Mothers as contractors

Having a baby changes your life. There’s no getting away from that. Some people embrace this change, make the most of their maternity leave and then go back to work. Others see this change as a real turning point in their lives and an opportunity to do something different.

 

 

More and more mothers are becoming contractors rather than returning to their previous role in the workplace. Here are just some of the reasons why we think this is great news for mothers and for businesses:

The flexibility and freedom of contracting is hugely attractive for mothers

Contracting brings the flexibility that many mothers are looking for. When you have children, there are periods when working 9 to 5 (or more likely 8 to 8) just doesn’t work. While contracting is far from an easy option, it does allow you to choose when you want to work and when you don’t. It may be that you choose to take a 3-month contract and then take a couple of months off to fit in with school holidays? Or perhaps you’re contracting with an arrangement that allows you to work your own hours? Either way, the flexibility and freedom that contracting brings is hugely attractive to most mothers.

Organised and focused mothers are hugely attractive for businesses

Being organised and focused is all ‘part of the job’ of being a mother. Mothers have a reputation for juggling a host of different tasks successfully. As such, when it comes to being contractors, they’re more often than not great news for business owners. Having someone on the team on a contracting basis who’s organised and focused generally spells great results all round. At The Smart Contractor we can help out with your contractor bookkeeping and accounts.

Mothers as contractors is hugely attractive all-round

Mothers as contractors is generally speaking a great deal all-round. Mothers get the work:life balance they’re looking for and business owners get a great addition to their team without the expense of directly employing someone. This is a real win:win situation.

All of that said, if you’re a mother thinking about becoming a contractor for the first time it’s well worth planning your journey carefully. Here are our Top Tips for making a real success of contracting from the start:

•  Do your sums. Before you go into contracting, do your sums and make sure the figures add up to what you need to live your life and look after your family.
•  Know your customers. It’s really important to know WHY your customers are looking to take on contractors. Only by knowing what your customers’ pain points and problems are can you market yourself effectively.
•  Identify your value proposition. Only by knowing exactly what value you can bring to a business can you stand out in a busy contracting marketplace. Take time to work out your value proposition and put words around it that are appealing to your target market’s pains or problems.
•  Get great messages. Once you’ve identified your potential customers’ pain points and your value proposition, invest the time required to get great words around why you’re the best person in the world to soothe those pains.
•  Put procedures in place. At the start of your contracting journey, you may have sufficient time to juggle all the things that need to get done, but when you get busy, you’ll need procedures in place. Put the right procedures in place from the start and your contracting will be plain sailing.
•  Keep an eye on cashflow. Cashflow is King and keeping an eye on what’s coming and going out of your till is an essential part of running a successful contracting business – so set aside time to do this on a regular basis.
•  Outsource what you can’t (or shouldn’t) do. At the start, you might be willing to burn the midnight oil to save money, but in the long run it makes great sense to outsource tasks that you’re not great at or shouldn’t be spending time doing. Things like accounting and tax really are top priority.

The Smart Contractor is here to support all contractors. We have a team of expert bookkeepers and accountants on hand to help your contracting business succeed. If you’d like help, why not reach out today?

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Making the right impression in an interview

At The Smart Contractor we understand that many contractors struggle with making the right impression in an interview.

But why do they struggle? First, when they set up their contracting business they kind of imagined that their interview days were over – and of course that’s not the case. Second, they’re human and interviews are tough.

 

 

With this in mind, we’ve put together this simple Top 10 Tips to help you get through even the toughest of interviews:

1. Be organised. Being organised for interview makes the experience a whole lot easier. What’s more, good interviewers can sniff out whether you’re organised or not. Basic things like making sure you have your travel plans spot on and arrive at the right time means you won’t be flustered. You should also make sure you’ve done your homework well ahead of time so you’re not rushing at the last minute.
2. Be prepared. Being prepared for interview means that the first impression you give is one of confidence and calm. Making sure you know your interviewers pain points as well as why you’re the best person for the job is an absolute minimum.
3. Manage stress. It’s normal to be stressed at interview. In fact, no stress generally leads to a mediocre performance, but you need to manage your stress so it’s under control. Spend some time ahead of the interview to master a couple of stress management techniques that you can use on the day. That way you can use the adrenalin flow to your advantage.
4. Look the part. Dressing appropriately needn’t mean dressing like someone else or spending a fortune. However, it’s important to do your research and understand the dress code of the company you’re going to – even if you are going to spend most of your time contracting from home. This one’s simple really – here’s no point turning up in a suit and tie if the whole team are in ripped denims and vintage Converses. However, you certainly don’t want to turn up in ripped denims and vintage converses if they’re all in suits. Do your homework, dress according to your findings and work on making the right impression.
5. Be yourself. While there’s no place at interview for the banter you’d share with your friends on a Friday night, it’s important to allow your personality to shine through. At the end of the day, if you get the contract, you’re going to be yourself, so it’s best to let them see a bit of the real you right from the start.
6. Be positive. No one likes a moaner. Even if you’ve become a contractor for negative reasons, such as redundancy or long-term unemployment, put a positive spin on it at interview. Make sure you sound enthusiastic about what you can bring to the table without being ‘gushy’.
7. Be aware of your body language. Your body says a whole lot about you before you even open your mouth. Standing up straight, looking your interviewers in the eye, sitting comfortably but confidently and open to your interviewer all show that you’re quietly confident and comfortable.
8. Use your voice. Even if you’re nervous you can practice controlling your voice to hide your nerves. Make sure you speak in a natural way, varying the volume and pitch of your voice to add emphasis and interest to what you say.
9. Ask questions. Prepare some questions ahead of time so you look and sound interested. Try to focus on the big picture as well as the detail of the contract you’re pitching for.
10. Consider sending a Thank You note. Thank You notes aren’t always appropriate, but they can be a nice touch in the right situation. If you feel as if a Thank You note will add value to your initial impression – send one.

At The Smart Contractor, we work with people like you day-in and day-out and we’d love to hear how we could help make your contracting journey easier, better or more successful.

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