Newbie's Guide Preview

I haven't finalized the topics I want to discuss in this guide just yet, and when and in what order I'll do it, but here's a list of things I want to cover at some point:

-- Contractors, temps, and freelancers: definitions

-- Why a contract gig?

-- The downsides to contract work

-- Where to find contract positions

-- Agencies: what you need to know

-- Corporate culture and contractors

-- Contract work as a lifestyle

-- Going solo: hanging out your shingle

-- Contract work as an extended interview

-- The future of contract work

Plus, whatever else I think of. And if you have any suggestions, I'm certainly open to them.

The Newbie's Guide to Being a Contractor

Sorry for the delayed post again. Just when I think I'm getting better, I slip. But then, progress isn't always a straight line.

Anyway, I've decided to start writing a series for people who are new to the contractor and temp world, with tips and advice that I wish I knew when I started years ago. Even though I'm a permanent employee now, I still think I have a few words to say on the subject.

It will be recurring and I'm not sure exactly how long it will go just yet, so I'll post more details when I have a better idea. But I hope somebody out there will find it useful.

Temporary Hiring Trends

Back at the start of 2009, I predicted that temporary hiring was going to increase despite the poor economy, because companies would still have short-term hiring needs and/or they would want to hire temporary staff before committing to hiring permanent employees.

According to economist Barry Ritholz, I was right, and then some. Indeed, in 2009 and for much of 2010, the pace of hiring temporary and contract workers has skyrocketed compared to the rate of hiring for permanent employees. In July, however, the hiring of temporary workers has started to decline, which may be a bad sign (as we didn't have enough other issues to worry about right now).

It will be interesting to see what the activity for August is, but of course we won't have that information until next month. My guess is another decline, but I would be more than happy to be wrong.

Deadlines

A little over a week ago, I said I would talk about deadlines and how they relate to getting things done. I meant to do it last week, but since that went a bit off the rails, I'm doing it tonight.

Anyway, I find that deadlines, and structure in general, are a good way of getting things done. Some people have enough internal focus that they can just plug away and accomplish tasks without someone telling them what to do or when to do it. It's a good state to try for, but let's be honest -- most of us are distractable to one degree or another. Hey, who's on American Idol right now? Are those storm clouds off in the distance? Rick is back from vacation and has pictures. And so on, and so on.

Having a deadline is a great way to mitigate those distractions and buckle down to do work. It doesn't have to be a "real" one, either. Not all structure has to be external; indeed, self-imposed structure is often the best kind. Nobody is making me post three times a week on this blog, but setting that goal for myself has been very useful (for the most part) in actually sticking to posting here on a regular basis.

Nor does the deadline have to be chronological. A volume quota is another good way to ensure continual progress, and is the idea behind 300 Words, a site created by Hugh MacLeod and Erik Proulx to get writers to commit to putting down three hundred words per day in order to stick with writing (as an aside, MacLeod's book Ignore Everybody is a great read and I highly recommend it). It's a cool idea for a site, and I'd probably participate if it wasn't for already being committed to six blog posts a week!

The point is just to have a finish line of some kind, and the exact form it takes isn't necessarily important. Even a little structure goes a long, long way.

Salvage

Ouch. This has not been the best week blogging-wise for me, between the problems with Wednesday's post and dropping the ball entirely yesterday. Hence the post tonight to try to salvage the week. Conveniently enough, salvage is the theme of the post.

I really liked this post from Mark Stelzner of Inflexion Advisors earlier this week (there's a link on the blogroll too). Titled "A Means to An End," it talks about how any job you have, even one that seems menial or unimportant, is part of getting to where you eventually want to go.

It's especially applicable to the intended audience of this blog. If you've spent an extended amount of time as a contractor or freelancer, you've probably had gigs or contracts you didn't care for at all. Maybe they didn't play to your strengths enough. Maybe the work environment was toxic (in the metaphorical sense and hopefully not the literal sense). Maybe it was something else entirely. There could be any number of reasons why it wasn't something you enjoyed and you looked forward to it ending, even if it meant no paycheck.

And that's okay. You don't have to love every job you do and want to have it forever. Perhaps what you take away from this type of position is knowing what you don't want to do or who you don't want to work with, and how to avoid a similar situation in the future. I'm a firm believer in always being able to salvage something out of any situation. Maybe the lining isn't made of silver and it's actually made of scrap metal, but you can always get something for it.

Technical Difficulties

Sorry, folks, but no new post today -- technical difficulties wiped out what I was writing. I'll try to make it up with an extra post later in the week or on the weekend. Save early, save often!

The Minnesota Blogger Conference

I'm planning to attend the Minnesota Blogger Conference on Saturday, September 11 in St. Paul. Here's why:

• With all of the talk about social media helping people connect online, it's crucial to remember that networking in person is just as important (and some would still say more so). As useful as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn can be, there's really no substitute for meeting someone face-to-face and shaking their hand if you get the chance.

• Furthermore, just as networking is important, so to is taking advantage of opportunities to learn about what you do from experienced experts. The list of speakers is impressive and a good representation of the Minnesota blogging community.

• Finally, and perhaps the most important reason for me personally, is that I haven't done something like this before, and to be honest it is a bit outside my comfort zone. I'm not always the most social or outgoing person in the world, and I'm trying hard to change that. I know that small steps outside one's comfort zone in a safe environment are a good way to grow and get more comfortable with uncertainty, so that's exactly what I plan on doing.

So, if you're local and you're interested in blogging, check it out, since it looks like it will be a great event from what I've seen so far. And maybe, just maybe, I will get some ideas for making this a better blog as well.