IT Consulting Guide: Tips and Tactics for Being a Successful Consultant
Welcome to the Information Technology (IT) Consulting Guide. Hopefully you're a consultant in the information technology industry. The alternative is that some search engine has brought you here after you've searched for something I've written about. Either way, I welcome you.
First off, a little about me. I trudged my way through a computer science degree in the early 90's and then spent several years writing code on contract. For the last several years I've taken on more senior roles and have been involved with system architecture and project management. I was around during the dotcom boom and continued to consult when the bubble burst. I've seen the good and the bad of what a career in consulting can offer.
The purpose of this guide is to help you, the aspiring consultant, do your job better and to hopefully help you navigate the sometimes rough waters of a consulting career. In future posts I'll be writing about my experiences and about my thoughts on the IT industry both in the present and future. I'll also look at how things differ when you work through a recruiter and when you work as an independent.
Lastly, I believe keeping in touch with the IT industry is important. One easy way to spot trends and prepare for future work is to keep an eye on what market research companies are doing. These are the companies that make money off of spotting trends. So you can easily benefit from their legwork by keeping tabs on the press releases they put out. The ones I think are interesting will be re-published on this site.
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How Consultants Get Their Business
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Independent Consulting Guide: Breaking Away
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The Proposal Process: Lessons Learned
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Office Politics and Consultants
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What is Consulting?
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Solution Design Feasibility
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Guard Your References
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Consulting Jiu-Jitsu
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Independent Consulting Guide: Do You Have What It Takes?
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Don't Work Overtime for Free
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Fixed Bid Follies
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Consulting Process Model
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Answering Interview Questions
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Presentation Tips for Consultants
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Never Say You're a Consultant
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Common Consulting Mistakes
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Sample Cold Calling Phone Script
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Report Writing for Consultants
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How to Write a Memo
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Recruiters Don't Work For the Job Seeker
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Phone Interviews
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Don't Work for Free
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Setting Your Consulting Rate
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Finding Work
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Consultant Professionalism
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Questioning Tips
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Fixed Bid vs. Hourly Billing
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Go to Lunch
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Fixed Fee vs. Hourly Billing
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W2 Umbrella Companies
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Switching from Employee to IT Consultant
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Consulting Relationship Stages
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Beware The Mischievous Recruiter
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Salary Negotiations
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Selling Consulting: It's Harder Than What You Expect
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Determining Project Pricing
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Consulting Clients Don't Always Pay
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5 Phases of Consulting
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Independent Consulting Guide: Marketing Yourself
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Project Risk Control
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What Consultants Deliver
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Deductions for IT Consultants
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Techies: Don't Get Pigeonholed!
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Legal Issues in Consulting
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Video Resumes: Don't Believe the Hype
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Consultant Presentations
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Listening Tips for Consultants
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The Lunch Interview
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3 Skills a Consultant Must Have
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Everything You Need to Know About Consultants
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Good Recruiters: They Really Do Exist!
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Customer Influencer Roles and Their Motivations
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Working for Free on a 1099