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Personal bio requested for team presentation

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    Personal bio requested for team presentation

    I've been asked to supply a short biography for a 'team' presentation. Contractors are not required to attend the session itself.

    I'd rather not do this, for obvious reasons, but it seems churlish to just submit an impersonal "Consultant", or "Director, ABC Ltd", particularly when the permanent members of staff and other contractors) have written more meaningful summations of their career history.

    Am I worrying unnecessarily about this?

    #2
    You're worrying too much, also, don't come across cocky by saying you are the director of ABC. Technically correct, but provides no information.
    Is it a personal bio, e.g. "I've a wife, and a dog who loves me, I like playing cricket"
    ...or a professional one? If it's a professional one, my advice would be to say something like "I have been contracting for over xx years, my clients have included yyy and zzz"
    …Maybe we ain’t that young anymore

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      #3
      They are paying a lot of money for you to work on this project.

      Your Bio both needs to be in that presentation and needs to justify your costs especially if the presentation is to people who could cut the purse strings...

      In my case it would read something like:-

      Contractor for 20 years, specilaising in XYZ for the past 5 years. Recent clients include 5 big known consultancies (all listed) and XYZ's producer.
      Last edited by eek; 7 October 2016, 10:57.
      merely at clientco for the entertainment

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        #4
        What are the "Obvious reasons"? No wonder so many permies hate us.

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          #5
          I usually give a top level view of my CV. I never say I was a contractor. Just my skillset summary, technical and business.

          I like to add something interesting e.g. I have completed a triple iron man. Just as a throw away at the end.

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            #6
            Overthinking it, clearly. Thanks all.

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              #7
              Originally posted by Adlopa View Post
              Overthinking it, clearly. Thanks all.
              I'm not sure you are. Are other external professionals required to provide this kind of thing? Does the photocopier repair man have to provide a "bio" when he comes on site? If not, then I don't you should be required to either. You're an independent professional service provider, contracted to provide a service and deliver against an agreed schedule of work. Nothing else should come into it. Your "bio" (i.e. your CV) should only be required when you're being interviewed for the gig.

              Also:

              Originally posted by Adlopa View Post
              I've been asked to supply a short biography for a 'team' presentation. Contractors are not required to attend the session itself.
              Smells of being "part and parcel" to me. You should most definitely NOT be a member of the "team". Work closely with the team, sure, but definitely not a member of it.
              Last edited by billybiro; 7 October 2016, 12:34.

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                #8
                Personal bio requested for team presentation

                Sorry, billy, I disagree. If a team is being assembled to deliver a project, then it's part of the project team. The copier repair man is not part of a project.

                It would be a different kettle of fish if your contract says your job is to provide support for anything and you are not actually delivering anything different to the permies.
                …Maybe we ain’t that young anymore

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by billybiro View Post
                  Smells of being "part and parcel" to me. You should most definitely NOT be a member of the "team". Work closely with the team, sure, but definitely not a member of it.
                  This is a load of tulip and behaviour of people like you is only giving the rest of us bad rep.

                  Plenty ClientCos have teams and entire divisions of contractors working on a specific project. Being part of the team or not has nothing to do with IR35

                  @OP Letting the team know you better is not an IR35 indicator, It's up to you to decide what portion of your Bio you want to share with them.

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by billybiro View Post
                    I'm not sure you are. Are other external professionals required to provide this kind of thing? Does the photocopier repair man have to provide a "bio" when he comes on site? If not, then I don't you should be required to either. You're an independent professional service provider, contracted to provide a service and deliver against an agreed schedule of work. Nothing else should come into it. Your "bio" (i.e. your CV) should only be required when you're being interviewed for the gig.
                    If all of you are doing a project for an external client it is actually common for everyone involved to have a bio.

                    Originally posted by billybiro View Post
                    Also:



                    Smells of being "part and parcel" to me. You should most definitely NOT be a member of the "team". Work closely with the team, sure, but definitely not a member of it.
                    Complete rot.
                    "You’re just a bad memory who doesn’t know when to go away" JR

                    Comment

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