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Accept a Brave New IT World The world – and therefore the IT contractor world – might be quite different when the economy starts to recover, says respected IT market analyst Richard Holway. However, today’s recession-induced ‘more for less’ demands of client companies will be heard for a long time to come. Cue the continued growth of offshore outsourcing, he says, and an insistence from many companies to start 2010 running ‘lean and mean’ IT resources. In fact, taking a long, hard, look at what they do and how they do it – and always deducing that more can be done with less, tops the agenda when financial organisations scrutinise their IT workforce today, says Powerchex. Now, then, is certainly not the right time for so-called ‘star’ and ‘prima dona’ IT contractors, says Alexandra Kelly, founder of the firm, which vets IT contractors for roles with financial institutions. For both end-client and contractor in the IT sector, it's very easy to reign back on expenditure for training at any time of tough market conditions, admits Rajeena Brar of IT market analyst PAC. But for self-employed contractors, she says, the key is to avoid cutting cash for training if they want to keep pace with technological developments. Upskill where it’s hot This 'Brave New IT Contractor World' is much more likely to demand freelance specialists in cloud or mobile implementations over IT contractors offering old 'packaged' skills, says Holway. Related areas of web-based technologies, SOA and SaaS will be all hot in 2010, Brar adds, particularly as some consultancies are already facing shortages, most visibly in platform-as-a-service. And in the financial sector, IT contractors who can solve the problems arising from specific regulatory initiatives, such as the reporting requirements under data items FSA 047 and FSA 048, will command a premium, tipped JWG-IT, the financial services think-tank. Seek out the nimble and further afield Most of the successful IT companies, and arguably those which top a contractor’s wish-list of clients, have been borne in the midst of IT recessions - HP, Oracle, Microsoft and Google to name a few, reminds Holway’s research firm TechMarketView. This is typically because incumbent and established companies with the most baggage find it hardest to adapt in a new environment, as fire fighting in their existing businesses pre-occupies them, while draining their cash and resources. Also when selecting clients, direct or through an agency, IT contractors should be open to a wider field of opportunities, and not restrict themselves to a particular industry or market, recommends Alan Rommel, managing director of Parity, the public sector IT recruitment specialist. Big clients aren’t always better Larger IT contractor client companies with formal PSLs revised their pay rates and margins downwards during the past few months, says IT recruiter SQ Computer Personnel. So even though the economic downturn is apparently coming to an end, it will be a long while yet before pay rates realign themselves at such outfits, says the firm’s managing director Bernie Potton. He says contractors on the books of these organisations should therefore expect their lower rates to remain in place for some time before the client feels forced to scale them up. Project manage your job application How to stand out as an IT contractor in a crowded marketplace is achievable today through a new approach to job hunting, according to Parity. The IT recruitment and services group believes that IT contractors should draw on the basic principles of project management if they want their applications to be successful. Under the plan, contractors focus on three dimensions of project success: time, budget and quality. With these elements at the forefront of their mind, Mr Rommel said contractors might then ask themselves three questions. First, how can I reconcile getting the best job while maintaining a healthy work-life balance? Second, and in terms of take-home pay, how much do I want in contrast with what I need? And third, do these answers tally with my obtainable goals in terms of skills, sectors and personal development? Once the project - your job application - is underway, Parity advised IT contractors to apply the following principles of project management: i)PLAN - Prepare well for interviews, such as conducting research on the internet about the client. Also, ask your agent to provide background information on the culture and personalities at the client site. ii)NETWORK - Use the support and knowledge of the people around you - not just the agency but peers, colleagues and friends. It’s is often a case of who you know and all channels need to be explored. iii)FOCUS - Work with gradually evolving deliverables. This means being realistic about the next role; it must be a close fit. Don’t waste time applying for all sorts of jobs, as you will lose focus and credibility. iv)MARKETING - Sell, and re-sell, projects. You may need to periodically remind people about the business need that you can meet, and say that their contributions are essential to help meet this need, be