Expand your resume by contracting
Expand your resume by contracting
When most people think of going into freelance work, they think of getting clients through their own sales and marketing. That is all well and good, but is there another way? Yes, there is. There is a much overlooked potential source of work: other peoples’ clients. What do I mean by that? Client theft? No, […]
When most people think of going into freelance work, they think of getting clients through their own sales and marketing. That is all well and good, but is there another way?
Yes, there is.
There is a much overlooked potential source of work: other peoples’ clients. What do I mean by that? Client theft? No, no, no. That’s just not cricket!
I mean: contract work.
These days there are lots of web design companies, web development firms, and advertising agencies with their own specialized web departments. They all have the need for skilled web professionals. Some might have employed all the workers they need but, in my experience, most are happy to hear from freelance web specialists.
Why would they want to hear from you? What’s in it for them?
Having a number of reliable external contractors who can be called upon as and when they are need is a huge advantage to firms, as it gives them extra capacity and the possibility of taking on work that normally, might be beyond their skill set. There are other benefits too — they don’t have to pay worker benefits to contractors, nor are they obliged to keep them on once the work is complete. In effect, a contractor is an “off the shelf” employee – only brought in when needed.
What is the down side for them?
- Contractors are usually more expensive on an hourly basis than a regular employee.
- Contractors add an extra element of risk to a project. Will they complete on time and will their work be of a high enough standard? This risk is usually negated to some degree by the contract they sign.
So what’s in it for you?
- work, money and the chance to work on projects and with companies you wouldn’t normally get a sniff at
- an improved resume and less administration work
- increased exposure and the chance to demonstrate your skills to potential future clients
What are the downsides?
- You will generally be paid at a lower rate than your ideal hourly rate.
- You may have to wait longer to get paid (depending on company and the contractual agreement).
- You may well have very tight deadlines that will require you to work long days and weekends.
- The client is not your client.
- The firms will demand and expect a higher standard of work from you and probably, a quicker turnaround than a regular employee.
- As an “off the shelf” employee, you also get a new boss at each firm you work for — something you may have started freelancing to avoid.
So, to contract work or not to contract work, that is the question. Ultimately, it is a personal decision. I strongly recommend you consider contracting not only for the experience and potential clients that it could lead to, but also, it doesn’t hurt having some big-name clients on your resume.
In my next post I’ll give you my top tips on how to approach these firms.
Oh, in case you are wondering — I have 7 years of experience working as a freelance and contract web developer, and I’ll have plenty more to say about working in the web industry on this blog. TTFN
This article provided by sitepoint.com.
Over the air software customization for Linux mobile
A specialist mobile software management company, Red Bend Software, has today announced what it claims to be the first Linux based mobile phone complete with fully over the air customizable software. The breakthrough has been made possible by partnerships with companies such as Digital Airways, Opera, Synchronica, Trolltech and Zi, and has been used to showcase the deployment and updating of applications using the Red Bend vRapid Mobile technology concept. The handset itself is not actually available to purchase though, but remains firmly in the realms of concept fantasy. Red bend refer to…
99designs Logo Contest Winner Announced!
The most popular design contest ever held on SitePoint — to design the logo for the next evolution of SitePoint’s Design Contests, 99designs — has come to a close, and a winner has been announced! In what was by far the largest contest to date in terms of both entrants and designs submitted, Bonic’s simple design […]
The most popular design contest ever held on SitePoint — to design the logo for the next evolution of SitePoint’s Design Contests, 99designs — has come to a close, and a winner has been announced!
In what was by far the largest contest to date in terms of both entrants and designs submitted, Bonic’s simple design incorporating a sketched folder (indicating thumbnail sketches that are part of the design process) has been declared the winning logo that will be used to shape the identity of 99designs.
Here are some statistics about the contest:
- First prize: $1,000
- Second prize: $200
- Number of designers: 311
- Number of submissions: 1472
- Contest length (days): 4
- Number of star ratings left: 280
- Number of contest comments: 191
- Number of feedback comments: 1304
I’ve written before about what makes a good design contest, and there are a couple of lessons that contest holders can take away from this contest to ensure that future contests are successful. For example, in addition to offering a reasonable prize and being prompt and diligent when leaving feedback, a winner for this contest was selected even though the design still needs some tweaking.
Another decision that made this contest successful was to award a second prize winner (congratulations designabot!). This isn’t necessarily something that every contest holder is in a position to be able to do, but it’s a great way to reward a designer who may not have won, but who came very close and whose work you still admired.
Stay up to date with the evolution of 99designs via the SitePoint Development Blog.
This article provided by sitepoint.com.