Information Technology Consulting Blog

Job Boards Can Be Useful

IT Consultant — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:16:41 +0000

There is value to be had from job boards, just not necessarily in the way you'd expect.

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Job Boards Can Be Useful

Working for Free on a 1099

IT Consultant — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:23:15 +0000

I'm a first time contractor and have been at it for two years now, working for a friend's services company. There are four partners with the other four of us 1099 contractors. Within the last year they have been asking me to work from the office more which is fine, but there are times when there is nothing for me to bill my time towards so I spending 8 hrs at my desk but I'm only able to bill 4 of it to a client which is unsettling. Adding to my frustration is that I have not received a raise either. Should I be expecting one since I'm 1099?

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Working for Free on a 1099

Finding Work

IT Consultant — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:22:12 +0000

The typical advice is to check in with your network to find opportunities.

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Finding Work

Solution Design Feasibility

IT Consultant — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:33:40 +0000

When putting together an approach for addressing a client's needs for your consulting services or when comparing the pros and cons of different solutions, there are several questions that you should consider when it comes to design feasibility. The following are an example of the minimum questions you need to pose to ensure a successful solution design.

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Solution Design Feasibility

Salary Negotiations

IT Consultant — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:23:13 +0000

If you've done any reading on salary negotiations you've probably come across the advice that the first person to mention salary is the one that loses the negotiation. That isn't necessarily the right tactic if you ask me. What's the problem with waiting as long as possible to discuss salary? Well, it means that you'll probably [...]

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Salary Negotiations

Tips for Providing Consulting Services

IT Consultant — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:46:50 +0000

Following the engagement kickoff, you move into perform mode and provide the services you have promised. Naturally, the nature of what you do will vary with each engagement. The following are a few brief suggestions for carrying out successful engagements.

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Tips for Providing Consulting Services

Determining Project Pricing

IT Consultant — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:40:38 +0000

Whether you are billing by the hour or attempting to maximize profitability by going with a fixed-fee proposal, time is money. Several factors could affect how long it will take to complete an engagement. These include: The availability of key resource people. Time spent traveling. The number of people on the project. The more people there are the [...]

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Determining Project Pricing

IT Consultant Humor

IT Consultant — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:29:15 +0000

A hot-air balloonist had drifted off course. He saw a man on the ground and yelled, "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?" "Yes," the guy said. "You're in a balloon."

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IT Consultant Humor

Good Recruiters

IT Consultant — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:16:43 +0000

Not all recruiters are good, here are some things to look for.

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Good Recruiters

Go to Lunch

IT Consultant — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:08:36 +0000

Don't turn down a lunch offer.

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Go to Lunch

Setting Your Consulting Rate

IT Consultant — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:08:36 +0000

Figuring out the rate to charge clients can be tricky. Obviously you want to be paid as much as possible and your clients want to pay as little as possible. In the middle is some rate that you'll both deem as fair. But what's fair? I suggest you start with figuring out the permanent salary someone [...]

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Setting Your Consulting Rate

The Lunch Interview

IT Consultant — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:52:40 +0000

It's rare that an interview will take place at a restaurant over lunch, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. The good news is that such an arrangement is unlikely to be a surprise so you can prepared ahead of time. Here are some tips to making the most of a lunch interview.

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The Lunch Interview

Don't Accept Royalties

IT Consultant — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:24:28 +0000

It is very, very rare for a piece of software to go on to be a huge revenue generator for a company. As such, it's a bad idea to get in to an arrangement where your services will be paid via future profits from the project. The numbers may sound very attractive, but neither you [...]

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Don't Accept Royalties

Consultant Professionalism

IT Consultant — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:23:30 +0000

A CTO blogger made some observations about consulting and how to maintain a respectable level of professionalism. The 5 areas of focus he discussed are described below with my own perspective thrown in to the mix.

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Consultant Professionalism

Consulting Process Model: Phase 2

IT Consultant — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:04:33 +0000

In yesterday's post, I described the first phase of a consulting process model I was familiar with. Again, this model isn't unique and shares many core ideas that you'll find with other models. However, I believe it can be instrumental in one's growth as a consultant to read about what other people have found successful. With that in mind, here's the second and final phase of the consulting process model.

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Consulting Process Model: Phase 2

Don't Work Overtime for Free

IT Consultant — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:38:11 +0000

You're a consultant and you need to be paid like one.

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Don't Work Overtime for Free

How to Give Bad News

IT Consultant — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:53:54 +0000

During the course of consulting project, you will likely have to give bad news to your client. This is never an easy task, but it's one that should be executed with care. These are some suggestion how to be the bearer of bad news.

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How to Give Bad News

What is Consulting?

IT Consultant — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:56:27 +0000

I was recently going through some slides from presentation on consulting and came across three definitions for consulting all of which take a different perspective. Which of these three sound the most accurate to you?

Selling Consulting

IT Consultant — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:32:11 +0000

If you are responsible for selling "consulting", it's important to recognize that you can be a vendor of consulting or you can consultatively sell consulting services. That's quite a mouthful.

Customer Motivations

IT Consultant — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:54:17 +0000

Yesterday, I wrote about customer influencer roles and described the various roles that people involved with your project may play. Today, I'm offering up a discussion about the personal motivations that each of these roles might have. Understanding a persons' underlying motivations can help direct your efforts when constructing a consulting proposal.

W2 Umbrella Companies

IT Consultant — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 10:25:09 +0000

There is an alternative to incorporating if you want to work without a recruiter.

Interviewing Tip #1

IT Consultant — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 08:59:10 +0000

Try to see the copy of the resume that the interviewer has brought to the interview. You'll notice sometimes that it is different than what you sent to the recruiter. Typically, the recruiter has added their company logo to the header. No big deal there. More importantly, take note if your cover letter (if you included [...]

Phone Interviews

IT Consultant — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:12:16 +0000

A phone interview is a good way to quickly screen and be screened.

What Consultants Deliver

IT Consultant — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 07:44:34 +0000

As consultant, you'll want to make sure you deliver something of value in exchange for the fee you charge. This deliverable can be one or more of the following.

Don't Work for Free

IT Consultant — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:59:16 +0000

At some point you're going to be tempted to work for free. That is, a potential client will subtly or not so subtly request a freebie. This could be in the form of recommendations or even a plan of how you would proceed with a certain project. And why shouldn't client's try to get something [...]