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Q-Tips: Critical Free Agent Career Tips
Advice for Consultants/Freelancers
These career-related tips -- for all job-seekers who are consultants or free agents (or who want to be) -- have been gathered from numerous sources throughout Quintessential Careers and organized here for your convenience.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, "America may
be witnessing another historic transformation of the
workplace. In the pre-industrial world, workers lived
in isolation, usually on farms, and had little contact
with one another. The Industrial Revolution brought people
into central locations -- factories for most workers --
to work in a strict top-down hierarchy. The Information Age
may return workers to their homes, and yet connect them via
modern technology to 'the virtual office.'" The Labor Dept.
isn't calling this phenomenon "telecommuting" anymore;
now it's "telework."
Go to the next tip.
From Guru.com: "When it comes to marketing and promoting your
services as an independent professional, you may wonder how you can
manage it with authenticity and integrity. Many gurus have been
culturally conditioned to see marketing and selling as necessary
evils -- borderline sleazy behavior they just have to accept so they
can succeed. But 'authentic marketing' is not an oxymoron. It starts
with unlearning many of the misconceptions we have about marketing."
Robert Middleton explains how to get new
business without selling yourself out.
Go to the next tip.
A never-ending issue for free agents, consultants, telecommuters, and
those with a home business is time management. Alice Bredin, a
nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and home business and
telecommuting commentator for public radio has devised "The Secrets
to the Good Life in the Home Office," which are synopsized here:
- Learn to say "no" a lot because there will always be more demands on your schedule than you can manage.
- Don't answer the phone. It's more efficient to collect messages and call people back when you've had a chance to prepare an answer.
- Get a lot of sleep. You cannot be effective during the day unless you are rested.
- Don't tolerate inconvenience. If you have a problem, find a solution for it right away.
- Delegate. Find people to do for you what you don't do well yourself.
- Expect a lot from any employees or associates. Keep your standards high, and refuse to work with people who cannot live up to them.
- Be explicit in your instructions and communication. Take the time the first time to make sure instructions, requests and communications are clear, so you don't have to explain things again.
- Be honest. Don't be afraid to tell someone when you have a problem. Don't waste time beating around the bush to spare someone's feelings.
Go to the next tip.
One of the hot new arenas for freelance work centers around providing
online content. The Web sites mediabistro and Content Exchange have
teamed up to provide a job listings service focusing on employment in
the online/new media field. Read more about it.
Go to the next tip.
Interested in freelance writing or providing online content? You
might want to check out the classified ads area of Content Exchange
in which employers seeking freelance or staff writers or other
content professionals advertise opportunities. Writers seeking
assignments can place "Seeking Work" ads to get the attention of
potential employers. Check out the classified section.
Go to the next tip.
If you'd like to do contract, consulting, or freelance work, don't
focus all your efforts on recruiters. Unless they specialize in
placing consultants, they should be a very low priority.
Go to the next tip.
Your best bet for building a client base is your network of personal
and professional contacts. These people know and respect you -- and
they may be potential clients or may be able to refer you to others
in their network who may be potential clients.
Other potential sources of clients include past employers, professional associations, civic and communityassociations, and specialized "free agent" Web sites.
You can find more specific information about finding clients, as well as explanations about the ins and outs of consulting in our article, The Word is Out: Becoming a Free Agent is a Hot Career Path.
Go to the next tip.
To find part-time jobs that you can perform from home, you need a
plan and a strategy. You can find employers willing to hire
professionals part-time, but you might instead consider the route of
freelancer/consultant. You can get freelance jobs through networking
with current and former employers, friends and associates, etc. You
may need to change the focus of your resume and your pitch, but many
companies outsource work.
You can also post your specialty and review work proposals at several freelance sites, such as Guru.com, eLance.com, Ants.com, and more. All of these sites (with descriptions) can be found at Quintessential Careers: Jobs for Consultants & Freelancers.
Go to the next tip.
Interested in freelance or consulting work? You'll likely find that
clients come from networking and word-of-mouth. People will not know
your services are available unless you tell them. Many types of
networking are available to you. Start with friends and colleagues
outside your company. Move on to people in your professional
organization. Then move on to the Internet and network through
discussion groups.
You could also develop your own Website and advertise your services. Check out the networking resources at the networking section of Quintessential Careers and find more specific information about finding clients, as well as explanations about the ins and outs of consulting in our article, The Word is Out: Becoming a Free Agent is a Hot Career Path.
Review all our Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips.
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