Listen Consultants

Posted on July 20, 2010 by meghan_ntroduction

According to the Iowa Policy Project in 2005 an estimated 26% of the U.S. workforce had jobs that could be considered “nonstandard.” Jobs which include, independent contractors, temps, part-timers, and freelancers. A recent Business Week article The Disposable Worker discusses how popular the temporary staffing has become and how organizations and businesses have leveraged.

Here is the new reality.

Ntroduction - Consultants! New Reality

From Ntroduction team’s perspective, this is the new reality. The notion of “temporary help” will be here to stay for quite some time.

Our advisory team consisting of HR executives, CEOs and CFOs suggest that this will remain pattern before employment really starts to pick up. Temporary help will be leveraged to ‘try’ new approaches of keeping costs low as well as maintain low commitment to initiatives. Once the market demands more quality and reliability, companies tend to hire permanent help. In addition to this they suggest that the consulting rates, which have hit rock bottom, will slowly start picking up. This will also help drive the motivation to hire full time help. If you see your rates going up or a demand for additional roles, this might be a sign of good things happening!

In the meantime, Ntroduction team suggests that you

Take good care of your health
Keep yourselves abreast of changing trends and best practices
Be flexible in role; be adamant in life-style changes that may impact your health
Lastly, push your networking capabilities further – reach out beyond your friend’s circle. Shameless plug-in, Try Ntroduction.com risk-free – there is money back guarantee.

Consulting Versus Permanent Employment

Posted on July 12, 2010 by meghan_ntroduction

You may be one of the millions of people who are looking for work. Or maybe you’re working part-time and looking for full-time work or you’re lucky enough to have full-time work but are concerned about the stability of the job. If you are one of those people you maybe trying to discover what other options you may have for work. Even though the country is slowly coming out of the recession many companies and small businesses are still struggling and unable or unwilling to take on a lot of new hires. This is why consulting or freelance work might be a better option.

It’s no wonder that self-employment and consulting are growing within every field. And because of the unpredictable job market many of the downfalls to freelancing or consulting are things people face within regular full-time employment anyway, making consulting look even more appealing. This means now could be the best time to think about making the leap to freelance or consulting.

One of the biggest cons to freelance or consulting work is the lack of health care benefits. But this has always been the biggest challenge to freelance work. According to the Iowa Policy Project 26% of the U.S. workforce had jobs in 2005 that were in one way or another “nonstandard.” That includes independent contractors, temps, part-timers, and freelancers. Of those, 73% had no access to a retirement plan from their employer and 61% had no health insurance from their employer.

That was in 2005, but today more and more industries are seeing an increase in consultants and freelancers. That, alongside the recent Healthcare legislation that was passed, has created a situation ripe for new unions offering healthcare and more insurance companies offering individuals health plans for self-employed. Also many companies have cut down or let go all together their comprehensive benefits, making benefits a challenge even with full-time work.

You can also help tip the scales in your favor when setting your own rates while freelancing or consulting. When coming up with an hourly wage include your monthly insurance premiums in the factor. One of the greatest benefits to consulting work is that you set your pay and you get to decide how much your worth.

Another thing that can play a heavy part in helping you decide whether to work full time or freelance is your family situation. As hourly pay in a regular job sits lower than it has in years and many job falling into a more part-time than full-time situations, many jobs just don’t offset the cost of daycare, especially if you have more than one child.

When working freelance or consulting you can work from home and create a schedule that is conducive to your family.

If your still on the fence about whether to pursue a full-time job or branch out into consulting, another great way to balance the pros and cons of both is by joining a consulting company that can offer the benefits of full-time work yet the freedom of being self-employed.

In the current job climate nothing is set in stone and nothing is guaranteed. That’s why if ever there were a time to take a chance on yourself, now would be it.

Tips on Staying Employed

Posted on April 7, 2010 by meghan_ntroduction

422670456_68dd9265e3 Here on the blog we are always looking for at the future. How and where you can find your next job or a new career. But what if you’ve already got one? Sometimes keeping the job you already have is a challenge in it’s own. Today we’re going to take a look at a few ways you can work to keep the job you have.

