job shops

[Karen Steele <karen -at- BILBO -dot- SUITE -dot- COM>]

Andrew English writes...
> I am starting a new thread about technical help
> temporary agencies.  I would like to hear about
> your experiences.  Were you able to get steady
> work?  What type of qualifications were needed?
> Is this is a good way to enter the field for a
> beginner?

In Dallas there are more than 152 job shops that deal with writers.
The CIC PIC of the Lone Star Chapter maintains a data base of
these shops, which is available to the members of the PIC.


(How'd we get a list?  A group of us got together & started making
a list of all the job shops we'd heard about.  As the years went by,
the list got longer & longer and we were able to weed out the
"bad" shops. )

It's probably a good idea to ask other contractors about a shop
you are considering doing business with.  Like any other business,
there are good shops and bad shops.  A network of contractors
can be your most valuable tool in this business.

When my first  contract was coming to an end, I did a "mass
mailing" of my resume (w/ personalized cover letters) to these
shops.  I was out of work less than 3 days, and continued to get
calls & offers for more than 2 years.  This is the "gunshot" theory
in job hunting.  It is an excellent way to begin a career in
contracting -- it gives you the most "bang" for your buck.

Now that I've been independent for a while, almost all of my work
is referral from existing clients or word of mouth.  I haven't had to
job hunt .  This is great -- but I worry about getting too comfortable
with it.  I think we all work harder at our own business when we're
lean & little hungry.  Fat cats sometimes have trouble keeping up
-- or at least that is what I always thought.


Job shops come in two flavors -- the ones that provide warm
bodies (good way to go for beginners) and those that provide
"consultants" (the customer is looking for a lot of experience to
help  bail  the project out).  As you move away from job shops and
towards independent work  the latter is most often the kind of work
you'll do.

IMHO, contracting & consutling is an excellent way to gain a lot of
diverse skills in a short amount of time.


Karen Steele