http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Careers/Consulting A listing of the most recently indexed works about Careers and Consulting in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Careers/Consulting http://tc.eserver.org/35453.html http://tc.eserver.org/35453.html Drafting a contract that covers you, and doesn’t just enumerate information, is more than important: it is a must. Freelancers do not have the benefit of a legal department dedicated to protecting their interests with a watertight contract. Nevertheless, a freelancer’s contract must be comprehensive, concise and clear. It should outline the scope of the job, scheduling demands, the expectations of both parties and more. http://tc.eserver.org/35456.html http://tc.eserver.org/35456.html In business, being able to read people and quickly get a sense of who you’re dealing with is an invaluable skill. It turns your encounter with a client into an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the upcoming project and how it will need to be handled. It is one of the building blocks of a professional relationship. In today’s digital age, the arena has shifted to the Web, and the online office space that most freelancers inhabit limits personal interaction. Though sussing out a client’s personality via online communication is difficult, it still remains an invaluable tool in your arsenal. http://tc.eserver.org/35405.html http://tc.eserver.org/35405.html A bad client relationship is like a bad marriage without the benefits. To avoid such relationships, or to fix the one you're in, learn the five classic signs of trouble. Recognizing the never-ending contract revisionist, the giant project team, the vanishing boss and other warning signs can help you run successful, angst-free projects. http://tc.eserver.org/35137.html http://tc.eserver.org/35137.html This article briefly reports on my very preliminary attempt to explore consulting by business academics. I began with a simple question: What lessons might BC instructors draw from the consulting practices of business academics? I interviewed three professors at the business college of a large Midwestern university who also consult on the side: Erin Dawson (a pseudonym), an associate professor of marketing; Thomas Chacko, a professor of management; and Sri Nilakanta, an associate professor of management information systems (MIS). Additionally, I leafed through the marketing plan Erin had written for her client, a local boat manufacturer. Below, I briefly discuss my main preliminary findings. http://tc.eserver.org/34771.html http://tc.eserver.org/34771.html People are unabashed about asking for web advice and help related to blogs, social media, networking and other web work because they don’t regard it as a specialized service the way they do with medical and legal expertise. I’m not saying giving away freebies is always a definite no-no, but I do think that as web workers we need to start reinforcing the value of our work by drawing a line between friendly advice and working for free. Here’s how I’m trying to create that demarcation. http://tc.eserver.org/33599.html http://tc.eserver.org/33599.html In support of the IEEE Professional Communication Society's 50th anniversary conference, this paper suggests ways in which the technical communication profession can ensure its sustainability throughout the next 50 years of business evolution. This paper seeks to present a compelling argument directed at conventionally-employed technical communicators that a paradigm shift towards consulting employment is in their best interest - and in the technical communication profession's best interest. Because of exposure to many and varied companies and methodologies, technical communication consultants tend to have more wide-ranging and current skills that they can offer to companies over their peers who work in conventional employment arrangements. For this argument, this paper will look at how technical communicator consultants can make significant contributions to business by comparing the attributes of technical communication consultants to the attributes of the untouchables defined and discussed in The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century, the maverick analysis of the globalization phenomenon by Thomas L. Friedman. http://tc.eserver.org/32054.html http://tc.eserver.org/32054.html Since a healthy percentage of Reencoded readers deal directly with clents, it’s time we take a closer look at how to deal with them. It’s not uncommon for a client’s wants and a client’s needs to head in completely different directions. Hopefully these tips will help you draw the two back together and provide the client with a product or service that they’re happy with and that suits their requirements. http://tc.eserver.org/31965.html http://tc.eserver.org/31965.html Most contractors can't afford the time or money to advertise. If they can, there probably aren't many places where an ad would reach potential clients anyway. By default, then, your reputation as a contractor rests on your behavior at each job. Leave a happy client behind at the end of each job, and you'll soon start a word-of-mouth campaign that will keep you employed the rest of your working life. http://tc.eserver.org/31398.html http://tc.eserver.org/31398.html Almost every independent consultant knows the drill. You're asked what you do professionally and you reply that you own your own business. Perhaps you give the 30-second elevator speech, or just the 10-second party version. Either way, what happens next is all too predictable—the person greets the news with a mixture of envy and admiration and starts peppering you with questions about the solo life. http://tc.eserver.org/31373.html http://tc.eserver.org/31373.html Much like the strategic planning process used by talented communicators around the globe, consulting too is a process. It is circular because it feeds