7C Alliance will be piloting contract job search analysis workshops (JSAW), as a new form of Study Group for IT contractors, over 2 days in West London on Wednesday, 9th and Thursday 10th September 2009, followed by networking at the LITCAM Monthly Meetup.
Definition and Focus
These will be sessions where fellow IT contract freelancers can get together – in some cases with contract recruiters – and discuss, face-to-face, how they are finding the market for IT contract work. The intention is to provide an opportunity to compare experiences on how they are finding work either online or through face-to-face networking, focus on what works best for sourcing contract work online as well as discuss what follow-up is needed to help secure it with any one of agencies, consultancies or end-clients. Some direct one-on-one assistance will be available to help those with challenges in sourcing work relevant to them (see below for details). This assistance will be provided through either one-on-one or group sessions.
Presentation will also be made by contract recruiters on observations of what knowledge or skills that the market is seeking in their area – and these sessions will be geared to participation with contractors who already have had some relevant exposure to the market that the recruiter is presenting on. As such, registration is required for these sessions and is based on participants already having some experience relevant to the recruiter’s area of focus for recruitment.
Contractor Job-Search Support Provided
Some support will be provided to participants from 7C Alliance member volunteers experienced in social media and online networking. This will be based on how they have found contacts or work online that is most relevant to their capability – and they will show how this can best be done through identifying the mix of either job board, agency or end-client web-sites that are most relevant to each contractor . How participation in online discussion forums can help to source work, such as those provided by LinkedIn, Xing, ecademy, Facebook and Gum Tree, will also be discussed.
Analysis
7C Alliance will endeavour to note participant’s own experience, including tips and traps, and ensure that this included in key Q & A discussion at 7C Alliance’s de facto “Club House” in West London. A follow-up Blog will be produced that captures experience relevant to the group attending.
Industry-Focus Presentations By Contract Recruiters
These will take the form of one-hour workshops and be a more formal get-together. They will involve presentations by representatives from leading recruitment agencies on observations of types of IT solutions and work that they have noted end-clients are interested in, e.g. trading and risk management in the Banking sector, and will then be followed by Q & A.
Post-JSAW
The London IT Contractor Alliance Meetup (LITCAM) group’s Monthly Meetup will follow on at the conclusion of these workshops on Thursday 10th September. This will be held over coffee or tea initially at 7C Alliance’s de facto Club House in West London, followed by adjournment at around 8pm to either a local restaurant or pub. This will be held from 6pm onwards and will be an opportunity for the participants at JSAW to meet face-to-face and share experiences, as well as relevant leads and contacts, with fellow contractor colleagues on the LITCAM list.
JSAW Registration
Please register interest online by selecting “Study Group” on the Contact Us page of the 7C Alliance web-site – and put JSAW in the query details of the form. If interested in being part of the networking that follows on – and not already on the LITCAM list, then please also register for LITCAM too.
Final date for registration is cob. Monday, 7 September. Further discussion on this and other initiatives for IT contracting in the UK can be had by joining the 7C Alliance Discussion Group on LinkedIn.
