Get Contract Work
Here are 10 steps to help you to Get Contract Work.
1. Create Your CV
When you try to get contract work, your CV is your sales brochure. Firstly it must catch the eye of the agent, therefore it must have all the buzzwords on it. It should have a front page that summarises your career and has all your skills and experience on it. It must be readable and clear too.
2. Send out your CV
Many agencies use the job boards only, and no longer keep databases of names. However, many still do. You should send your CV out to as many agencies as possible when getting contracts.
Don’t send them all at one time though, as agencies only take an interest in you for about two weeks after you send in your CV. Send out some more CVs every week to keep you in some agencies’ minds.
3. Go through Your Database of Contacts
You should set up a database of contacts, with the details of ex-clients or employers, agents who have been useful in the past, people who have interviewed you in the past, and old colleagues. You could also scan LinkedIn to find those you’ve lost touch with. These are the people most likely to give you work or point you to where it is.
4. Monitor the job boards
Keep an eye out for any job that comes up that matches your skills when getting contracts. Send your CV as soon as you see the opportunity come up. Follow that up with a call to the agency, as soon as possible.
5. Customise Your CV
Once an agency contacts you about a work opportunity, you should tell the agent that you need to customise your CV for the client, before you let the agent send it in. You need to give yourself the maximum opportunity.
The client may well be seeing dozens of CVs and you need to make sure that yours catches his or her eye, with the skills and experience that this particular client needs to the forefront.
6. Prepare for the Interview
You do not want to lose a job because you haven’t prepared for it properly. Some contractors and employees just turn up for the interview – and that is a mistake. The most important thing to review beforehand are the skills needed for the job when getting contracts.
Jog your memory by reading up about the skills that you will need. Write down, or at least go through in your own mind, what you did at previous companies. You need to have it off pat.
Struggling to remember what you did on previous jobs does not look good. It would be even better if you could get a fellow contractor or employee to give you a mock interview, especially if you haven’t been to one for a while, so that you can get the cobwebs out of your system
7. Be Presentable and On Time
It is the first rule of those who work in sales that they should never keep the client waiting. Be there on time. If you are late, then phone the client before the appointed time and tell him that you are running late. Dress well, but not too gaudily.
8. Make a Good First Impression
They say that interviewers decide in the first two minutes whether they like someone and want to take them on, and that the rest of the interview is just confirming it. I’ve even heard some sources say that it is just 30 seconds.
You must, therefore make a good first impression when getting contracts. Shake hands and smile. Don’t grasp the interviewers hand either too tightly or too limply. Be prepared for the question whilst you are guided to the interview room “Did you have any trouble getting here”.
You should try to be friendly and relaxed. Don’t be over chatty and don’t have awkward silences on the way up in the lift
9. Lead the Agenda
At the Interview try to be in charge of the agenda. This is the opportunity for you, when getting contracts, to showcase your skills, ‘know how’ and experience.
Ask questions on areas that you know very well, so that you can show your expertise. You need to do this before they get on to the technical part of the interview
10. Get Database Information
At the end of the interview, thank the interviewer and ask him if he minds you contacting him again in the future, when getting contracts, if you are not suitable for the current opportunity.
Ask him if there are any other managers at the company who might be looking for someone in the future. You’ll need this information for your database
After this, all you can do is wait. If you do all of this you should get contract work.
Good Luck!
IT contracting has become more competitve than ever its getting harder to land a decent contract take perm if you can get it there is no end in sight as rates are also dropping steadily.
If you do get any interviews no pressure but you really need to nail the interview & be very confident!