into itself, and it is strategic because it is grounded in the business and relationships. Each step incorporates multiple sub-steps. For example, “collaborate on the solution” may incorporate brainstorming, best practice benchmarking and collaborative implementation. http://tc.eserver.org/31372.html http://tc.eserver.org/31372.html Natasha Spring talks with John Deveney about the success of his consulting firm, client relationships, technology, and the challenges he has faced. http://tc.eserver.org/31371.html http://tc.eserver.org/31371.html Many organizations are looking to communicators for a different set of services than those traditionally delivered. “Teach our managers to communicate better,” leaders say. “Help us make smarter decisions and be more efficient,” they plead. “Help me deliver messages better in front of our audiences,” they implore. At the same time, communicators work tirelessly to get to the leadership table, stay there and have real influence. We’re all working toward the same end: strategic thinking and implementation that truly impacts the business. For some, operating more like a consultant, even while continuing to work inside the organization, makes more sense. But how do you transition to such a model? http://tc.eserver.org/31346.html http://tc.eserver.org/31346.html Molly Matthews started a consulting business in her basement 18 years ago after losing her job in a corporate restructuring at Children’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. Like many women, she looked up and saw a glass ceiling and figured she could certainly do as well on her own. In fact, she did a whole lot better. http://tc.eserver.org/31041.html http://tc.eserver.org/31041.html It's not about what software you use, or how you organize your document, or how big the document is; but about whether the expectations the client has set, have been met. The question is, then, how do we assure we're meeting all the client's expectations? The answer is client buy-in. http://tc.eserver.org/31044.html http://tc.eserver.org/31044.html This is the first of a series of articles on BA consulting. This is some of my perspective on starting your consulting assignment as a BA, and understanding the organization that you're working with. This first article: Start your BA assignment with a bang and will be followed by two additional articles discussing requirements basics, followed by closing the project. http://tc.eserver.org/30757.html http://tc.eserver.org/30757.html Offers comprehensive advice to information professionals considering taking up self-employed freelance information consultancy. Draws attention to the risks associated with leaving the protection offered by corporate employment, alongside the benefits of empowerment through being self-employed. Emphasizes the need for prior business planning and offers advice on business name, web presence, logos, business cards, professional subscriptions, the need to have an accountant and register for value added tax, and dealings with banks and with the local Business Link. Advises against acquiring company status, joining trade groups, untargeted advertising, brochures and mailshots, and professional indemnity cover. Suggests ways of seeking work through networking with contacts, advises on the risks associated with imprecise agreements with clients, and emphasizes that the most important aspect of successful self-employment is self promotion. http://tc.eserver.org/30552.html http://tc.eserver.org/30552.html How do you get on a consulting agency's 'call-me-first' list? The tips provided in this article are a good place to start. http://tc.eserver.org/30357.html http://tc.eserver.org/30357.html The freedom to be a consultant or independent contractor (C&IC), to work on your own, to work at home, to 'tele-commute' has become one of the principal aspects that entices otherwise happy, healthy, sane people to leave their jobs and hang out their shingles. But like nearly every other aspect of being independently employed, working out of the home presents advantages and disadvantages in such areas as lifestyle, professionalism, and tax considerations. http://tc.eserver.org/30312.html http://tc.eserver.org/30312.html The technical contracting industry provides a unique career opportunity for experienced professionals in most technical communications disciplines. It also provides a possible alternative to unemployment in view of the continuing 'down-sizing' and restructuring activity going on in today's marketplace. http://tc.eserver.org/30253.html http://tc.eserver.org/30253.html This workshop is designed to help independent contractors write their own contracts. http://tc.eserver.org/30148.html http://tc.eserver.org/30148.html Numerous helpful references and courses teach us how information developers can create value for clients through good project management, but getting our partners to recognize that value remains a challenge. http://tc.eserver.org/29915.html http://tc.eserver.org/29915.html What was supposed to be a six-week out-of-town technical writing assignment became nine months of torture. Mired in poor planning, wasteful spending, unbearable working conditions and internal politics, the project resulted in bankruptcy for one company and unused user documentation for another. I survived the project by seeking ways to keep up my personal morale. This included regular exercise, organizing special dinners with co-workers and involvement in local activities. http://tc.eserver.org/29775.html http://tc.eserver.org/29775.html Making the leap from independent consultant to employer is a complex process. When you become an employer you are no longer dealing with the same tasks that are familiar to you. When we decided to combine our efforts to start a training and documentation consulting company, we overcame difficulties, but made mistakes along the way. If you have been pondering the idea of starting a business, we