Getting IT Contracts
The best way of getting IT contracts – an agent lets us all know.
Big Backlog of Contractors
According to one agent that I spoke to, the market isn’t too bad. However, there are still a lot of people out of work. He says, “Although there are quite a few vacancies, there is a still a backlog with the number of people looking – really good people at that – but with no history at the sites that happen to be looking at the moment. Therefore, it makes them hard to employ”.
And therein lies the key!
My agent friend goes on to say, “There is work coming through our clients, however, and placements are being made. However, it is often just contractors returning to the sites at which they worked before. So from my point of view it isn’t very exciting. There’s no thrill of the chase if you like. It’s just placing bodies”.
Whilst my agent friend may miss the thrill of the chase, like in the old days, he is not doing too badly in getting contracts.
Advice in Getting IT Contracts
In terms of the advice that he is giving in getting contracts, contractors should take heed. The most likely people to hire them are people that hired them before.
Contractors should write down a list of the places where they previously worked. Write down the names of their old bosses, and some of their co-workers that they got on well with.Aalso, arguably, the agencies that placed them there originally.
They presumably still have the phone numbers of the places that they worked.
Brave Ones in Getting IT Contracts
If they are brave enough they can phone their old boss to see if he has got any fresh work. If they are not brave enough to ask him directly, as many contractors aren’t, then they could simply phone up and ask him if he knew of any Project Managers, or any department, at the company that were currently looking for contractors.
This is an old sales trick, where you don’t embarass the person, or yourself, by asking a direct question when getting contracts.
Hopefully the answer will be “You’ve called at the right time. We need some work done and it is in an area of the project that you used to work”.
Next best might be a phone number of some other Project Manager who might be looking. Even if there is nothing, leave your contact details. And ask if it would be alright to call back in three months or so.
If you are afraid to call, you could always email.
Getting IT Contracts – Let Your Agent Do It
If you don’t want to get in touch directly, you could make a list of the agents that you went through at particular sites. Call them up to ask them to get back in contact, to see if the employer that you worked for before wanted you back again. Ask if they have some work to do.
Or, you could just get in touch with one friendly (and cheap) agent and ask him or her to call them all up for you.
That way, if no one wants you, only one agent knows about it.
You must make that agency promise to tell you if the company turns him or her down for the reason that they only deals with particular agencies.
Getting Contracts – Worth a Bash
It’s always worth a try. Those are the sites where you may have competitive advantage on other possible candidates. You at least know the systems and the tools used at the site. So, you would have no learning curve.
If you are lucky, it may be that they are looking for someone to change the part of the system that you designed or built.
If you are very lucky, they may not even have contacted the agencies yet about the requirement.
According to the agent I spoke to, there are quite a few vacancies at the moment, but a lot of people available to fill them.
Give yourself a chance of being the one, by at least trying the places where you have an advantage on the rest of the competition in getting IT contracts.
