So, About That Conference Recap...

Yeah, I dropped the ball on recapping the Minnesota Blogger Conference, at least in a timely manner, to say nothing of writing about other stuff. But I still think I want to do it, and am going to try to do so by the end of the week.

That said, I have class starting in the middle of next week again, so I will be quite busy from that point on until the end of the year. But I am going to try to post here as often as I can manage, since my life can't be just working and school, after all.

A (Mostly) Good Month

I was pretty good about posting regularly for the past month or so, and I have a lot going on in the next couple of weeks, so my posting is going to be a bit more sporadic again. I want to get the Newbie's Guide underway (and think of a better name for it), and doing that is going to require more time and planning for each post than I usually put into these, so I'd rather take more time and do it right.

I'm still going to try to post at least a time or two a week, though, and will post other stuff besides the guide to break things up a bit.

Housecleaning

So, I haven't really done much with the layout, structure, and visual elements of this blog in quite some time, and it's definitely due for an update. I'm trying to come up with an idea for a very basic logo, symbol, or even a mascot to represent the site. In addition, I want to update the blogroll (mostly additions, and making sure everything I've listed is still active).

I make no guarantees as to how long this will take. :) Hopefully before the end of the month, but don't hold me to that. Along with that, I hope that a bit of housecleaning and polish will encourage me to write here more.

So, if you want to be included in the blogroll and have a blog that is about or sometimes covers workplace issues of any sort (not just about freelancers, contractors, or temps) feel free to let me know in the comments.

Getting Back in the Groove

Yep, another long absence. I've got to get better about this. Sigh. Well, it's another chance to use my "lame excuse" tag, at least.

Still Alive

Yes, I'm still here, though it might not seem that way. The new (old) gig is going well, and I will start another year of grad school in a couple of weeks.

I've got some possible post topics in the works -- anonymity and privacy online, long-term development, learning new skills, networking, and more. I'll post them as they are written; I tend to do much of my writing and brainstorming away from my computer in spare moments here and there.

So, in case I don't post again until Fall (hopefully I won't be that lame this time around), enjoy the rest of your summer!

Back in the Game

You've probably already seen this if you follow my Twitter feed, but in case you haven't, I'm going to be joining the ranks of the employed again soon (in a little less than two weeks, to be exact). I will have a contract position at my former client, and on the same team, but in a different role working on an ongoing project. I'm very happy to have landed this, not just because it's work, but also because I'll be working with people I really like and helping implement something that will add a lot of value for the company once its underway. I'm looking forward to being back there.

I'm still going to be writing in this blog, though, even if the past two weeks might make it seem like I've forgotten about it.

Run Silent, Run Deep

So, after a week where I managed to post every day, I follow it up with one where I don't post until Friday. I've had a busy week, though -- met with recruiters at two staffing firms, attended my HOA's board meeting, and had the usual homework, job hunting, and stuff around the house to do as well. Next week promises to be pretty full too, but I want to do a better job of regular posting.

In the meantime, I suggest you check out my wife HR Minion's blog. She's currently working as a contractor after working in an exempt position for the past two years, and she discusses some of her recent thoughts and experiences here, here, and here. The other entries are excellent as well -- but of course, I'm biased.

One Week Later

Well, I made a commitment last Saturday to post each day this week, and I'm glad to say I've kept it. Granted, yesterday's post was very light, but they don't all have to be weighty dissertations.

I will say that I think I'll have an easier time posting regularly from here on, as long as I don't take any long breaks. If you do something often enough, it becomes second nature. Despite posting every day this week, I still have a backlog of topics I want to post on, so I don't think I'll have trouble keeping the pace up.

I'm not sure if I will post tomorrow or not; I will have some stuff to do to get ready for a busy week ahead. But we'll see.

Movie Day

Well, today's going to be the equivalent of those times in school where the teacher just puts on a movie for the hour. What can I say -- Watchmen comes out today. See you tomorrow!

In the Pipeline

Reflecting on my recent posts, I realized that I haven't talked much about the original focus of this blog -- that is, the working life of us hired guns. So, I'm going to remedy that in the near future with some stuff I have in the works that's more devoted to consulting, contracting, and temping than the more general career discussions I've had lately.

