How do you create added value?

[Muttley08]

Contacts in the industry also help...knowing people who work at a major vendor (Oracle etc.)

You can try to at least give the illusion you're up to speed with latest stuff, know what the market's doing - even if you've long since grown tired of reading industry magazines etc....

[VectraMan]

Being flexible.

There's always the odd sitation where something that wasn't planned for is suddenly needed tomorrow. You could stick to procedure and say it has to be authorised, blah blah, but I'd just do it. That gets you noticed by senior people as somebody who can be counted on, and generally pisses off your PM (which is always fun).

[lukemg]

I am ultra-low maintenance, I rarely have time off, get on with everyone even if I hate them and take my lead from the senior managers to determine the pattern of behaviour required.
I stand up even when the bullets are flying, nothing is too much trouble, I say I will sort things, then work out how to and make sure I do.
I learn very quickly, don't claim knowledge I haven't got, only ask a question once and adapt to anything I come across. I can also spell and articulate information to any required audience. These few things stand me apart from 90% of the jaded salary monkeys that infect all large companies, after a while they forget how much I cost and start working out how to keep me on.

[sasguru]

I'm surprised there are so few (serious ) answers in this thread. I'm willing to bet those who have thought about this question are the more successful, long-term contractors.
It's the most important question that a contractor can ask IMHO.

[milanbenes]

agree with Luke

Milan.

[milanbenes]

Luke,

what you have written is gold, you should delete it

don't want to give away all the secrets

Milan.

[sasguru]

Luke,

what you have written is gold, you should delete it

don't want to give away all the secrets

Milan.

No secrets there.
Most people know what they have to do but can't do it.

[milanbenes]

you @*?":!!* Welsh **%&"#¤%)(/&%¤#""¤¤%&/¤%%&"&&#&¤%#/#%/(¤%/(¤%//¤%&/¤%&/¤%/&¤%/(/&()/&()&/)


grrr

Milan.

[milanbenes]

you mean you cyphered my hashing routine and concluded what was cyphered was racist comments ?

suggest you check your algorithm again

Milan.

[Troll]

In our industry, there are many threats (and opportunities): changing technologies provide new oppos, increased and cheaper competition from abroad seem to be the main threats. There seems to me a few ways of distinguishing yourself and adding value. How do you do it?

Some ways I can think of

- Knowing difficult and arcane technology (high barriers to entry)
- Knowing the vertical markets you work in (business knowledge)
- Knowing the local/national environment (cultural knowledge)
- Knowing how to schmooze and charm (political knowledge)

Any others? What do you do?

1:technology can be taught even arcane.. we all have made a living from a can do mentality - no reason why low cost imports should be different
2:OK but that isn't really a high barrier to entry
3:Most corps have a global culture very little between US &UK ...can't speak for European
4:No barrier at all

Ultimately it comes down to cost, you based in & operating under a UK tax regime cannot hope to compete with low cost onshore imports and maintain your current standard of living


The problem isn't competing with others within a similar trading block... it's competing with third/second world cost base within the UK.. can't do it