Basics:
SMA Inc. enlists engineers, project managers, designers and other professionals to provide on-demand work at professional rates of pay
Expected pay: Varies by position
Husl$core: $$$$$
Commissions & fees: NA
Where: Nationwide (remote)
Requirements:Appropriate professional skills and credentials
What is SMA Inc.?
SMA Inc. is a consulting firm that enlists highly skilled freelancers to engage in highly-paid project work for aerospace, engineering, construction and technology companies worldwide.
How it works
To get started as a freelancer on the site, you’ll need to fill out a detailed resume and project worksheets and be accepted into the system. From there, you can apply to any position that fits your expertise and appeals to you.
SMA Inc. review
This Irvine-based company, in business since 1982, is a long-time defense and government contractor, providing ample work for the 700 or so freelancers already accepted into its system. And, in 2017, the firm launched TOD — Talent on Demand — to pull more talent into its pool of ready workers.
By clicking on firm’s “careers” tab, applicants can choose among the business segments the company supports. These include proposal development; graphics and desktop publishing; technical management and engineering operations; company management; and integrated program and planning controls.
When you click through your business segment, a host of job listings come up. Almost all of the positions you’d find here are senior level — jobs that typically require 10 + years of experience. Each explains what the job entails, where it is located, the hourly pay range (which will depend on experience, and the duration of the project. Some projects are for a month. Others, six months or more.
However, to apply for any of these positions, you’ll need to fill out SMA’s extensive application.
Daunting application
Getting through the application process is time consuming. SMA’s CEO Ajay Patel estimates it’s a “three hour investment.” However, the more experience you have, the longer it takes to fill out SMA’s resume and project worksheets.
The idea of these worksheets is to get as much detail as possible about your experience — from systems you’ve used to the types of projects you’ve completed. The level of detail makes the application process lengthy. However, you only need to do this once. After that, it’s simply a matter of updating your resume, where prudent and selecting among the jobs you’re interested in.
To be sure, there’s no guarantee that your invested time will pay off with a position. But the interview process for executive level jobs is often time consuming. And this gives you access to a wide array of executive-level project work.
Recommendations:
SMA Inc. appears to offer substantial and well paid opportunity for people with the right skills. If you qualify for any of the positions listed in the site’s Talent On Demand portal, we see no reason not to give SMA a shot.
You can also find professional-level jobs with Catalant, Braintrust, FlexProfessionals and Upwork.
What their freelancers say (from Glassdoor)
SMA invests a considerable amount of effort in performing due diligence in learning who potential candidates are and what they can offer and apply to various assignment opportunities. My hiring experience included multiple interviews and enabled a dynamic opportunity to provide detailed work experience and career profile information via the Talent On Demand (TOD) feature
My first, and I bet only, experience with a company that *helped me to apply*! Also, very slick and innovative virtual interview with an avatar. These guys have really thought about how to recruit and motivate people.
The firm has a diverse demographic and attracts very accomplished people. Most impressive is the collaboration and support across the organization (staff and associates). Bottom line, we play well as a team! The organization has a flat hierarchy, and everyone is very accessible. The Talent On Demand (TOD) system developed by the firm to manage and deploy talent is impressive! It has improved transparency of opportunities, consistently wows clients, and has increased deployment opportunities for all. The recent move of the firm’s entire technology infrastructure is impressive and has significantly improved the end user experience.
SMA Inc. is a great company for retired professionals or those needing occasional work. I’ve enjoyed contract assignments with high-caliber clients, outstanding pay and benefits, and great team members.
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