Doing Contract Work

Given that the WTA has attracted a few new members recently and following on from comments at the last meeting, we thought it was worth talking about the requirements of contract work.
The following are just a few things that I have learnt over the years .

Area Covered
Everyone works by postcode, so make sure you supply all the postcodes you cover NOT Geographical area.

Point of Contact
A current email address is a must; nearly all companies now email their calls out.
A telephone number, doesn’t matter if it’s a mobile so long as someone answers it or responds to voicemails
Your address details and a fax number if you have one

Invoicing & Information feedback
This sounds obvious, but invoice regularly, at least weekly that way the company you do work for get info on their products,which scores you brownie points

Appearance
Look the part, Work trousers and a polo shirt and boots are not difficult to come by.
Believe it or not the way you look can sometimes be the difference between you getting work or not, some companies phone the customers after you and ask questions such as appearance of engineer among others
The world of contract work can involve a myriad of things behind the scenes that we don’t see; sometimes things we are we are not even aware of …

Rates
Make sure that the rate works for you, know what your costs are, just because you are busy doesn’t mean you are earning money.

Whenever the WTA is approached with regards to using its members we always re iterate that we are just facilitating access and that members will make a business decision based upon the proposition that is placed before them.

Feel free to add or comment