hope that our experience can better prepare you for becoming a successful employer. http://tc.eserver.org/29739.html http://tc.eserver.org/29739.html You've secured the budget to produce some badly needed, high visibility deliverables. Part of that budget includes funding for contractors. To help manage and guide the communications between your contractors, your staff, and your management, you want to use your company's best practices. The best practices of the contractor or provider firm you employ should closely match your own company's best practices. Beginning on the "same page" will eliminate headaches and expenses during the lifecycle of the project. A quick comparison of practices and procedures enables you to proceed with the project confident that you are using competent outside resources. http://tc.eserver.org/29371.html http://tc.eserver.org/29371.html Delivering project reports in radically different formats gave the client a bad impression of this consulting firm. Here's how the staff remedied the situation and learned from their mistake. http://tc.eserver.org/29289.html http://tc.eserver.org/29289.html In my previous job as a UX designer, I learned the value of collaborative design walkthroughs. During walkthroughs, the UX designer would step through a user scenario--using the wireframes or mid-fidelity prototypes--with a cross-disciplinary team comprising product management, other UX designers, business analysts, developers, product testers, and technical communicators. http://tc.eserver.org/29254.html http://tc.eserver.org/29254.html In order to be effective in the usability business, you have to face the fact that you'll have to deliver bad news. You have to talk about what's not working. You might have to bruise egos and make your client uncomfortable. http://tc.eserver.org/28823.html http://tc.eserver.org/28823.html Why Blog? Your personal presence, building goodwill, and enhancing your network. http://tc.eserver.org/28799.html http://tc.eserver.org/28799.html You've got thirty seconds to sell your work to the well dressed nemesis who's paying you. Handle the next few moments gracefully, and the project will be one you can be proud of. Flub an answer, and you can kiss excellence goodbye. Are you prepared? Can you deliver? http://tc.eserver.org/28403.html http://tc.eserver.org/28403.html Price your services appropriately in line with your competitors. Never sell yourself short - always make sure your clients appreciate what they're buying. http://tc.eserver.org/28194.html http://tc.eserver.org/28194.html One of the biggest temptations as an independent is to watch the money roll in and just focus on the number in your bank account. If you are incorporated, then you know the importance of strict accounting; out of that number, you have to take into account corporate taxes as well as personal income tax. However, if you are a sole proprietor or undeclared, you only have to take into consideration personal tax withholdings and the other associated costs (insurance, retirement, etc.), right? Wrong. In both cases, it's important to set aside a portion of your earnings in a savings account for rainy days. http://tc.eserver.org/27834.html http://tc.eserver.org/27834.html Working as a part-time freelancer in addition to holding down a full-time job can certainly have its drawbacks: telling a friend you can't go to the movies with her this weekend because you have a deadline, or turning down a large job you would love to do because your schedule just won't allow it. But in today's financial climate, more and more of us are finding it a necessity, and we're learning how to work it into our lives. It can be a way to supplement income or, for some, a way to test the freelancing waters. Whatever your reasons, the overall message is to get out there and do it. You'll never know if you can until you try. http://tc.eserver.org/27812.html http://tc.eserver.org/27812.html Recognize the many paths to success and be prepared to forge your own if needed. You may find at the end of your 'wrong way' happy clients, satisfied users, and a successful and delivered system. http://tc.eserver.org/27577.html http://tc.eserver.org/27577.html Your requirements will assist you in delivering a software solution that meets your users' needs. You can find all sorts of templates and formal processes for requirements of various kinds, and while they are useful, the biggest problem I've found is that most people confuse defining the need with proposing a solution. As soon as a requirements document contains any part of 'how we're solving this', you've crossed the line into presupposing that you already know what the problem is and can stop listening. http://tc.eserver.org/27086.html http://tc.eserver.org/27086.html During the last few years in projects, I interacted with a lot of clients. All these projects were based offshore, where client interaction was mainly through emails or teleconferences. When you do not work face-to-face with clients, communication is key to win your clients' confidence. http://tc.eserver.org/27006.html http://tc.eserver.org/27006.html For some UX professionals, selling consulting services is as difficult as opening a magic door without a secret password. There is no simple password that can magically open prospective customers' minds so they can see what you can do for them. However, there are a few strategies you can use when opening a dialogue with new customers that will lead to your sales success. http://tc.eserver.org/26408.html http://tc.eserver.org/26408.html On occasion, (and only about 5% of the time) a client will not renew with us. They give us various reasons for this, the most common of which has something to do with 'not the results I was expecting.' http://tc.eserver.org/26243.html http://tc.eserver.org/26243.html In addition to providing clients with top quality design work, it is also important to help them think strategically. It