they agents, colleagues or client staff. v)LEARN - Review and replicate. Where things don’t go to plan at interview, seek feedback so you can improve next time. Where you experience good results, take note of what you did, so you can reproduce it again. CVs aren’t yesteryear; and shouldn’t appear so Like all projects, however, a single loose fundamental, in this case your CV, could send it off the rails. Contractors should therefore refresh their CV and ensure it clearly shows what they did in the ‘fallow’ months, says the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo). Director of APSCo Marilyn Davidson says prospective clients are looking at what IT contactors can bring in terms of results, meaning the focus on 'what's in it for them' must be high up a contractor’s CV. She says having an area on the CV dedicated to suggesting why a client should hire you, rather than another contractor, is too often left out. Similarly, the most successful CVs will be those which ‘speak’ to a client’s challenges, according to Di Giammarino, the chief executive of JWG-IT. He says that this is crucial, as banks and financers are about to experience an unprecedented level of change in the back-office over the next 18-36 months, thanks to new regulations. As a result, financial institutions will be most interested in those IT contractor CVs which highlight an ability to “work through problems requiring multi-disciplinary skill-sets.” The think-tank believes that precisely-worded CVs, which use the right language to describe how its owner can meet a client’s requirements under a specific regulatory initiative, will fare the best. In effect, the most successful IT contractors will spell how they can take the client’s pain away. Dust off documents, polish up on papers On the practical side of increasing your ‘hireability’ factor, make it easy for a client to bring you on board by having your paperwork in order, with full documentation easily accessible, says Kelly. More and more companies conduct equivalent background checks on their contractors as they do on permanent employees, so it’s no longer just your CV that should be to hand. The latest industry documents, such as IT whitepapers, should also feature in the contractor’s library, Di Giammarino says, and not just for appearance’s sake. Contractors should read these, and even attend supporting events, so they can ‘hit the ground running’ when hired, rather than turn up needing an introduction to terms or practices which they might encounter. Be clear on Security Clearance Some contractors have access to the most sensitive and valuable data that a company holds. If that’s you, don’t fight the organisation over the checks and, above all, do not lie, says Kelly. Most companies do not care about the A-levels of a capable IT contractor. However, if they discover that the applicant has lied about their qualifications, then they will terminate the contract. ‘Integrity’ will be the buzz word for years to come and there will be “no latitude for fibbers.” She recommends that such contractors should also stay in touch with the colleagues they worked with on different projects in the past, as they can act as referees during the screening process. Optimise your attitude Contractors cannot afford to be shy in marketing themselves and promoting their attributes above their rivals, says Rommel, partly due to today’s high availability level of IT candidates. He says “modesty and humility will need to be left at the door” if contractors want to be part of the upturn, not just observers of it. However, as the value they add to a project will invariably be scrutinised, IT contractors already on-contract need to be humble, polite and hard-working, says Kelly. The reasons, she says, are that IT contractors are not the scarce resources they once were, and that the ‘silly money’ thrown around in 2007 to buy their skills is no longer being paid. Ready your Plan B As some major IT companies have shown, a downturn can be a wondrous time of opportunity to set up something new, says TechMarketView. Entrepreneurial IT contractors, looking way beyond their next contract, might therefore ask themselves: i)What are the new opportunities and how do I exploit them? ii)Why not set up a new operation, as a result, and develop my own intellectual property? Or iii) Why shouldn’t I develop as a third-party in the name of someone else’s IP? And contrary to popular belief, Holway says an IT supplier’s current clientele might act as a backer for that IT suppliers’ new venture, or so-called ‘Plan B.’ Getting those already in receipt of his services to pay in advance toward something new effectively let the analyst set up four companies in the last four decades. So not only is upfront support, financial or otherwise, not impossible, but the current climate, where many are licking their wounds, also means “there will probably never be a better time” to develop your “dream” idea into a commercial reality. CUK will explore IT contractors’ Plan Bs in a forthcoming feature. Nov 18, 2009 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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