RE: Marketing Yourself as a Consultant

["Diane Evans" <dianee -at- lockstream -dot- com>]

I am a technical writing consultant.  When you are talking about the "Bunny
Hop" -- that is my way of life.  I held five jobs in the last 18 months.  I
was unemployed for six weeks between two of the jobs...but was in
theCarribean for two of those weeks, so was only really out of a job for two
weeks after I got home.

 I have a portfolio of some of the work that I have done.  It is important
to watch what you put in your portfolio; anything that smacks of
"proprietary" information will make an employer less likely to hire you.
For example, I was the requirements analyst for a large software program,
but the only set of requirement documents that I felt safe putting in a
portfolio was a rather generic "Invoicing" project.
 I also have my own personal website:  www.myevansfamily.com.  I use this to
display samples of my work.  I had one interviewer call me in and say, "I
really don't want to hire you, but I wanted to meet someone who could create
this site with no misspellings."  Although I do not market myself as a web
developer, I can show that I have enough skills to keep a static site
current.
  My portfolio also includes things that I have done on my own.  I have done
desk-top publishing for years (since long before there were PCs -- remember
blue pencils?).  I keep a few of my old newsletters and other documents and
brochures handy.

 If you have had any works published, a copy of this is also wonderful.

 I also include certificates from any training classes that I have finished.
This includes on-line and in person training.  It looks impressive.

 Have your portfolio well-organized.  When an interviewer says, "Have you
ever written a functional spec?" be prepared to pull it instantly out of the
portfolio.  I also carry disks with copies of my resume so that I can leave
one with the interviewer.

 I always work with a consulting agency.  Yes, they get a good portion of
your money...but it is a symbiotic relationship.  They get me jobs, and I
get more money that I could make without them.  A good consulting agency has
many short-time positions for Attention Deficit people like myself who like
to go from job to job.  It also helps that I live and work in the Seattle
area, where there are lots of high-tech firms desperate for a good technical
writer.

 Will I be a consultant forever?  Probably not.  Although it has really been
a fun roller-coaster ride (I was a college professor previously, earning
about 1/3 of what I earn now), I am currently THE documentation department
in a dot-com with money and potential.  In the course of a day, I will write
requirements documents, use cases, error messages, and help files.  Because
most of the employees here are under 30, and I have been around the block
more than once, I am also the resident mother.

 Hope this diatribe helps!

Diane Evans
Technical Writer
Lockstream


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