adds a great deal of value for your clients when you help them to understand more about their users and their markets and about what the implications of this are for their designs. http://tc.eserver.org/26238.html http://tc.eserver.org/26238.html These days, it seems to be the way more and more very busy people are simply saying 'Not right now.' So what do you do about it? Do you leave the ball in their court and just sit around waiting for them to hit it back? Of course not. http://tc.eserver.org/26229.html http://tc.eserver.org/26229.html Should your blog have a business? Jim Coudal shares insights into the adventure of transitioning from client services to product creation. http://tc.eserver.org/26210.html http://tc.eserver.org/26210.html Some team members wanted the guide to be extremely prescriptive of format and content. Others insisted that it offer only minimal guidelines. A compromise was unacceptable to either side. http://tc.eserver.org/26181.html http://tc.eserver.org/26181.html As more companies conduct business globally, their printing needs often involve more foreign language translation and typesetting. Being able to meet such growing needs may give your business a major competitive advantage. So, have you considered adding translation and typesetting to your printing offerings? The one-stop convenience may be a major draw for businesses that have frequent dealings overseas. They will most likely choose a printer that can handle everything rather than dividing the work up for several printers to handle. So what do you need to do to get started? http://tc.eserver.org/26153.html http://tc.eserver.org/26153.html The cost depends on how long and complex the document is, and how much editing is required. Most editors have a fixed hourly rate, and will quote for a job after they have studied the document. Skilled wordsmiths usually charge more per hour, because they do the job faster. When you find a fine wordsmith, handle with care. They are not exactly thick on the ground. http://tc.eserver.org/26055.html http://tc.eserver.org/26055.html When I tried to look at the salary survey from the point of view of a Technical Communication Service Provider (TCSP), I noticed quite a few interesting points. http://tc.eserver.org/25903.html http://tc.eserver.org/25903.html The name of your company or consulting practice can offer prospects a clue into the work you do, which is especially necessary if it’s not readily understood, but if it bears your name, you’d better have a tagline to do the explaining. http://tc.eserver.org/24989.html http://tc.eserver.org/24989.html Because I am working at this job through a contract, rather than as a regular employee, there are some situations unique to my position. In the technical writing industry, many writers work on a contract basis through an agency. This type of employment is called contracting, although you may also hear it called consulting. I prefer the term contracting because I associate consultants with people whose job is to advise a company on one issue or another. That may or may not describe a particular technical writing assignment. http://tc.eserver.org/24917.html http://tc.eserver.org/24917.html A panel of experts will discuss how negotiating with vendors, business partners, peers, or employees can turn differences to mutual gain. Whether the technical communicators finds professional fulfillment and financial success from permanent or contract employment, as an employee or as a manager, the panel will offer suggestions, rules of thumb, and examples of how to optimize success in the work environment. The perspectives offered will be from the viewpoints of the consultant, the contractor, and the organization. Two papers, “Successful Contract Consulting” and “Negotiating Rules for Technical Communicators” provide background for this panel. http://tc.eserver.org/24706.html http://tc.eserver.org/24706.html Consultants, like Life Savers®, come in flavors. Some are sweet and cloying, some area little too tart, some are bitter, some are too hot and spicy, and some like baby bear’s porridge taste just right. Clients may put up with the flavor of the month, but will he or she recommend or select it the next time around. Since referrals and repeat business are the life-blood of consulting, maintaining an excellent working relationship with a client is critical. Learning how to work with a client is the key to consulting with panache and knowing the rules helps open the door. http://tc.eserver.org/24301.html http://tc.eserver.org/24301.html To succeed as an independent consultant, technical communicators must master basic business concepts. These include properly setting up the business, marketing, and understanding basic contracts. When setting up their business, independent consultants must consider the legal form of their business, required licensees, insurance, retirement plans, and industry going rates. Marketing methods are divided into passive and active techniques. Independent consultants must know how to market to two main channels: agencies and direct clients. http://tc.eserver.org/23776.html http://tc.eserver.org/23776.html Service-based. Needs-based. Relationship-based. Trust-based. These are the types of relationships that can exist between you and your clients. As a technical communicator, you will likely have relationships at the service and need-based levels, perhaps even at the relationship-based level. To truly have bottom line impact for your client, however, you need to have that trust-based relationship. How do you get to the trust-based level? This paper describes the role of the technical communicator as strategic consulting partner, a trust-based relationship for sure, and provides some practical approaches to getting there. http://tc.eserver.org/23663.html http://tc.eserver.org/23663.html Independent contractors and consultants know the value of working cooperatively with other professionals to complete complex projects. 