10 great reasons for #freelancing & #contracting

 

Following on from our last post about Freelancing here are some great reasons
you might want to go down this career route:-

 

  • Have you got a low boredom threshold ? – Freelancing allows you to choose
    the length of your contracts based upon your own preferences. 3 months, 6 months, 12 months – whatever suits you so your never anywhere long enough to get bored.
  • Do you thrive on a challenge ? – instead of sitting around doing the same old thing, getting stuck in a rut every contract opportunity presents a fresh challenge, new people to meet, new things to do.
  • Do you like traveling ? – open up your horizons by working in different
    parts of the country……. or even other parts of the world.
  • Fed up of Office politics ? – Freelancing allows you to ignore petty
    politics & get on with your job. You’re there to complete a task to the best of your abilities not to impress the boss into giving you promotion.
  • Would you rather have the cash than holidays or other perks ? – contracting offers higher rates of pay without the frills associated with “permanent” employment.
  • Do you enjoy looking for work ? – a serious question, if you love interviews you will love freelancing !
  • Are you available at the drop of a hat ? – if you are you may be offered a contract on the basis of a telephone interview as long as you are prepared to start immediately.
  • Can you handle uncertainty  ? – some people love not knowing what they will be doing in 6 months time – if you can embrace this you will get a buzz out of freelancing.
  • Are you sociable & outgoing ?  if you don’t enjoy meeting people &
    integrating you had better stick to that day job.
  • Are you flexible & adaptable ? – If you can join a new organization & hit the ground running, adding real value & making a big difference – contracting might just be the career for you.

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#Freelancers earn loads of wonga………..#HFD2012

It’s Freelancer day today so lets debunk some of our favorite myths about freelancing:-

Freelancers earn loads of wonga –  Freelancer pay is very much dependent upon industry, location, length of contract etc. In Engineering a typical freelancer may earn 25% more than a “permie” but that’s like comparing apples & pears as the freelancer gets no paid holiday’s, sick pay, pension, bonus etc etc so a direct comparison needs to take into account the monetary value of these “permie” benefits.

Freelancers pay less tax – There is some truth in this. By owning a Limited Company a Freelancer may structure his pay to take home more income (perfectly legal) but the biggest benefit is being able to deduct legitimate business expenses like car mileage from taxable income. It should be stressed that legitimate Freelancers pay their full contribution according to UK tax law.
Freelancing is insecure – This is largely down to career management. In a lot of respects it can be more secure because the contractor has more active control. Rather than being at the whim of an employer the Contractor tends to be secure for the length of his contract & needs to be active in seeking another towards the end. If her Network is  well developed this is perfectly manageable.
Freelancers can’t get a proper job – some people move easily between Contracting & “Permanent” roles. The majority, however, prefer freelancing. Most Freelancer’s wouldn’t take a permie job given the choice.
Freelancers are ruthless opportunists – no more so than the companies who employ them on short notice contracts. Freelancers are certainly not naive & are perfectly capable of exploiting an opportunity should it arise.
 Freelancers are essential – Of course I would argue this but who else is going to step in & cover for 12 months maternity leave or provide invaluable support through a period of rapid growth. If it wasn’t for Freelancers the corporate world would be like a Swiss cheese.
Freelancers are competent Professionals – undoubtedly true. To survive without the fluffy blanket of corporate support, to learn on the job, hit the ground running, contribute immediately & be effective are all signs of competent professionalism. If you want an easy life don’t go into freelancing.
So why would anyone want to go into Freelancing ———that’s for the next post.
Happy Freelance Day!

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

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Building great teams……..#business #leadership

Team building is not all about weekends away in the Lake District building rafts & swinging through the trees. Effective Managers employ simple everyday methods to build team performance. Here are 10 tips for great team building:-

  1. Do as I do not as I say. – If you ask team members to carry out tasks you either cannot or wouldn’t do yourself you will quickly lose respect.
  2. Eliminate the blame culture – Organizations which have an overwhelming blame culture are unproductive & waste energy. Avoid blaming others, especially in public, and seek to improve your own performance & those of your team.
  3. Open & Honest Feedback – is to be encouraged. If you want to question a team members performance it must be done in private & in an open, honest manner. Be prepared to hear things you don’t want to hear but don’t be afraid to point out weaknesses you feel need to be rectified.
  4. Don’t delegate irresponsibly –  by overloading your team or passing off un-savoury tasks you don’t fancy doing yourself. This will only create resentment & lower morale.
  5. Get your hands dirty – now & then, the team will really appreciate it – and so will you.
  6. “Big Up” your team – to Senior Management instead of taking the credit yourself.
  7. Have an “open door” policy – to listen to people’s personal problems, it will be much appreciated.
  8. Show Leadership – by taking responsibility for failure as well as success.
  9. Treat others as you would have them treat you – it’s obvious but the best advice normally is.
  10. Celebrate Success – buy the drinks, cakes – whatever but celebrate that win !

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