Advice for a newbie please

**Sockpuppet** · 8 April 2007, 21:51

Originally posted by Davey78

However, I'd appreciate any advice

Don't get caught balls deep in the bosses daughter. The real advice starts with "S" and ends in "earch".

If you are looking for someone to hold your hand you won't find it. Being a contractor you need to be thick skinned and if you cant make the decision to go on your own without us reassuring you then its probably not for you.

Also ask yourself that if you are getting married can you afford to have no cash coming in?

**XLMonkey** · 8 April 2007, 22:13

The first thing you should do is look up the professional contractors group
(www.pcg.org.uk) and download their first timers guide. Then do what boys never do when provided with an instruction manual for a new toy: READ IT.

This provides you with all the basic information you need on the hows and wherefores of contacting.

Once you've done that, come back here and ask smarter questions and you'll get longer answers.

Good luck

**Davey78** · 8 April 2007, 22:34

XLMonkey: thanks for the link.

I perhaps didn't stress that I have done a lot of research and I have built up a suitable financial buffer as I've been planning to become a contractor for a while now.

I am aware that I have to do my own searching and that no-one is going to do things for me.

My question is really a final sanity check in case someone (seriously) says something like "without a bunch more experience you're going to seriously struggle" or something like that and then at least I know what I'm going to be up against.

**vyas** · 9 April 2007, 13:21

The only reality check will be when you either never get an interview or when you are not selected ... and guess what.. the only way you can get it is by sending your CVs out... you never know what you may get.. good luck in your contract search

**Kyajae** · 9 April 2007, 13:27

Originally posted by Davey78

Hi guys. I'm planning to become a contractor shortly and I'd appreciate advice.

I've been working for IBM Business Consulting Services for the past 2.5 years doing various IT work on about half a dozen client projects, with a bias towards Java development in the Financial Services industry. I also have 1 year's experience from a previous job where I built a database system using SQL, Visual Basic, etc.

I'm planning to quit my job soon and become a contractor. My main reasons are that I want more control over the projects I work on (and locations I work at, as I'm getting married soon and don't like how I currently get sent off all over the country with little choice) and contracting is generally more lucrative than permie jobs.

I'm living in London and will ideally look for Java development work, although I'm flexible as to other work that I've done before and have skills in.

I've had a good look around this website and from talking to a couple of contractor buddies I'm reasonably confident that contracting is the way to go. However, I'd appreciate any advice, especially if anyone believes I'm making a terrible mistake and am going to be sat home without work for months on end!

Cheers in advance.

I worked on a gig some time ago where all their servers had the letters IBM on them. The guy there told me it stood for "It's Been Mended".

**lukemg** · 10 April 2007, 08:52

It's all about the market. If you have something useful to sell, for which there is demand, you have a chance.
You need to specialise though - no room for jack of all trades - they have permies for that. Decide what you are good at and what you want to do, then make sure your CV emphasises these, mention the rest in passing but the agent should look at your CV and see an SQL guy, DBA, whatever. Put a skills summary bullet list at the top of your CV saying what you are and what you can do.
Find all the relevant jobs on jobserve, cwjobs etc and send a tailored CV closely matching the job spec and a note clearly stating your strong interest in the role and availability. This needs to be within 24hours of the job appearing (and preferably 2 hours). After this the agent has his list to send and you won't get on it. Follow up with a phone call to the agent (I don't do this but lots say it works in getting you noticed) you might struggle to get through, but leave your name and say you have sent your CV (they answer each others phones to avoid people).
IF - the agent thinks you are a good match and better than the other 200 CV's they have in (or they think they can make more money off you)- you might get a call back from the agent. You need to sound smart, business-like and very keen, it will sound like a chat but the agent wants to know if you are going to make him look a fool at interview.
They will ALWAYS call you before sending your CV (or they are complete wasters). They might say they are sending it and then not (they keep a reserve list and don't want you to go through another agency).
IF you get an interview they will call you within 10 seconds of putting the phone down from the client.
Then you are in the game, got to pass the interview, beat the rest and get a pure shot of adrenaline when the agent phones and says they want you. Closely followed by an ice water shower when they try to drop the agreed rate - client says not an exact match, taking a chance blah blah. Say no thanks at this stage I bet you a tenner the original rate gets offered.
HTH

**malvolio** · 10 April 2007, 10:01

And finally - be aware that (a) contracting is not necessarily better paid than a full-time senior or technically difficult role, especialy in London (b) you should budget on working 7 months a year only, all else is bonus and (c) you will NOT have a choice over where you work or even what you work on 99% of the time.
You will also have to budget for Healthcare, SSP and pensions, which will take a bigger chunk than you might think, and you will never be paid for holidays and/or sickness.

It is a big step, make sure you understand ALL the implications

**Davey78** · 10 April 2007, 19:49

I've looked on Jobserve periodically to get an idea of the market for my skills. I'm primarily looking at specialising in Java development (although that in itself is hardly a specialisation) and I obviously have particular experience with IBM technologies such as WebSphere, etc. This is the route I intend to go down. There seems to be several contracting jobs posted each day that I'm confident I can do, although I obviously don't know how fierce the competition will be.

While I only have about 2 years professional experience of Java (although I've been coding in various languages for over 10 years) I'm happy to accept lower rates while I build up more experience and reputation. One thing I feel I have going for me, in terms of experience, is that I've spent the last 2.5 years working directly on complex client projects, on client sites, in high pressure situations, rather than in a more laid-back, fixed location, internal permie job. Quite how much more useful this would be, versus permie-only internal experience, you guys would have a better idea of.

As for how fierce I find the competition and how easy or difficult I find it to get contracts, I'll only really find this out once I start looking. That said, if anyone here has some basic insight, I'd be interested to hear it.

One question that I have in my mind that I'd appreciate an answer to is how I should structure my CV. Would it be better to declare the last 2.5 years as IBM employment and then list the client projects I've worked on, or would it be better to not mention IBM and to just list the client projects as if they were direct contract work?

Many thanks for all the advice.

**malvolio** · 10 April 2007, 19:57

Remeber your CV is not a way to improve your career any more, it is more akin to a sales brochure. When I hire a contractor, I look for relevant expereince, not qualifications and not "have a knowldge of", since I am looking to take on someone to deliver a given piece of work, nothing else. So your CV should cover that approach.

So, start with a name and contact details (email, web, phone(s), whatever) an general location. Then Key skills - what can you do, not what do you know. Then key acheivements - what have you actually done. Then career history in reverse order (latest first) in no more detail than to support the first two. Keep it pointed and within three pages.

Usual rules apply - clean layout and no grammar and spelling mistakes.

Drop me a PM and I'll send you a link to one of my old ones.

Advice for a newbie please