How to find your next project?

To do this you will need to work on your sales and networking skills and maybe even enlist the professional services of a recruitment company

Here are three key recommendations for developing a continuous pipeline of work to safeguard your contracting future:

1. Become a salesperson

Companies using contractors are ultimately ‘clients’ who are buying services from a relevant ‘provider’ to address their business needs. As the provider in this context, you need to be able to sell your offering to potential clients and convince them they need to buy from you rather than from one of the competitors on the market.

The more specialised your skills are, the more challenging this becomes. For example, if your expertise is in a new technology or if your skillset is only needed in very specific stages of IT projects, finding a company hiring at the right time in the right location can be tricky.

Therefore, you should block out at least a couple of hours a week to do sales related activity. Look through your existing contacts, search LinkedIn and company websites. Get on the phone to recruitment agencies, hiring managers and decision makers to work out when they could potentially need you. Building a relationship with them will keep you front of mind when an opportunity comes up.

You should also keep on top of industry news to look out for any potential opportunities. For example, if you’re a Transition Manager for data centres you should set up Google alerts for company mergers, acquisitions, outsourcing etc.

Ultimately, you want to work towards building a small number of core clients who will give you regular work, then use your sales activity to plug any work gaps.

2. Build your network

To be a successful contractor you will need to build up your network, after all, this is where you will get the majority of your business.

Attending industry events and becoming a member of your local professional association is a good way to keep on top of market developments. More importantly, you will develop contacts with other contractors and people working in the IT industry, including recruiters and hiring managers.

Keep in touch with fellow IT contractors you’ve worked with in the past – they can be a very useful source of leads. Hiring managers will often go to them to ask for recommendations when they are looking for extra people to join a project. This also highlights how important it is to make a positive impact on those around you in every project you take.

As well as building your offline network, you should also work on your online one. LinkedIn is a great platform to connect with people professionally and also market yourself. Make sure you optimise your profile and highlight when you’ll be available for you next project so people know when they could potentially get hold of you.

3. Partner with a recruitment company

From what I’ve described above, you can see that the sales/networking aspect of contracting is probably going to be the toughest part of your job. After all, you’re in your line of work because you’re an IT expert, not because of your cold calling skills.

That’s why many contractors choose to outsource this element to experienced recruitment companies like Hays. As their entire business model is based on matching the right candidate to available roles, they have a huge head start on what one individual can accomplish on their own.

In a large international recruiter like Hays, we have thousands of people around the world committed to selling you, the candidate, to potential companies. The scale and volumes involved in our operation also mean it is much easier for us to find someone hiring for your skillset in your location at any one time, or indeed any location around the world you are willing to work.

At Hays we pride ourselves on offering our contractors secure payment, flexible options and top projects – but of course you should carefully research the options available to you and pick recruiters that are familiar with your experience and work in a way that matches your expectations.

Frequently asked questions IT Contracting:

• What is IT Contracting?
• How do I become an IT Contractor?
• 5 tips for a successfull contract periode