I had a phone interview a few weeks back and the interviewer asked my to tell him about my proudest accomplishment. I know I should be ready for all these types of questions – but I was not well prepared for this one. Greatest strengths, weaknesses, favorite past position, etc. – but what was I most proud of? This was work related – so the whole “I’m most proud of my children . . .” did not work. So, I answered something about saving a big account after big quality problems, blah, blah, blah . . .
     Since then, I have really thought about this question.
I think I have finally come up with an answer for this – and it is not a moment or a single event. I am most proud of the legacy I have left with some companies. I always have my ‘quality’ hat on and I make decisions with that in mind. I always push to do what is right – not what is necessarily easy. The moment that made me realize that others noticed this was when I was leaving a job back in 2002 and having a discussion with the VP of Finance. I told him that I was sorry to be leaving with so many things up in the air relative to the future of this company. He replied that I should leave with my head held high because I was leaving a changed culture. He told me that I had made a difference in how people looked at things there. By pushing back, stopping product from going out the door, training everyone in what it means to do things right and leading by example, I had changed a company culture. It may not be perfect, but this company was no longer known for having poor quality products, and I should be proud. His comments made me feel very proud.
     Someone at work the other day said to me that they wished I had come there sooner – as I pushed back on what I felt was a poor personnel judgement call. I incited a little ‘do the right thing’ philosophy in a colleage and he was feeling a bit like a hero that day. I don’t accept the “we have to do it this way” (if I truly feel it is not right), so I always try to present an alternate view to at least re-open discussion. I’m often amazed at how easy it is to have someone change their mind if they made a poor decision. Sometimes you just have to point it out, ask them to reconsider, and they realize it and do the right thing. Of course, sometimes they don’t!
     So, I can now answer this question with confidence. My proudest moment is not a single moment at all. It is leaving a legacy – a philosophy that we should all do the right thing and take responsibility to move that attitude forward.
     What have you done at work that makes you proud?

I was talking with a recruiter a few weeks ago.  He had contacted me about a position that seemed to match my resume fairly well.  When he tried to present me to his client, he was informed that they will not consider anyone who has been a "Consultant'.  He told me that he has seen this a few times, but did not really understand why this was an issue for some companies.

I was disappointed by this revelation.  Could the fact that I have been contracting/consulting for several years be one of the reasons I am not being considered for some positions?  This seems so unfair.  So, I have put some thought into this - what could be the problem here?

I'm sure one of the main issues is that many people become "Consultants" when they loose their job and need to fill a void as they search for something new.  If this is the concern, I would hope that companies would look more closely at the details under "Consultant".  Some of us choose to do this and do quite well with it.  Some of us were even asked to do it when we were trying not to work at all for a while ;)

So, I now have another obstacle to deal with as I search for a full-time position - the potential negative view of my current career choice.  Such a shame to draw conclusions without the facts.  There are a lot of great people out there working as consultants/contractors.  Many of us bring a broad set of skills that may not be found with someone who has not branched out on their own for a while.  Let me encourange you to at least have a conversation with us - you may be amazed at what you learn.

Long gone are the days when you just had to raise your hand to get noticed. OK, maybe you had to do a little extra, like make that 'ooo, ooo" sound or mumble a little "pick me, pick me" - but someone would eventually pick you and you could show them what you knew. 

I am trying to get noticed these days.  I am in a job hunt along with many other people out there.  I have a lot to show them - really - I know a lot of stuff.  I try to only apply for jobs that I think I am able to perform well in, but convincing someone else that I can handle it is a more challenging task.  So, how do you get noticed in this tough job market?  I don't believe in crazy videos or taking on a billboard - it's back to basics for me.

The most important thing is networking - using your contacts to put in a good word for you or to introduce you to someone at a company that is hiring.  It's not foolproof, but it tends to have the biggest bang for the effort involved.

Next might be resume adjustments.  Each time I need to submit my resume, I read it over thinking about the specific job for which I am submiting it.  I then arrange things a little differently or change the initial summary to better mesh with the position at hand.

The same thing with cover letters.  I do have a template, but I change a lot of things depending on the job and the company.

