How do people here get contracting gigs?

kalimuscle

Hey Everyone,

Just out of curiosity how do people here get contracting gigs? I am interested in starting in the world of short-long term contracting once my upcoming gig has been finished.

I managed to get my upcoming contract by….


Looking at a job website

There was a recruitment agency looking for a resource.

Applied for it.

Had a couple of interviews and boom !

Got hired.

UncleB

I've been doing the contracting gig for over 20 years now - it is nice and simple:

- Find a contract job advertised that looks interesting.
- Apply for it (so long as it is in your area of expertise).
- Interview and impress the hiring manager.
- Start work, show the lifers how it should be done and rake in the cash.
- Move on at the end of contract, when you get bored or when something more interesting comes along.

It does often prevent you from getting permanent roles as the hiring managers are often suspicious that you will move on when something better arises, but don't let that put you off.

As you move up there can be times when you spend sizeable amounts of time between contracts, but use that time to brush up on certs and take a well earned holiday.

Sure you don't get sick pay, holiday pay, pension or training, but you are probably earning twice what the lifers are earning so it doesn't matter.

After a while you can take a longer break (I took 3 years off to travel at one point) and it won't break the bank, and at the end you slip straight back into contracting.

Make sure you have plenty of cash reserves as soon as possible as there is always a chance the unexpected could happen, but with a sharp accountant you can use all sorts of tax provisions to keep your hard earned money.

In this world of insecurity and zero hours contracts, it is the way to go!

kalimuscle

Nice information!

In the town that I am in there aren’t many systems/networking contracting gigs, however there are plenty of BA and PMO roles.

There is a town which is a hour plane ride away from me.

I am thinking of contacting agencies and saying since it’s like a short term assignment like 1 to 3 months – if it would be cool if I could do the work remotely as well as travel there from time to time and for the first week I can stay out of town where that contract is.

How do you guys feel about an approach like this?

UncleB

You are unlikely to get the homeworking jobs until you can prove to your new employer that you are trustworthy enough to be left out of their sight - this typically takes several months from what I have seen, but there may be scope if you can quantify your work product effectively.

Of course if the contract is advertised as home working then it is a different story.

You may need to consider relocating to where the work is - not just for one job, but to find many more employers in your field. I always found it was the contractors who were willing to go where the work is that did best, while those that wouldn't take the chance never got to reap the rewards.

Food for thought - you may have things that tie you to home that can't come with you in which case you may have a difficult time getting the sort of gig you want.

DatabaseHead

Recruiters from LinkedIn.