Made Redundant thinking of contracting ..... Newbie also

[dugganator]

One thing to remember, clients take you on as you are a seasoned specialist at what you do. Contracting is not for 'good all round guys' or jack of all trades that can be an asset to a company when trained. They want someone to hit the ground running on day one and bring the experience they have to the company. If you do not have the demonstrable experience that is required for the gig in question you will not get it. Period. If you have 10 years as PM you will not get a PMO role for a number of reasons. Main one is client will think you are filling in and will bugger off when you get the right rate. The other one is that PMO skills are different to PM's. Being percieved as a higher level doesn't mean you are an expert at a lower level role. You have your work cut out as a newbie (depending on your skillset) as it is as you are a big risk to the client. Does he get you in who might be a dead weight for awhile and then leave because you don't like it or a seasoned contractor who is going to see it to the end. I don't think looking for lesser role or roles that 'you think you can do' will work.

You are a business now, selling your skills, not an ex permie that can have a go at anything. If your CV and skills don't meet the job spec that you are applying for you are wasting your time.

I just can't help but think your approach to this is just totally wrong and you are just not getting what contracting is about.

Well I have applied for roles I have done well in the past and know inside and out. I'm not applying for roles I dont know what i'm doing. I have worked my way up through the ranks and worked a mix of different roles so its not like I would need hand holding.

Ill be honest I don't have a skillset that i think im 100% in other then my years of support experience which are once again the roles im applying for. I've passed many exams over the years which are selling points I guess but I don't have a streamlined set ie just vmware or citrix. I have supported both but don't have qualification in those fields yet.

Are you thinking more about yourself in contracting and how you run your business which in most cases im sure will be different from mine. As you sound like your coming from the very set skillset contractor? just interested is all im not trying to second guess

[northernladuk]

Well I have applied for roles I have done well in the past and know inside and out. I'm not applying for roles I dont know what i'm doing. I have worked my way up through the ranks and worked a mix of different roles so its not like I would need hand holding.

Ill be honest I don't have a skillset that i think im 100% in other then my years of support experience which are once again the roles im applying for. I've passed many exams over the years which are selling points I guess but I don't have a streamlined set ie just vmware or citrix. I have supported both but don't have qualification in those fields yet.

Are you thinking more about yourself in contracting and how you run your business which in most cases im sure will be different from mine. As you sound like your coming from the very set skillset contractor? just interested is all im not trying to second guess

Nope, am trying to give you the low down on how it is from my experience and from reading the boards in my own obnoxious style. If you don't believe me try reading through all the other newbie threads in here or in the business forums. Read the threads about CV's and you will see the same comments there. The sticky about how to search will give you the best way to search the forums.

You tend to be only as good as your last gig. You have to get your head around how agents work. They don't know the technology and are not head hunters. They are people on comission that work quickly either by keyword searching or by reading quickly through your CV to see if it meets the criteria of the gig. They do not have time/knowledge or inclination to bother finding out if you are the man, they will look at your last few roles and make a decision there and then. They will have 20 CV's minimum in the first hour. They don't need to trawl your CV to see if you are the man. The next guy will have the skills in his last job so they will pick him. The fact you did a bit of this a few years ago is no good. Would you employ a builder to do an extension that might have dabbled in extensions a couple of years ago or a guy that can show you his last build?

I am sure you will be surprised how you can tailor your CV to look more specialised in some areas by dropping the stuff that isn't being asked for in the job ad.

Again, exams don't really mean anything unless you can demonstrate your skills very recently. Don't do any harm but it has to be backed up with application.

You are a business now, selling a skill to a market. Not a permie that is an asset to a company. Apart from some differences in niche skills I don't think my approach will be any different to yours. Clients don't pay upwards of £400 a day for someone that can help a bit or will be good when they get up to speed.

Think of yourself as a business and how you compare to other business selling skills. Would you take on a consultancy based on your thinking of how you will operate? What would you expect from them? Why would a client expect any less from you. Might be a bit anal but if you can get in a business mind set you will be better off in the long run. You will have to remember what is business money and what is your money going forward now so might as well start off properly. If you think any other way you are going to look like a disguised employee... You have read up on IR35 haven't you?

[dugganator]

snip

I'm not doubting your advice. Better to hear from someone in the know then myself.

I just feel confident in the fields that im applying for. I do understand your point about agents on commission who don't have a clue about the job or what any of our qualification mean. One of the people I had call me today saying how they had there best development job and my java skills were exactly what they wanted was funny as my cv doesnt list java on it or that im a developer of any kind lol when I told them this they either hung up on me or the line went dead

I think your best bit of advice is getting that business frame of mind in place. IR35 is something I have read and understood but clearly my way of thinking is as an employee so thanks for pointing that out to me.

[northernladuk]

I'm not doubting your advice. Better to hear from someone in the know then myself.

I just feel confident in the fields that im applying for. I do understand your point about agents on commission who don't have a clue about the job or what any of our qualification mean. One of the people I had call me today saying how they had there best development job and my java skills were exactly what they wanted was funny as my cv doesnt list java on it or that im a developer of any kind lol when I told them this they either hung up on me or the line went dead

I think your best bit of advice is getting that business frame of mind in place. IR35 is something I have read and understood but clearly my way of thinking is as an employee so thanks for pointing that out to me.

Have a read of the 2 references sticky in the business section. It will give you an idea of some of the games agents play. Everything you can possibly think of and everything you haven't thought of has been discussed on here so use the google search method described in the sticky at the top. Stick things in like 'Contract review' to find out what to do when you get offered a contract or 'negotiation' to read the threads about how people negotiated etc.