likely you are to score that perfect contract.
• Do I have to provide referees?
  In order to be fully registered with the site and start getting contracts, yes you need to provide us with at least one referee. You can have up to two referees at any one time. Why, you ask? Business want contractors who can get the job done. By having more reviews behind you increase your own marketability and are going to get more back from the site.

Performance Ratings

• What does my performance rating mean?
  Reviews and performance ratings are a big part of the Crackerjacks process because it helps a business to determine the quality of a contractor. We calculate your performance rating based on the reviews that have been completed on you. For more info, take a look at our performance rating article from your dashboard.
• What's the difference between a referee review, a performance review and my performance rating?
  A referee review is a review that’s been provided for you by the referees that you’ve nominated, and a performance review is a review from one of the Crackerjacks contracts that you’ve completed. Both are made up of the same set of questions, with slight variations. For more info, check out our performance rating article from your dashboard – it covers everything you need to know on the subject.
• Where can I see my referee/performance reviews?
  Each time you receive a new referee or performance review, we’ll send you an email to let you know. That email will have a link you can follow to see how you scored on each question. Alternatively, once you’re logged in, click on the Your Profile link up the top right then go through to the Career Summary section. There you’ll be able to see which roles have reviews attached to them, and go through and see each individual review.
• How do I suppress my referee review?
  Only performance reviews can be excluded from your performance rating calculation, not referee reviews. You can choose whether or not to include any qualitative comments made about you in a referee review, but cannot exclude the review altogether.
• How do I suppress my performance review?
  We all know what its like to have a contract not go exactly to plan. Sometimes the feedback placed by a business is not a fair reflection of how you really performed or you simply weren’t right for that particular job. We allow you to suppress a limited number of reviews for this very reason. Once you’re logged in, click on the Your Profile link up the top right then go through to the Career Summary section. There you’ll be able to see which roles have reviews attached to them. There is an action button available to suppress any feedback alongside any crackerjacks performed contract feedback.
• What kind of questions make up a referee or performance review?
  There are three main sections that make up a review: performance against objectives, integration with business and core competencies. When you give a business authorisation to view your profile (either by applying for a job or accepting a profile request) they will be able to see your overall performance rating plus a brief description on how you performed in each of the three sections. The different sections are as follows:

  • Performance against objectives: measures how well a contractor has understood the scope of their contracts, how well they've delivered against the set objectives and the value for money that they've represented.
  • Integration with business: measures how well a contractor has integrated into the businesses that have contracted them; how quickly they have established themselves into the role and how well they have interacted with other members of the business.
  • Core competencies: measures the level of a contractor's project management, communication, technical and leadership skills to date, as has been appropriate for the level and tasks of their contracts.

Using the site

• How do I find a contract?
  First up you need to be a registered Crackerjack. From there you have two options; you can either sit back and wait for a business to find you in one of their searches, or you can actively search through the contracts that have been posted on the site. If you’re going to conduct a search all you need to do is put in some basic info about the role you’re looking for and away you go.
• How can I add a new referee?
  Once you’re logged in, click on the Your Profile link up the top right of the page and go through to the Referees. There you can create a new referee by clicking on the Create New Referee button. Remember that you can only have two referees at any one time. If you already have two referees and want to create a new one, the oldest referee review will automatically be deleted and will no longer be included in calculating your performance rating.
• Where can I view my profile that you send through to businesses?
  Every time you accept a profile request or apply for a job we send your profile through to the business (remember, we’ll never do this without your permission). To see exactly what info we pass along, login to your account and click on the Your Profile tab up the top right of the page. From there you’ll see a black button on the right hand side of the screen that says ‘Print your profile’ – clicking on this will allow you to download your current profile in PDF format.
• Can I add a referee that's not related to a job I've had? Can I have more than one referee for a single job?
  No. With Crackerjacks, referees act as a measure of your performance, so with referees we’re after people you’ve worked for in the past rather than a character reference. Also, each referee must be attached to a different job so it is not possible to have multiple referees for a single role.
• I've put in a referee, but I haven't got a rating yet or I can't see their review.
  When you create a new referee on site, they’ll automatically get added to our list of people to contact. We’ll be in touch with you to let you know once we’ve collected a review for you, or alternatively we’ll let you know if we haven’t been able to make contact with them and suggest that you nominate an alternative referee. If it’s your first referee you’re talking about, we’ll allocate you the rating of ‘New’ in the meantime so that you can still put your name forward for contracts.
• Why can't I apply for any roles?
  Before you’re able to apply for any roles, you’ll need to complete your profile first. If you’ve still got sections of your profile outstanding, you’ll see these in a box on your dashboard once you’re logged in. As soon as you’ve filled these out you’ll be ready to go: you can apply for roles and businesses will be able to request your details for contracts they’re looking to fill.
• What's a dashboard?
  When we talk about your dashboard we're referring to the main screen you see after you login. From here you can keep up to date with your profile requests, job applications and anything else you have on the go.
• How do I update my details?
  Simple question! Once you’re logged in, go to your dashboard and click on ‘My Account’ up the top right hand corner. From there you can edit your contact details or update your work history. Any contracts that you complete through Crackerjacks will be added into your profile automatically, but to input things like achievements you made in the role, details on contracts completed outside Crackerjacks or your availability, visit the My Account section.
• How safe is my information?
  At Crackerjacks we work hard to ensure the privacy and security of your information. We will never reveal your contact details without your permission. Read our privacy policy to find out more.
• I can't find the answer to my question!
  Looked through our FAQs and still can’t find out what you’re after? Send us an email or if it’s an urgent question you can call us on 09 914-8540.