'Other professionals' includes subcontractors, other independent contractors and consultants, and business partners. The formation of these kinds of strategic relationships can help meet the demands of today’s diverse markets and clients. This paper outlines some of the basic issues that surround business relationships, including planning (estimating and bidding), formalizing project-based contractual relationships, and exploring more permanent partnership arrangements. http://tc.eserver.org/23123.html http://tc.eserver.org/23123.html Landing a new client is a great thrill -- unless you discover he or she is dreadful to work with or fails to pay you promptly -- or pay at all. Here are some questions designed to help you prevent nasty client surprises before the hard work begins. http://tc.eserver.org/23032.html http://tc.eserver.org/23032.html New models of client-vendor relationships, competition, and cooperation are guiding corporate contracting strategies. Client companies seek service providers who can help them maintain agility, flexibility, and responsiveness in the face of constant change. Consequently, companies are “outsourcing’’ in-house functions to competent service providers. In addition, service providers themselves confront the same challenges of responding to change. They preforming “virtual corporations”, in which they pool skills and resources with complementary partners into made-for-the-task alliances to respond to business opportunities. Outsourcing and virtual corporations are related concepts that will shape the careers of many technical communicators. http://tc.eserver.org/22600.html http://tc.eserver.org/22600.html How do you go about estimating the number of hours that a project would take? http://tc.eserver.org/22575.html http://tc.eserver.org/22575.html Discusses the costs and benefits of errors and omissions insurance, a type of coverage normally obtained by independent technical communicators and consultants. http://tc.eserver.org/22438.html http://tc.eserver.org/22438.html The number of technical communicators working as independent consultants has increased remarkably over the past decade - may you call this a trend? http://tc.eserver.org/22032.html http://tc.eserver.org/22032.html If you welcome and appreciate the freedom of a consulting or contract position be prepared to d the homework. You’ll need to have current information about the job market, rates, staffing firms, benefits, and all the thing that are a part of living that independent life. As you are working an assignment you’ll want to be preparing for the next one, monitor the jobs out there, basically look for the next assignment. http://tc.eserver.org/22056.html http://tc.eserver.org/22056.html If getting into the technical writing business is a challenge, and it assuredly is, defining our employment status often poses a few questions too. Naturally, there’s the common full-time employee status we all know and understand fairly well, but when we find ourselves dealing with a technical services or technical consulting firm there can be some murky waters, and more than a few aberrations of the “traditional” understanding of the term. So, we need to define some “terms” of employment since the majority of technical writers will ultimately encounter variations. http://tc.eserver.org/22031.html http://tc.eserver.org/22031.html One of the more challenging parts of being a contractor or managing a writing project is developing an estimate of the fee or costs. Sure, there are various techniques out there, some more accurate than others, but generally no hard and fast rules applicable across the spectrum of potential assignments. Therein rest at least part of the key to doing a viable estimate, i.e., what kind of document development are you doing. http://tc.eserver.org/21673.html http://tc.eserver.org/21673.html Moving from being an independent contractor to being a business owner is a big step. It involves not only practical concerns, such as accounting, legal, and administrative ones, but also re-evaluations in goals and outlooks. Sometimes we need to work through barriers, or blocks, to achieving success as a business owner. http://tc.eserver.org/21684.html http://tc.eserver.org/21684.html For many technical writing companies the issue of how to manage all the associated 'non-writing' costs can be a sensitive area. Do I charge for every email? Every phone call? Where do you draw the line? What do you charge for, besides the document you produced? http://tc.eserver.org/21671.html http://tc.eserver.org/21671.html As a U.S.-trained writer based in Singapore in recent years, my experiences and observations revealed significant opportunities that technical communicators working in the Asia/Pacific region can take advantage of as well as issues they are likely to need to come to grips with. My emphasis will be on Southeast Asia. http://tc.eserver.org/21276.html http://tc.eserver.org/21276.html From Washington, D.C. to Olympia, Washington, there's a rich potential for user experience consultants of all flavors to provide services to government. In this article I'll share some thoughts directed toward you, the independent consultant or small firm that would like to work with government. http://tc.eserver.org/21243.html http://tc.eserver.org/21243.html Many technical communicators are venturing into the world of independent contract consulting. Some have taken the bold step on their own initiative and others have been unwillingly pushed out of the corporate nest. In today’s working environment, numerous technical communicators have found that the key to professional fulfillment and financial successful is contract employment. http://tc.eserver.org/21187.html http://tc.eserver.org/21187.html I went independent in 1990 as a technical writer/instructional designer, and I now teach technical writing in corporations. My business has grown