Attention: Contractor Business Analysts

New Year: New Opportunities?

As a business analysis contractor, you know that the environment for contractors is changing and that new, interesting opportunities can be hard to find. Like me, you are probably aware of good contractors who have had long periods without a contract in 2013. Many large organisations are looking to reduce their reliance on contractors by increasing their proportion of permanent staff. It’s a tough world out there and not becoming easier, despite the promised economic upturn.

So much about the market seems to be out of our control. But is it really? What can you do differently to find new opportunities in the tricky contracting environment in 2014?

I’ve teamed up with Lindsay Scott to provide some answers. Lindsay runs Arras People, an agency that specialises in recruiting business analysts and other project professionals for projects all over the UK. From her agency perspective, Lindsay has tips and insights that will help you stand out in the crowd and gain more interviews the next time you need a contract. In our discussion, we’ll cover:

your CV, and how to make it stand out;

different marketing tools that make a difference;

how to work really effectively with agencies;

using LinkedIn to gain work and recognition.

I know that Lindsay will give lots of practical tips and insights that you can start applying straight away. She’s a very practical and knowledgeable person, with lots of experience from the agency side.

How can you join this session? It’s on Wednesday 22nd January 2014 from 8-9pm. We have space for 24 people to join us virtually. If you can’t make it at this time, register to receive the recording. This is an open session of my Outstanding Outsider programme for Business Analysis Contractors, so you’ll get the feel for that programme too.

Lindsay is a director of Arras People, who specialise in recruiting project professionals all over the UK. She’s also the co-editor of the recent ‘Gower Handbook of People in Project Management’, which I contributed a chapter on virtual projects to. You can find her on Twitter @projectsmgmt and her company’s website is here.

So why not join us? We’ll send full details to you at the e-mail address that you give us below. Feel free to add a question for Lindsay that we can use on the night, whether you can be there or not: