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Best advice for securing new contract

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    Best advice for securing new contract

    Hi. I am a freelance marketing contractor. I'm signed up to lots of recruitment sites & ive optimised my linkedin page accordingly. When I was perm I was getting masses of calls from agents who'd seen my cv on line but in my new guise these are few & far between. What's the best ways to get noticed as a contractor to maximise the chance of continuous employment? Thanks

    #2
    I find it slightly amusing that a freelance marketer is asking about marketing....

    Anyway, that apart, it's probably because as a permie you were getting the halo effect of your employer and now you are a one man band with no history. As a freelance, as opposed to a permie, what we sell is experience, not expertise which is taken for granted. Getting the first one is hard, the second harder, after that you're either cooking or out of the game.
    Blog? What blog...?

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by ckms View Post
      ...What's the best ways to get noticed as a contractor to maximise the chance of continuous employment?...
      Noticed by whom, exactly? You should specify this if you want a response.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by ckms View Post
        Hi. I am a freelance marketing contractor. I'm signed up to lots of recruitment sites & ive optimised my linkedin page accordingly. When I was perm I was getting masses of calls from agents who'd seen my cv on line but in my new guise these are few & far between. What's the best ways to get noticed as a contractor to maximise the chance of continuous employment? Thanks
        Sorry but I always found LI to be wank. Just lots of agents wanting to link to get in yer knickers and see your contacts at places you'd worked.

        You got to play the percentages. Lots of applications and lots of calls to agents. Just like any other business has to do.
        I couldn't give two fornicators! Yes, really!

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by BolshieBastard View Post
          Sorry but I always found LI to be wank. Just lots of agents wanting to link to get in yer knickers and see your contacts at places you'd worked.

          You got to play the percentages. Lots of applications and lots of calls to agents. Just like any other business has to do.
          +1 with the proviso that, vis-a-vis LinkedIn, that every little helps.
          ---

          Former member of IPSE.


          ---
          Many a mickle makes a muckle.

          ---

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by BolshieBastard View Post
            Sorry but I always found LI to be wank. Just lots of agents wanting to link to get in yer knickers and see your contacts at places you'd worked.

            You got to play the percentages. Lots of applications and lots of calls to agents. Just like any other business has to do.
            Hmmm...
            Blog? What blog...?

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by BolshieBastard View Post
              Sorry but I always found LI to be wank. Just lots of agents wanting to link to get in yer knickers and see your contacts at places you'd worked.

              You got to play the percentages. Lots of applications and lots of calls to agents. Just like any other business has to do.
              LinkedIn got me my current contract - two years into it now. But that was via a genuine contact (albeit one I'd not spoken to in ten years) rather than an agent getting in touch.
              Best Forum Advisor 2014
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              Click here to get 15% off your first year's IPSE membership

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by ckms View Post
                Hi. I am a freelance marketing contractor. I'm signed up to lots of recruitment sites & ive optimised my linkedin page accordingly. When I was perm I was getting masses of calls from agents who'd seen my cv on line but in my new guise these are few & far between. What's the best ways to get noticed as a contractor to maximise the chance of continuous employment? Thanks
                Really??!? Employment?
                'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!

                Comment


                  #9
                  ...

                  Linked In is great for managing real contacts and keeping in touch with them. It's also great as a showpiece if you can get decent recommendations, once you get some interest, point the client to your profile, also have a link to the profile in your email sigs etc. As a marketing tool it's next to useless.

                  Search the job boards, I find JS still works best for me. Research the skills and market exposure that people are hiring. Tailor your applications where possible to highlight where your experience matches.

                  As for continuous 'employment' as a contractor, forget it. You may be lucky, you may not. A quick trawl around these fora will tell you what the chances of that are.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Thanks all. When I say 'employment' you know what I mean. I am self employed but in an ideal world I want to work 10 or 11 months of the year

                    Comment

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