steadily, albeit slowly, in these thirteen years. I learned quickly that independents are businesses first and technical communicators second. Our work may feed our souls and pay the bills today, but if we ignore business matters, our practices will ultimately fail. It is not enough to be 'technically' smart— independents must be savvy in business to succeed in any economy. http://tc.eserver.org/20366.html http://tc.eserver.org/20366.html Did that last 'fire your boss' spam push you over the edge? Do your wish-fulfillment dreams revolve around letterhead, legal entities, and avoiding arrest for tax evasion? If you’re crazy enough to start your own business, Kevin Potts wants you to learn from his mistakes. http://tc.eserver.org/20267.html http://tc.eserver.org/20267.html With the decline of employer loyalty to employees and the move to outsource peripheral functions, many technical communicators are exploring the possibility of becoming an independent contractor. Although much emphasis has been given to marketing and negotiation skills, there are pitfalls awaiting the entrepreneur who leaps before looking. Among these pitfalls for former corporate employees are structuring time and dealing with isolation. Success as an independent is measured by how well he/she deals with these intangible issues. http://tc.eserver.org/20227.html http://tc.eserver.org/20227.html As businesses struggle to stay in business, many are short–changing vendors or woefully delaying payment. Zeldman laments the difficulties of getting paid. http://tc.eserver.org/20109.html http://tc.eserver.org/20109.html Employees and independent contractors working at home are freed from the need for proximity to their company by modern communications tools. The path is open to consider locating your home office away from urban areas. This workshop describes some of the many issues one person considered and faced while moving to a rural office-home three years ago. Find out what worked, what didn’t work, what the surprises were, and how to evaluate and plan for your move. http://tc.eserver.org/20090.html http://tc.eserver.org/20090.html This panel brings together three consultants to discuss the link between the client and consultant. Their individual papers provide the background; 'Create Your Consultant Image,' 'SmartStart Guides,' and 'Managing Client Relationships.' http://tc.eserver.org/20091.html http://tc.eserver.org/20091.html Managing relationships with a client is an important part of the business cycle, ensuring successful projects and setting the stage for additional business. http://tc.eserver.org/20093.html http://tc.eserver.org/20093.html When meeting someone for the first time, you get about 10 seconds to make a good impression; make it a good one! http://tc.eserver.org/19871.html http://tc.eserver.org/19871.html In the 90’s, contingency staffing (also called temporary staffing) has become a way of life for businesses that have had to streamline operations and reduce fixed costs in order to compete. Consequently, contract employment and independent contracting have become a way of life for many technical communicators who can’t — or prefer not to — find a full-time job. http://tc.eserver.org/19872.html http://tc.eserver.org/19872.html The presenters examine all aspects of contracting from the viewpoint of both the contractor and the employer/client. The focus will be on the contract itself which provides a clear starting point for maneuvering through the critical issues, including what constitutes a legal contract and topics a contract should cover. The ensuing discussion will cover the different ways that writers work and are paid, managing the inevitable changes to a project, and a closer look at the pros and cons of working on an hourly or term contract compared to fixed price contracts, or contracts with an upset limit. http://tc.eserver.org/19564.html http://tc.eserver.org/19564.html A successful marketing representative shares her secrets on proven ways to sell writing consulting services. http://tc.eserver.org/19550.html http://tc.eserver.org/19550.html Writers today are being advised to stop thinking in terms of building a life-long career with one employer, and instead view themselves as a one-person corporation offering specialized services to whomever is willing to pay the highest price. http://tc.eserver.org/19556.html http://tc.eserver.org/19556.html How to tell your client the truth even when a project isn't working out as planned. http://tc.eserver.org/19565.html http://tc.eserver.org/19565.html Helpful hints on how writers can create a positive first impression with clients. http://tc.eserver.org/19568.html http://tc.eserver.org/19568.html Writers can be good at writing, but lousy at communicating verbally. These tips will help you communicate better with your clients—and instill clients with confidence in your real strengths. http://tc.eserver.org/19585.html http://tc.eserver.org/19585.html Two short years after the fortunes of many high-tech companies have all but dried up, Peter Zvalo discusses how schmoozing can ease the challenge of marketing technical documentation services. http://tc.eserver.org/19527.html http://tc.eserver.org/19527.html 'I love everything about being self-employed--except for waiting to get paid! My paychecks never seem to arrive on time. Sometimes my clients forget to send my invoices to Accounts Payable or the invoices get misplaced; other times the process just bogs down and takes forever. Whatever the reason, I'm stuck waiting for checks that don't come.' This article addresses the question: How can I get my clients to pay on time? http://tc.eserver.org/18906.html http://tc.eserver.org/18906.html For independent consultants, contractors, and business owners, operating with contracts is paramount to your success. Contracts permit you to define the project, how it will be completed, and how you will be paid. They offer methods of restitution