Here's some topics I'm going to be looking at, though I make no promises as to when I will post on them:

-- Your staffing/consulting firm and you
-- Contract positions for newbies (focusing on people moving into these from permanent positions)
-- Permatemps, and why companies use them
-- What you need to know before starting a contract, consulting, or temp assignment
-- The difference between contractors, consultants, and temps (short answer: pretty much none)

In addition, there will be posts on more general topics as well as I feel like doing them.

By the way, I added a number of links to the blogroll over there on the right that I think you'll find interesting. If you have a blog or website that you'd like added, and it's related to the subject matter on this blog (even loosely), let me know in the comments or send me an email, and I will consider it.

A Self-Imposed Challenge

Lately, I've been averaging about a post a week here on Hired Minds. While that's not bad for a blog that's just starting out, it's not where I want to be, either.

As such, I plan on posting at least once each day starting tomorrow through the end of the week. Mostly, it's just to get myself in the habit of posting regularly. I don't know if I will keep up that pace afterwards, but surely I can do it for just a week, can't I?

I don't plan on giving myself a prize if I make it or anything like that, nor punishing myself if I don't. This is just for the sake of doing it.

Curveball Redux

In my last post, I talked about finding out how my contract was finished at the end of the month and that I was interviewing for a permanent spot on the team. Well, I found out earlier this week that, although I almost certainly would have been given the position and did very well in the interview, the company was no longer able to extend the offer to outside applicants. This was a week known for its massive amount of layoffs, and my client was one of those affected. They were laying off several hundred employees, and not filling several hundred more open positions. Although this position was not included in that number (i.e. they still were planning on filling it), the company decided they could not justify giving it to candidates who weren't already part of the company when so many were losing their jobs.

I understand where they are coming from. Even though in the short term its definitely more advantageous to hire a candidate who can hit the ground running (in my case, I already performed 95% of the duties for the position, and have done so for almost three years), the company also feels quite strongly about protecting and retaining its current employees. When you're a hired gun, it's important to remember that you are not actually a company employee -- you work for either your consulting/staffing firm or you are self-employed. I've seen too many people forget this over the years, and it causes a lot of hurt feelings. But, that's a post for another day. The point here is that the company wants to support and keep its employees even when it might not be the most operationally effective tactic, and I respect that even if I lose out personally from it.

As for what's next, I'll get into that next week. I certainly have plenty of time to blog now!

What's In A Name?

So why did I name this blog Hired Minds, anyway?

Well, it took me a while to think of a good name. I actually first got the idea for this blog a while ago, but have been putting it off, and using my inability to think of a good name as an excuse. I tried to think of a title that was both catchy and reflected the content of the blog.

My first idea was Contract Killer, which probably would have gotten me readership, alright, but not the kind I want. I thought about other variations on the hired gun/ronin theme, but couldn't find something that I liked and wasn't already in use by another blog or company. I then considered something along the lines of Hired Geek or This Geek for Rent, but ran into the similarity problem again (plus, I didn't want this blog to seem too focused on IT or technology consulting; I do want to cover that, but not exclusively).

Since this blog is about the 21st Century corporate equivalent of hired help, I brainstormed plays on the phrase "hired hand", and came up with the current title. I think it's appropriate because it reflects how modern work for most people is an intellectual (and social) rather than physical endeavor, so the traditional term needs to be updated for the modern day. It kind of sounds like "higher minds" too, although that was accidental.

1/1/2009

It's the first day of a new year, which seemed like the perfect time to launch a brand new blog on a subject I've been wanting to blog about for a long time.

Welcome, then, to Hired Minds. As the subtitle notes, the blog is about consultants, contractors, temps, and any other sort of company "hired gun", or outside help/expert brought in to advise or work on a project. It's a pretty broad subject, since the people that do these things perform a very wide variety of roles, especially these days. However, I wanted to create a blog about it since, despite the massive range of blogs out there for all kinds of jobs, companies, and industries, I couldn't find much for the world of modern hired office help. Considering the important role we play in the contemporary workforce, that seemed like a gap needing to be filled. Thus, Hired Minds.

The next few posts will discuss what I hope to achieve with this blog, why I picked the name, who I am, and all that good stuff. For now, though, I'm celebrating the beginning of a new year, and hope it's a good one for you too.