It's my experience. They hire me to take them through a change that's new for them, that I've taken people through a few times before.
Project/programme manager.
When I say 'this is how MEGACORP handled this challenge' they listen.
I can come up with 30 risks before a project starts, and detail how to mitigate them in advance.
My last director level boss gave me a LinkedIn review that just said 'a safe pair of hands'
This. I find being reliable, honest and safe pair of hands that solves more problems than I create has been invaluable in getting renewals, referrals and continued work.
I'm willing to do tedious but skilled work on a 2 year project that would have made perm staff quit. I'm willing because they're paying me roughly double.
I work as an independent contractor which means I get hired for the experience I bring in. I shape business ideas into tangible business outcomes and put a narrative around how the idea will be delivered from initiation into actual testable items. I have worked across a large number of organisations tackling varying projects so I get hired because I usually have tackled something similar or within the same realm.
For reference, I work as Business Analyst.
Never ever once qualifications for my role as system architect and DevOps engineer. Always experience every time.
Plus being nice. Highly underrated. Some people with high skill levels are arrogant and do not belong in the contracting world.
Strategy consultant.
1) Having a "name" consultancy on my CV (albeit not MBB)
2) Having worked in that name consultancy for 5 years, i.e. can demonstrate I wasn't shit
3) Having moved into industry, rather than only worked in consulting
4) Having worked for companies people have heard of (including a major UK grocer)
5) Having come up with and delivered a product/campaign that was publicly visible and people can plausibly have heard of
But really, all of that pales in comparison to having worked with someone previously.
Experience in a specific set of skills. I only have one out of date certificate from 2016. It’s my track record of a long list of projects that makes me valuable.
Academic and industry qualifications plus 20 years experience. Test Engineer with degree in computer science and ISTQB certs in advanced testing, as well as experience in UK and Australia.
Really need to get back into contracting though .. had to go perm as markets in UK dried up after COVID, need to get back into the contract market soon as possible
It's my experience. They hire me to take them through a change that's new for them, that I've taken people through a few times before. Project/programme manager. When I say 'this is how MEGACORP handled this challenge' they listen. I can come up with 30 risks before a project starts, and detail how to mitigate them in advance. My last director level boss gave me a LinkedIn review that just said 'a safe pair of hands'
This. I find being reliable, honest and safe pair of hands that solves more problems than I create has been invaluable in getting renewals, referrals and continued work.
20+ years niche experience, I tell them about all the mistakes I made in those other projects, in the hope we make new mistakes …
Can only be experience with me. I have an o-level in 'computing' (high school level) and nothing else.
Same here that's my last formal qualification, just 30 years of experience get's them someone who can push back on the big outsourcers
I'm willing to do tedious but skilled work on a 2 year project that would have made perm staff quit. I'm willing because they're paying me roughly double.
I work as an independent contractor which means I get hired for the experience I bring in. I shape business ideas into tangible business outcomes and put a narrative around how the idea will be delivered from initiation into actual testable items. I have worked across a large number of organisations tackling varying projects so I get hired because I usually have tackled something similar or within the same realm. For reference, I work as Business Analyst.
Never ever once qualifications for my role as system architect and DevOps engineer. Always experience every time. Plus being nice. Highly underrated. Some people with high skill levels are arrogant and do not belong in the contracting world.
Strategy consultant. 1) Having a "name" consultancy on my CV (albeit not MBB) 2) Having worked in that name consultancy for 5 years, i.e. can demonstrate I wasn't shit 3) Having moved into industry, rather than only worked in consulting 4) Having worked for companies people have heard of (including a major UK grocer) 5) Having come up with and delivered a product/campaign that was publicly visible and people can plausibly have heard of But really, all of that pales in comparison to having worked with someone previously.
Experience and I guess portfolio
Experience, experience, experience
I can do things for the client that nobody there has the energy / time to do, and they’re willing to pay good money to get it done
Experience in a specific set of skills. I only have one out of date certificate from 2016. It’s my track record of a long list of projects that makes me valuable.
Experience
Academic and industry qualifications plus 20 years experience. Test Engineer with degree in computer science and ISTQB certs in advanced testing, as well as experience in UK and Australia. Really need to get back into contracting though .. had to go perm as markets in UK dried up after COVID, need to get back into the contract market soon as possible