should things not proceed as planned or anticipated. Contracts also demonstrate how serious you are about yourself and your client, and make a profound statement about your professionalism. Contracts are not to be taken lightly. Never go it alone; always have a competent lawyer review and provide legal advice when writing a contract or before agreeing to any terms dictated by your client. This paper presents a number of terms and conditions for your consideration. http://tc.eserver.org/18847.html http://tc.eserver.org/18847.html Setting your billing rate can be one of the most difficult and mysterious aspects of operating a consulting practice. There are nearly as many approaches as there are practitioners, with results that range from consultants who price themselves out of the market to those who fold because they simply cannot make enough money to survive. By employing a straightforward business model that includes estimates for expenses, labor and, yes, profit, independent consultants, both fledgling and established, can establish billing rates that are fair to consultant and client alike. http://tc.eserver.org/18771.html http://tc.eserver.org/18771.html In the twenty-first century, technical communicators are discovering that portfolios (electronic and/or paper) are indispensable career tools. Portfolios have many uses because they contain a variety of documents that have been developed with the tools and skills claimed on the resume. In addition, portfolios can be instrumental in getting a promotion or winning a contract. http://tc.eserver.org/18760.html http://tc.eserver.org/18760.html To succeed as an independent consultant, technical communicators must master basic business concepts. This workshop focuses primarily on the set up and marketing of a technical communication consulting business. When setting up their business, independent consultants must consider the legal form of their business, required licensees, insurance, retirement plans, and industry going rates. Marketing methods are divided into passive and active techniques. 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But how can you fix navigation problems when exploring your Web site seems as confusing as tracing a single strand in a plate of spaghetti? http://tc.eserver.org/18537.html http://tc.eserver.org/18537.html Describes a detailed process for estimating the time and costs of online communication projects. http://tc.eserver.org/15164.html http://tc.eserver.org/15164.html Offers tips for independent contractors on staying efficient and productive. http://tc.eserver.org/15217.html http://tc.eserver.org/15217.html Responding to articles from a previous issue of Intercom, Frick reacts to professional trends that affect her independent consulting business. http://tc.eserver.org/14956.html http://tc.eserver.org/14956.html Many contractors get their starts through job shops or employment agencies. But are agencies on the path to independence or just trading one employer for another? Working through agencies has its pros and cons. 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If you find that there are adjustments that should be made, or additions that can improve the project's functionality, do them. http://tc.eserver.org/13574.html http://tc.eserver.org/13574.html Do you know how much what you do is worth? Very likely a lot more than you think. But how do you figure out how much to charge for a given job? http://tc.eserver.org/13575.html http://tc.eserver.org/13575.html Marketing can be as simple as engaging in a one minute conversation with another person or as complex as a $3,000 direct mail advertising campaign. But marketing is more than selling a product or service or yourself -- basically, it's getting the person or prospect interested in what you're selling. And that's not so easy -- unless you know exactly how to do it. http://tc.eserver.org/13564.html http://tc.eserver.org/13564.html I recently encountered a young web entrepreneur who understands that in business, 'no' doesn't necessarily mean 'never,' and that a last ditch sales pitch can pay off - maybe not today or tomorrow, but some day. It's a wise investment because one sales letter can be adapted and personalized for many different uses over time. And it can help you retrieve prospects you thought you had lost! http://tc.eserver.org/13572.html http://tc.eserver.org/13572.html The secret to finding off-site work is to change the way you think about work. You must first and foremost be doing a type of writing that lends itself well to off-site work. It's easy to say that all writing can be done off-site. But you'd be wrong. http://tc.eserver.org/13527.html http://tc.eserver.org/13527.html As independent or freelance technical communicators, we typically call ourselves contractors. Our clients and potential clients, however, might consider some of us contractors and others consultants, with different expectations applied to each. The differences in perception vary from one individual to the next, but you might generalize them as differences in the level of abstraction of the technical communication product with which each type of worker is engaged. http://tc.eserver.org/13530.html http://tc.eserver.org/13530.html In the past, companies hired independent contractors to perform special projects. Now, while still used for these purposes, ICs are also used in strategic positions throughout many organizations. The use of ICs in strategic roles is especially beneficial to small and medium-sized businesses that cannot afford the cost of permanently employing individuals for specialized functions. For instance, an experienced technical communicator specializing in project management could be hired by a small business as an independent contractor to provide project management services. http://tc.eserver.org/13529.html http://tc.eserver.org/13529.html To be a successful technical communication consultant requires