Finally, follow up.  I did not do much of this when I started sending out resumes and I think it was a big mistake.  Honestly, I have been spoiled over the years, usually moving easily to a new job through people I knew or with recommendations.  My network has changed and the tighter market has made things much more difficult.  So now I am not just throwing my resume and a cover letter at a job posting - I am trying to follow-up whenever I can.  It sounds basic, but it's not always easy with the online applications going into some black hole with no actual contact information.  You can't always figure out who to follow-up with!

This all sounds good - right?  Let's see if it really makes a difference and lands me a few more interviews.  I'll keep you posted.

Call us what you will - Consultants, Contractors, Freelancers - there are times when we can provide much needed help to a company.  There are many good reasons to hire contracted help and certainly some reasons not to.  Here are my top pros and cons:

PROS:

This is a reasonably cost effective way to tackle a shorter term project - no long-term commitment, no overhead costs.  You just pay for the time worked.

We can bring a wealth of knowledge to share with an organization.  You are probably bringing in someone who has done this at several companies and can draw from all of those experiences.

If the project gets put on hold or suddenly eliminated, we are easy to get rid of as well (hate to say it, but it's true).

We are low risk - if things don't work out you just move on.  A regular hire has already cost you some significant money to bring on board and then there is generally a grace period before you can do anything.  Contract help can often be started with a fairly short initial time frame and would be lower risk.

I have found that we are also very focused on the tasks at hand.  Particularly in smaller companies where people wear many hats, it is difficult for regular employees to spend a large amount of time on 1 project - there are always interruptions.  A contractor can focus on that one job/project and really get things moving.  It always amazes me what I can get done in a day if there are no real interruptions.

CONS:

I certainly don't fall into this category :), but I have seen some consultant's who are just a bit too full of themselves.  Even the guys and gals at the biggest consulting firms do not know everything - but many want to impress their clients and justify their high rates so they put on that show. 

You can get people who don't seem as invested in your long term success and this can be a little disconcerting with certain types of projects.

Contractors often work according to their own schedules and this can sometimes become an issue for a company - especially if everyone is in a hurry.


Given the right type of project, a Contractor can be a great solution for a company.  In my case, when a client hires me to help in one area, I find that I can still offer much help with other little issues along the way.  A good Consultant is willing to share all of his/her knowledge and expertise - whatever the actual contract may indicate.

Well, I have to say that times are tough in the job market this year.  We all hear the news reports and hear about the rising unemployment figures, but it doesn't always hit home for some of us, until it affects us directly. I can see that 'times, they are a changin'!

It used to be that I could come up with work fairly easily through colleagues and various contacts.  My current client came about completely on my own search and with a bit of luck - the first time I 'cold called' for a job since 1985!  Now, I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, it's just the way it was for me.  I was in the very hot fiber optics industry (at least it used to be), I had a good background and a good reputation for getting stuff done.  If I left one company, I would get calls from or touch base with people and end up at the next place - either contracting or as a direct employee. 

Since leaving my last 'real job' (as my husband likes to call it), I had a couple of years where I was working for companies that I had been employed at in the past, so that was fairly easy to walk into.  I then took a little time off completely to pursue some hobbies and spend time with my kids.  When I wanted to get back to work, a friend who is a Marketing freelancer put in a good word for me with someone who wanted to hire her (she was moving and could not take on this client) and I began work again.  When that contract ended in mid-2006, I was not in a hurry for another one quite yet. 

In 2007, I got serious again about finding work, but wanted to keep it part-time.  It was not easy!  First of all, much of the fiber industry has moved away from MA and many colleagues were simply gone.  On top of that, almost every company on my resume no longer existed in the same form or even with the same name as when I worked there.  Whoa - where do you go with that?  I hit the want ads and finally found a small company with a glimmer of interest.  It took a hard sell - I had no contacts, no known references - no "in" at all.  I finally convinced them to give me a 1 month contract for a 'test drive' so to speak.  The rest is history now - I have been there for almost 18 months. 

Although I can probably stay here a while, they can't give me many more hours and I need to get closer to full-time work by this Fall - so I'm on the hunt again.  I'm working those contacts and talking to everyone I know, but it looks to be a long road again this year.