HOW TO MARKET YOURSELF AS A IT CONTRACTOR
So, you want to join the magical world of becoming a freelance worker or an independent contractor? You get to make your own hours, negotiate your pay and spend time doing projects that you enjoy, while avoiding ones you don’t. Great! But do you know how to market yourself as a IT contractor? Where do you start? Simply posting your resume on platforms and hoping for the best is a tempting route to go, but DON’T. Sure, you might get a few jobs here and there but if you want to keep those offers rolling in you should understand how to market yourself for this dog eat dog IT world, we work in.
Step one:
Start by asking yourself these questions:
- What skills do you have?
- Why are they valuable to the business?
- Why should you be chosen for this project?
Making it easy for clients to see your skills, capabilities and values is your number one goal. When a client or a recruiter calls, you should have a quick few sentences prepared that answer these questions. Make it short and to the point. Having a clear understanding of who you are and what your goals will make the decision to choose you a no brainer. It will also make crafting your resume to help you reach these goals.
Once you have this in place you need to start on your resume. DON’T use an old one. Give yourself a fresh start, you’ve grown since the last time you created one and your contractor resume should be different than your average resume.
Your new resume focused on marketing yourself as an IT contractor should highlight accomplishments that translate into your contract work. Avoid long paragraphs and opt for shorter bullet points.
Step two:
When you’re happy with your new and improved resume its time to start finding work, right?
Wrong. Your next step is asking yourself these questions:
- How long do you want to be a contractor?
- Where do you want to work?
- How much do you want to work?
- How much do you want to make?
- Do you want to work remotely or onsite?
Once you have these questions answered its time to do some research. In order to market yourself as an IT contractor, you need to know the market as an IT contractor.
Step three:
Once you’ve done this research you can finally start looking for opportunities and start making that money!
When you start working various projects, be sure to go above and beyond. Sure, it might take a little extra time, but chances are you’ll get paid for this time. If you impress your recruiter or your client you’ll have a higher chance of being requested back for additional projects down the road. Think of it as job security.
Our last piece of advice is to spend 20 minutes at the end of each week to keep your resume up to date, especially if you’ve completed a successful assignment.
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