expertise in two critical areas: technical communication and running a small business. The main reason many technical communicators (and many technical professionals in general) fail as consultants is that they focus exclusively on the first aspect and neglect the second. As employees, they are accustomed to keeping current with new and emerging trends in technical communications. However, as employees they have never needed to learn or maintain currency with the myriad of issues involved in running a small business. It requires a balance of both aspects to be successful as a consultant or a contractor. http://tc.eserver.org/13469.html http://tc.eserver.org/13469.html In the spring of 1992, one of Digital Equipment Corporation’s largest technical documentation groups funded a training program that helped shift job roles from “technical writing” to “information consulting.” The primary goal of this effort was to provide training and resource materials to 60 documentation developers (and their managers) to enhance their skills as documentation consultants. The following paper highlights some of the learnings gained from the experience of training a corporate documentation group to perform as information consultants. http://tc.eserver.org/13265.html http://tc.eserver.org/13265.html Before you get too deeply into establishing your firm, you will need to surround yourself with business professionals who have seen all this before. Putting time and research into the process of selecting these professionals can lead to trusting business relationships that will last for years. Web design firms can count on needing at least an accountant, an attorney and a bank. Corporations will also need a registered agent if they are incorporating outside the state where the business is conducted. Some portions are repeated between professionals since the processes of selecting them are similar. http://tc.eserver.org/13230.html http://tc.eserver.org/13230.html Why is it that we allow ourselves to be put in a compromising position where the client tells us how to be web designers? Maybe it's because the perception among the wider public is that 'anyone' can make a website. And they're right. Anyone can make a website--but not everyone can make an emotionally engaging interactive experience that will live in the visitor's memory. (Similarly, anyone with access to a photocopier and a stapler can 'make a book,' but good books are scarce.) http://tc.eserver.org/13184.html http://tc.eserver.org/13184.html The Consulting and Independent Contracting progression will focus on both beginning and advanced topics relating to independent work. Independent work requires attention to two main areas: maintaining professional standards and practices; and building a successful contracting or consulting business. As the role of contractors and consultants continues to evolve practitioners face issues articulated in the topics below. Individual topics addressed are: choosing between contracting and consulting, marketing a business, and addressing legal issues. For those already established we look at ways to expand the consultant’s personal resource network and issues of incorporation as a growth alternative. http://tc.eserver.org/13189.html http://tc.eserver.org/13189.html When you establish yourself as an independent contractor or consultant, you must choose the type of legal entity that your business will be. The decision to incorporate should not be made without first understanding the implications. In making this decision, some issues to consider are taxation, liability, control, and simplicity. http://tc.eserver.org/10536.html http://tc.eserver.org/10536.html HFES is pleased to provide this searchable directory of human factors/ergonomics (HF/E) consultants and expert witnesses as a free service to potential clients. http://tc.eserver.org/10548.html http://tc.eserver.org/10548.html You know the old saying: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The same holds true in dealing with clients. Oh sure, Atilla the Hun is out there, but he or she is an infinitesimal minority. (If you're at that point, see Firing Atilla the Hun.) In actual fact, most of those downright ugly client situations stem from a host of reasons other than the client themselves: lack of planning and communication, poor listening skills, over-promises and unmet expectations, over-confidence and lack of self-confidence, and lack of motivation--on either side. Another reason why some clients can seem so difficult to deal with is because they're people. Sound silly? Believe it or not, it's often overlooked when our main focus is 'the project,' the work at hand. http://tc.eserver.org/10488.html http://tc.eserver.org/10488.html Katharine Oï¿Moore-Klopf responded to the call in the last issue of The Freelancer for information on freelancers who have been successful in working outside of New York City. She lives in East Setauket in Suffolk County, Long Island, a two-hour trip from Manhattan. After eight years of commuting to work as a production editor for a Manhattan medical publisher, she decided to work from home so she could spend time with her new baby. She reports that she puts in an average of 35 hours a week. She is currently doing production of a medical journal for her most recent former employer, editing a medical journal as well as medical textbooks for a Manhattan publisher, and editing fiction and mass-market nonfiction for yet another former employer. She also proofreads a medical journal and expects to begin doing electronic editing soon. http://tc.eserver.org/10345.html http://tc.eserver.org/10345.html This article begins with the premise that there is no such thing as a standard contract and goes on to explore some of the ways that the attorney/client relationship can have unexpected benefits for technical communication consultants and contractors. 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