With a pretty large number of people looking for work in this day and age it’s important that if you’re happy with the job you’ve got you may want to make an extra effort to ensure you keep it

Keep Your Skills Updated – Take a class at your local college or adult community education center. Something that will help keep your skills sharp and show you even better ways to do your job. And remember there’s a good chance your employer will foot the bill. If there is certifications you can achieve related to your field, go for it!
Play nice – When you get along with your co-workers and maintain a pleasant air around the office you can keep your office a pretty happy place. Avoid the gossip and office drama you’ll also stay on everybody’s good side.
Do Your Job – And do it well. Show up to work on time, do your job and don’t complain. A simple task that should remain at the top of your to-do list.
Stay Involved – Follow along the success of the company and whatever else is going on related to the company. Attend meetings as often as you can. Show your bosses your interested in the welfare of the company, not just your job.
Take Care of Yourself – Eat right, get enough sleep and exercise. Work out and be sure you make sure you take some time for yourself on the weekends. If you stay healthy and happy, that attitude will carry over into the workplace as well.

Happy Working!

Can You Telecommute?

Posted on April 5, 2010 by meghan_ntroduction

3703512976_8cecd9d5b0 Telecommuting is a great way to bring flexibility into the work/home life balance many of us are always trying to achieve. Here are a few tips for you if you’re thinking of making the jump to telecommuting full-time or even just a few days a week.

Before the Telecommute Begins:

Find out the Situation- Unfortunately telecommuting isn’t always something you cans imply decide” to do and start doing. First thing you need to do is see if your company already has a telecommute program in place. If so, find out the requirements and check to see if your job fits. If not, prepare to make a pitch.
Take a Closer look- take a realistic look at what you do and how much of it actually needs to be done from home.
Do Your Homework- More and more research is coming out everyday about the benefits of a flexible workplace, which offers telecommuting and other such options. The first thing you need to do is make of a list of how telecommuting is going to help the company by increasing productivity.
Make Your Pitch- Set up an appointment with your boss to pitch the idea. Make sure your pitch is both verbal and written. Go over the ways your job can be done from home, the benefits to the company, and be honest about the benefits for yourself. Don’t be afraid to tell your boss that you need to be there for your kids after school and this will solve the very serious childcare issue that’s been keeping you to working at full capacity.

Now Your Telecommuting:

Make sure your equipped – Make a list of all the things you’ll need at home and make sure you’re ready. Now your office may foot the bill for some or all needed equipment. But they may not. If you’re the one who’s pitched the idea, sharing the cost may be a compromise you need to make.

Location- Make sure you have an office or an equally designated space in your home for work. Though the couch may be tempting the reality is you need a work area to call your own and help you focus when you need to.

Stick to Schedule- Every Sunday make a schedule and stick to it! If you know between this time and that time you are working on a specific project or task, you’ll be more opt to stick to it and get it done.

Enjoy your new found flexibility and freedom!

5 Things to Avoid While on a Job Interview

Posted on March 15, 2010 by meghan_ntroduction

How long has it been since you went on a job interview? Many people who are looking for work today are people who have been laid off after working in the same job for years. Job searching in 2010 is a totally different endeavor than it was ten, five or even two years ago. That being said, there are some rules of job hunting that remain consistent. Especially when it comes to job interview etiquette.

Here are five things you want to AVOID doing at your next job interview.

Bad mouth your previous boss or company – While this may seem like a no brainer, it’s actually an easy to mistake when your interview is going well and you’re feeling comfortable with the person your talking with. Even settle complaints should be avoided at all costs. Such as, Boss was very unreasonable, very unclear in explaining, was a workaholic, was not a very good leader, was not strong and lacked respect in the company, my boss stole all my ideas. Etc
Complain about personal or professional hardships – unless some of those personal hardships have some bearing on the job at hand, leave your take of woe for another time.
Talk Office Politics - This goes for past office politics or asking about the politics of the job you’re applying for. Short of asking the details of whom YOU answer to, the political hierarchy will just have to present itself to you over time.
Complain about boredom – No matter what the circumstances were at your previous job, don’t talk about all the hours you spent on Facebook at your previous job because no one was giving you tasks to do. Seriously, just don’t.
Complain about your lack of connection - Once again, this is going to sound bad no matter how you say it. If you skipped meetings because you just generally didn’t click with the folks your work with for whatever reason, you should probably keep it to yourself.

It’s easy to get caught up in a conversation during a job interview, and that’s ok. Developing an instance repore with the person interviewing you is always a good sign. But don’t, nit even for a second, forget you’re on an interview!