This post is a dedication to all of the really good recruiters out there that help make contract consulting truly enjoyable. They are certainly few and far between; but when you get one, take the time to acknowledge them, not only for their benefit but for all of ours out there.
I recently had a consultant rave about one of our recruiters in the office. This gentleman was clearly out of work for a while and needed a little different type of approach versus what we typically hear out there. I would like to honor this recruiter by saying "Thank You" on behalf of all of us consultants!
Thanks again to those who seek true professionalism during the chase of the mighty dollar...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
What it means to be an IT Contract Consultant - Part I
Thinking about venturing into contract consulting in IT? Well first, you are at the right place for getting current tips and secrets of the IT Contract Consulting world. Secondly and most importantly, if you have solid IT skills, if you are customer focused, if you like change, if you have an entrepreneurial spirit and if you have the tolerance for a bit of risk, then you have a recipe for being a great consultant. Here is what to focus on in each:
IT Skills Being a consultant first and foremost embodies using your skills to meet the needs of your customer. If you are a developer and a customer is looking for a project manager, clearly you need to look somewhere else. Finding a position that meets your skill set is not always easy but if you carefully evaluate job descriptions, it will immediately pop out at you that a position is a right fit. Be patient, be dilligent and maintain your skills along a career path. If you are a developer but a customer is seeking a Sr. Developer or an Architect, then yes you still need to look somewhere else, but this shows you an opportunity for a direction to grow your skills. Always be on the look out where you can grow your skill sets. That directly translates to greater responsibility and thus a better paycheck. Being a consultant doesn't mean you will always find the same role. Try to stretch yourself, and grow as a professional just as you would being an employee for some company.
Customer Focused As a consultant, you must first embrace the fact that you are not an employee, but someone who is there to help the employees. Maintaning a service-oriented attitude will greatly impact how your work is received by your clients. Continually work on a no-ego, "I am here to do as I am asked" persona and you will find yourself getting extended, asked back or taking on greater responsibility at your clients. Too many times, consultants act like employees (as in my previous post) and end up in trouble. Understand what it means to "meet the need THEN exceed". Be sure you fully understand the scope and the schedule of your assignment and focus ong getting the job done with the highest quality. Then, and only then, can you focus on all of the extras to make the customer happy.
Change is Inevitable
Consulting is all about change. From a 2 week, 2 month or 2 year assignment, you never know how long a project will last. You must always be ready for anything to happen. Projects get cancelled for no reason, budgets get reduced or staffing gets impacted, you must be sure to continue building on your skills, keep your options open and be flexible without complaint. Enjoy your assignments when you have them, but keep your radar on for other opportunities so you can be ready just in case.
The positve about change is the fact you will never stagnate. Being a consultant is all about working from one project to the next knowing that no two projects are ever the same. This is the secret sauce that helps you grow your skills as well as grow as a professional. You must learn to embrace this change and figure out the best way to manage through it.
To Be Continued...
IT Skills Being a consultant first and foremost embodies using your skills to meet the needs of your customer. If you are a developer and a customer is looking for a project manager, clearly you need to look somewhere else. Finding a position that meets your skill set is not always easy but if you carefully evaluate job descriptions, it will immediately pop out at you that a position is a right fit. Be patient, be dilligent and maintain your skills along a career path. If you are a developer but a customer is seeking a Sr. Developer or an Architect, then yes you still need to look somewhere else, but this shows you an opportunity for a direction to grow your skills. Always be on the look out where you can grow your skill sets. That directly translates to greater responsibility and thus a better paycheck. Being a consultant doesn't mean you will always find the same role. Try to stretch yourself, and grow as a professional just as you would being an employee for some company.
Customer Focused As a consultant, you must first embrace the fact that you are not an employee, but someone who is there to help the employees. Maintaning a service-oriented attitude will greatly impact how your work is received by your clients. Continually work on a no-ego, "I am here to do as I am asked" persona and you will find yourself getting extended, asked back or taking on greater responsibility at your clients. Too many times, consultants act like employees (as in my previous post) and end up in trouble. Understand what it means to "meet the need THEN exceed". Be sure you fully understand the scope and the schedule of your assignment and focus ong getting the job done with the highest quality. Then, and only then, can you focus on all of the extras to make the customer happy.
Change is Inevitable
Consulting is all about change. From a 2 week, 2 month or 2 year assignment, you never know how long a project will last. You must always be ready for anything to happen. Projects get cancelled for no reason, budgets get reduced or staffing gets impacted, you must be sure to continue building on your skills, keep your options open and be flexible without complaint. Enjoy your assignments when you have them, but keep your radar on for other opportunities so you can be ready just in case.
The positve about change is the fact you will never stagnate. Being a consultant is all about working from one project to the next knowing that no two projects are ever the same. This is the secret sauce that helps you grow your skills as well as grow as a professional. You must learn to embrace this change and figure out the best way to manage through it.
To Be Continued...
Monday, August 3, 2009
You are NOT an employee, don't get too comfortable...
So you are new to contracting or maybe you have been around at the same client for a long time. Watch out! A fatal mistake some contractors make is acting like an employee at their client.
You play golf with the boss, you get invited to the holiday parties, you take days off for team building events, you get invited to going away parties... Don't be fooled. Even though you may feel like part of "the family" you are not, and you never will! Too many times have I seen consultants get burned for letting their guard down because they are too comfortable at their client.
I have seen consultants that are too argumentative because of a comfort level gained by a colleague and then get fired for the same reason. I have also seen instances where consultants get too comfortable with their peers and managers and then are mystified when they are let go because they spoke and acted as openly as some of the employee's about others, managers and organizational dysfunction.
In these cases, it is never easy to be let go, but it is easier if you don't set yourself up with false expectations that you are one of "them".
Remember, when companies look to cut costs, reduce staff or cut projects, consultants are typically the first to get cut. It is much easier to fire a consultant than it is an employee. Regardless how well you enjoy your gig, enjoy your boss, enjoy your coworkers, if you plan for the inevitable that all good things must end, it doesn't hurt as bad when it does.
If you stick to behaving like a consultant, and treating everyone you work with as a customer - no matter what, you will be able to see more opportunities come your way, receive a greater level of respect and become overall more successful!
Look for my next post about "What it means to be an IT Contract Consultant!"
Until next time...
You play golf with the boss, you get invited to the holiday parties, you take days off for team building events, you get invited to going away parties... Don't be fooled. Even though you may feel like part of "the family" you are not, and you never will! Too many times have I seen consultants get burned for letting their guard down because they are too comfortable at their client.
I have seen consultants that are too argumentative because of a comfort level gained by a colleague and then get fired for the same reason. I have also seen instances where consultants get too comfortable with their peers and managers and then are mystified when they are let go because they spoke and acted as openly as some of the employee's about others, managers and organizational dysfunction.
In these cases, it is never easy to be let go, but it is easier if you don't set yourself up with false expectations that you are one of "them".
Remember, when companies look to cut costs, reduce staff or cut projects, consultants are typically the first to get cut. It is much easier to fire a consultant than it is an employee. Regardless how well you enjoy your gig, enjoy your boss, enjoy your coworkers, if you plan for the inevitable that all good things must end, it doesn't hurt as bad when it does.
If you stick to behaving like a consultant, and treating everyone you work with as a customer - no matter what, you will be able to see more opportunities come your way, receive a greater level of respect and become overall more successful!
Look for my next post about "What it means to be an IT Contract Consultant!"
Until next time...
Efficient Job Search
In a down economy like we see today, efficiency is the essence in your job search. The market is flooded with consultants who are out there responding to job requisitions so depending on how fast you reply could mean the difference between getting the gig and not.
You have posted on all of the job boards and receive a fair amount of calls. But, you can't be near your computer all the time, so you need to set yourself up so that you can be effective away from your computer.
Try setting up a website that allows recruiters to download your updated MS Word-formatted resume themselves instead of telling them you will send it to them when you get back in front of your computer. This way you can respond quickly to opportunities while you are out and about. Be sure to put it on a domain that is simple to say and find so when you do tell a recruiter you are not spending a lot of time spelling out all the dashes and dots.
Also take advantage of pop email accounts on your cell phone so that you can quickly see opportunities when they come in and respond on the go...
Let us know if you found other ways to be efficient when searching for and responding to opportunities.
Until next time...
You have posted on all of the job boards and receive a fair amount of calls. But, you can't be near your computer all the time, so you need to set yourself up so that you can be effective away from your computer.
Try setting up a website that allows recruiters to download your updated MS Word-formatted resume themselves instead of telling them you will send it to them when you get back in front of your computer. This way you can respond quickly to opportunities while you are out and about. Be sure to put it on a domain that is simple to say and find so when you do tell a recruiter you are not spending a lot of time spelling out all the dashes and dots.
Also take advantage of pop email accounts on your cell phone so that you can quickly see opportunities when they come in and respond on the go...
Let us know if you found other ways to be efficient when searching for and responding to opportunities.
Until next time...
Introduction to this Blog
Greetings!
I am proud to announce the launch of this blog which will be a tribute to those IT Consultants working hard with little reward other than the praise we give ourselves! Through this Blog, I plan to offer two perspectives of contracting; 1> for New and Experienced Contractors; and 2>, A "back office" view of recruiting agencies.
Hopefully you will enjoy these posts and pass along to your fellow contractor friends as it comes from my many years of experience of contracting and managing contract consultants as I am doing currently in the Chicagoland market.
Be advised, you will not see job postings here, but you will see pertinent information about IT Contract Consulting and the day-in-the-lives of consultants like ourselves. I hope you enjoy this Blog as it is dedicated to you and our fellow contractor colleagues.
Please stay tuned for my book due out fall of 2009 that acts more like a field guide to contracting. It will elaborate on many of the topics in this blog to help you and others like you who are either getting into IT Contract Consulting or have been around for a while be as successful as possible in this often difficult and thankless business. - Oh, and tell all your contracting buddies to go buy it! :)
Ok... Now, heads down and get back to work so your client doesn't bust you for reading blogs!
Cheers!
Jon
I am proud to announce the launch of this blog which will be a tribute to those IT Consultants working hard with little reward other than the praise we give ourselves! Through this Blog, I plan to offer two perspectives of contracting; 1> for New and Experienced Contractors; and 2>, A "back office" view of recruiting agencies.
Hopefully you will enjoy these posts and pass along to your fellow contractor friends as it comes from my many years of experience of contracting and managing contract consultants as I am doing currently in the Chicagoland market.
Be advised, you will not see job postings here, but you will see pertinent information about IT Contract Consulting and the day-in-the-lives of consultants like ourselves. I hope you enjoy this Blog as it is dedicated to you and our fellow contractor colleagues.
Please stay tuned for my book due out fall of 2009 that acts more like a field guide to contracting. It will elaborate on many of the topics in this blog to help you and others like you who are either getting into IT Contract Consulting or have been around for a while be as successful as possible in this often difficult and thankless business. - Oh, and tell all your contracting buddies to go buy it! :)
Ok... Now, heads down and get back to work so your client doesn't bust you for reading blogs!
Cheers!
Jon
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