For Businesses

Crackerjacks Contracting

• Why Crackerjacks?
  Crackerjacks are contracting solution specialists. Our site provides you with the most cost effective method for getting the best contracting talent. The beauty is that you can control what happens. In a search you can specify exactly what you're looking for in a contractor and we'll deliver your results objectively through our search engine. You can also move through the process as slowly or as quickly as you like, it's even possible to find a contractor today if you put your mind to it! Sound like what you're after? Register now.
• How do I join?
  You can register right now. It takes less than 5 minutes and all we need is some basic information on your business. Join now and start finding contractors today.
• How much does it cost?
  A success fee is only charged if you successfully engage a contractor from our site. You only pay if you get results, and it’s a lot cheaper than other forms of contractor recruitment. Plus, publicly posting a role is free! To find out more about our current charges, please click on our current charges.

Getting Started

• What do I do if I haven't received or have deleted my registration email?
  If you haven’t received your confirmation email after registering, please check the junk folder of your email inbox. If it’s not there you’ll need to send us through an email on information@crackerjacks.co.nz letting us know, and we’ll sort it for you as quick as we can.
• What do I do if I've forgotten my password?
  Go to our login screen. Here you can put in your account number and click on the ‘forgot password’ link and we can email it out to you.
• How do I find & hire a contractor?
  The best way to find the ideal contractor for your role is to conduct a search. By doing this you’re choosing the key criteria for the role, and finding contractors who’ll be a suitable fit. You can conduct a search straight from your dashboard by clicking on the New Search quick link from the left side of the page. The other way to find a contractor is to publicly post a job, which you can do by creating a new job from the jobs tab on your dashboard, and ticking the box which asks you whether you’d like to publicly post it. From there it’s a matter of following the steps through to find the best contractor for your business.

Using the site

• What is the performance rating system and what does it mean?
  At Crackerjacks, we use the performance system to help you determine the quality of the contractor you’re looking at. We base our ratings on the reviews we collect from their past clients and employers. To find out more, have a look at our performance rating article from your dashboard when you are logged in.
• How long do my posts stay on Crackerjacks for?
  A public post is valid for 5 days. You’ll receive an email to let you know when it expires, and you have the option to renew the posting for another 5 days.
• What about the contract?
  When you engage a contractor via Crackerjacks, the independent contract is generated online. There’s a standard template with terms like you’d see in any independent contract arrangement, then you as the principal have the option to choose specific terms and write in the variables. We recommend that you discuss contract terms with the contractor before you generate the contract and send it through to them.
• What is a dashboard?
  Your dashboard is the main screen you see after you login. From here you can see each of the contracts that you currently have going and what stage they're at. It's the central tool for organising your roles.
• How do I edit my details?
  You can perform account maintenance functions such as editing your details, viewing your account balance and adding new users from your dashboard. Once you're logged in, click on the Account Maintenance tab up the top of the page.
• How can I contact Crackerjacks?
  If you’ve looked through our FAQs and still can’t find the answer you’re after, please contact us. You can do this by emailing us, or giving us a call on 09 914-8540..

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