How to Find Your First Consulting

How to Find Your First Consulting

After quite a few years in this business I would say that there are two important sources of contacts for getting that first contract - recruiters and acquaintances. If you had asked me a few years ago, I would have said that acquaintances and people you network with would be the primary source, but nowadays I actually think that reputable consulting recruiters are the best bet. This is a personal opinion, however, and this may differ for everyone depending on circumstances. When you are out to get that first contract however, the task may seem daunting, especially if you haven't really networked too much before. Again, most resources I've found out there are really too general to be of much use - telling you to network is fine, but giving specific pointers on where and how is more constructive. My goal is to be more specific. Here are some ideas to help you get on your way%u2026

LET PEOPLE KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE --> this is a general tip - there are many ways of doing this including letting your co-workers and friends know, speaking with employers and family friends, even people you know only slightly but who have worked with you in some capacity in the past. You never know who will be that great lead so spread the word and don't be afraid. Attend a few networking events, for example - such events are in every town I've ever lived in, and they can be found through contacting your local business owners association, chamber of commerce, or doing a search under "business networking" on the Internet (make sure you add your local coordinates like the name of your city or neighbourhood). There are also many workshops for entrepreneurs and small-business owners, as well as consultants that can be found through local small-business organizations, colleges (often under "continuing education") and other businesses in the area. I have no idea why but many of my own networking contacts were made through local real-estate agents - they tend to know everyone.

IF YOU SPECIALIZE, IT BECOMES EASIER TO FIND THE FIRST GIG --> if, as I suggested in the "7 Steps" article, you really focus your full-time work on the area of interest, you will, almost by default, make the networking connections you will need when you're ready to start out on your own.

BLOGS, INTERNET, EMAIL --> the Internet is a beautiful thing - and as a consultant you'd be smart to use it. First of all, I would recommend a personal website - simple websites can be made easily using accessible tools like Apple's iWeb (can you tell I am a Mac devotee?) or any of the multitude of other resources. A personal website can do a couple of things - expose you to potential employers/ recruiters (especially if you are smart and use keywords that index your site at the top of search engines), and legitimate your purpose and your business. Joining online newsgroups and lists that deal with consulting issues in your area is also a good idea, as is emailing people/companies online that peak your interest. Finally, if you are a gmail user, you can set up "google alerts" which send messages to your gmail account based on your keywords of interest e.g. consulting jobs.

UTILIZING ONLINE RECRUITMENT BOARDS --> this is a topic in itself, but a really short introduction will help to get your feet wet. In theory, recruitment boards are an easy way to find a job - you post your resume (either upload it or fill out the particular board's online resume form) and then you wait. Experienced consultants will usually be flooded with calls from recruiters for their particular skills. New consultants, unless they are in a very sought after specialty, tend to be flooded with various phone calls, including marketing ones, that might not really offer good leads. At the same time, the boards allow you more input in where you want to work, how you want to work, and so on, for example, on most you can choose the geographical area you're most interested in. However, the boards are a great place to start, post your resume, and update it as you gain experience - eventually you'll start getting the calls you want!!

Some good board to try are www.hotjobs.com, niche boards (doing a search on your particular specialty will usually do it),www.dice.com (for IT jobs), and www.hotgigs.com. www.jobster.com is also excellent because it will pull jobs for you from several different boards.

RESUME ISSUES --> one of the main issues you might think you have is a lack of "experience" as a consultant - and in many cases it will be an issue. You can, however, adjust your resume to reflect your skills rather than experience - at least until you have a couple of contracts under your belt. In this way you are showing a potential employer what you have to offer - essentially you are selling your knowledge and yes, it will be a bit tougher, but as I keep on repeating - consulting is not for the faint of heart. You just keep on trying.