In order to progress their careers, contractors should aim to finish contracts in a stronger position than when they started. This means putting in time, effort and energy, but it will pay off in earning you increased security, opening up new opportunities and developing your skills and experience.
In this guide, Umbrella Supermarket have put together our top tips to help contractors build long-term success and excel their careers in 2020.
Building strong relationships with the client creates trust and respect between both parties and is therefore essential to progressing in your contracting career.
From a good working relationship can grow contract renewals, that all-important glowing reference and new, future opportunities. After all, a client you have built a solid rapport with is more likely to get in touch in the future than a client that can barely remember your name.
Focus on what you have in common with the client, this breaks the ice and gives both parties plenty to talk about. Show the client that you are an excellent listener and communicator. After all, great communication skills are the key to any lasting relationship. Finally, always exhibit great body language. This shows you are friendly, open and makes it easy for the client to connect with you.
85% of jobs are filled through networking. It is an essential way of progressing your career in contracting, keeping up-to-date with industry news, meeting fellow contractors and potential clients as well as learning about new opportunities.
Any contractor serious about accomplishing long-term success needs to make networking a priority. There are several ways contractors can network, including:
The key to a long-lived successful career in contracting is to hold an up-to-date, in-demand set of skills in your niche. After all, 90% of clients take on the services of contractors to fill a temporary skills gap.
This should come as second nature to savvy contractors, 54% of which choose the contracting lifestyle as a way of achieving their career goals and ambitions.
Contractors with competitive skill sets in an in-demand niche will be able to charge better rates, win more contracts and grow their reputation as an industry expert.
To gain a competitive, up-to-date set of skills, contractors can:
Any contractor worth their salt should deliver their highest quality of work on every contract they work on. Never over-promise and under-deliver. Instead, go the extra mile to over-deliver on projects - this will make you an invaluable asset to the client.
Delivering quality and exceeding the client’s expectations will increase the chances you will be a contractor they want to continue working with, or someone they will offer an exceptional reference for.
The client expects you to deliver, but doing more than is expected of you speaks volumes about your abilities, commitment and work ethic.
Contracting requires a greater degree of flexibility than permanent employment. In fact, this is a reason that 38% choose contracting.
To thrive in your contracting career, contractors must be prepared to be flexible in terms of where they work, when they work and for how long. 10% of contractors that changed companies over the past year also moved to a new region. It might be the case that you are required to commute or even relocate – this is all part and parcel of working on the best contracts and progressing your career.
To ensure success on every contract you work on, it’s important to avoid burnout. Maintain a strong level of productivity whilst at work by striking a good work-life balance. After all, 58% of contractors are attracted to contracting as a career option as a way of gaining a better work-life balance, but in reality contractors can work intensively on the contract at hand, finding it difficult to switch off.
To avoid this, contractors can:
Making use of the services of an umbrella company lessens the burdens of paperwork and takes care of tricky tax calculations, freeing up more of contractors’ time to thrive and succeed in their careers in 2020. For more help finding the best umbrella company for your contracting needs, Umbrella Supermarket’s handy comparison tool is a great way to find the best option for you.
Any contractor considering switching to an umbrella company will want to know how to find the best provider to work with.
Although you could spend your precious time and energy searching the web for the best umbrella company, there is an easier way – using an umbrella calculator.
In this guide, Umbrella Supermarket explains why every contractor should use an umbrella calculator in 2021.
If you are considering contracting you will need to decide on PAYE or umbrella.
It can be a difficult decision to make and contractors will inevitably be questioning which option will be the best for them.
To help every contractor get on the right track for them, in this guide Umbrella Supermarket looks at PAYE vs umbrella, outlining the key differences and how this will impact you.
There are many reasons that contractors across the UK opt to work under an umbrella company.
Umbrella companies offer an easy way to contract and remove the need for the contractors to worry about the burdens of admin, finances, tax and IR35, all things that limited company contractors have to deal with.
For this reason, many contractors will be weighing up their options and questioning whether it is worth using an umbrella company in 2021. To help make the decision that little bit easier, Umbrella Supermarket has put together this guide on the pros and cons of using an umbrella company.
Any contractor that is considering operating through an umbrella company in 2021 will need to understand Umbrella Company fees - from why an umbrella company charges fees, how they are paid to how much the contractor will pay.
In this guide, Umbrella Supermarket answers those all-important questions to help every contractor know exactly where they stand when it comes to umbrella company fees.
If you’ve made the decision to contract through an umbrella company in 2021, you will next need to find an umbrella company that’s right for you.
After all, there are lots of umbrella companies out there, so how do you know which one to choose?
To help you find the best umbrella company for you, in this guide Umbrella Supermarket outlines what makes a good umbrella company, so you can rest assured you’re making the right move.
One of the many advantages to operating through an umbrella company for contractors is that they become an employee of their chosen provider.
In turn, this means that the contractor will be automatically enrolled onto the umbrella company’s workplace pension scheme.
To help contractors find out more about umbrella company pensions Umbrella Supermarket has put together this handy guide.
If you are considering contracting through an umbrella company you will naturally have questions and queries over how they work.
After all, making the move to umbrella can be a big step for contractors. To help, in this guide Umbrella Supermarket explains how to get started with an umbrella company and share our top tips for using one in 2021.
PAYE or umbrella is a question asked by every contractor. Which one you opt for will have a big impact on your contracting career and lifestyle. So, it's important to make the right decision for you.
To help makes things a little bit easier, Umbrella Supermarket has put together this guide on PAYE or umbrella, outlining the key differences between each, to help you make the best and most informed decision for you.
One of the many benefits to working through an umbrella company is that you will receive holiday pay as well as a range of other statutory benefits including sick pay, maternity and paternity pay.
To find out more about umbrella company holiday pay, and how to calculate how much you will be entitled to, Umbrella Supermarket has put together this handy guide.
Contractors must make several decisions throughout their contracting careers. One big decision contractors have to make is how they will operate.
One way that contractors can work is through an umbrella company.
Umbrella companies have become an increasingly popular way to contract in the past few years, offering many benefits to the contractor. But, how do you know whether this option is right for you?
To help every contractor make the right decision for them, in this guide, Umbrella Supermarket explains when not to use an umbrella company.
There are tons of benefits to using an umbrella company, which is why they have become such a popular option for contractors in recent years.
After all, an umbrella company takes away the stress and hassle of operating through a limited company whilst offering contractors a range of advantages, such as statutory rights, paying them a salary, deducting correct tax levels and National Insurance, and taking care of tasks like expense processing and invoicing.
However, as more and more contractors opt to use the services of an umbrella company, more providers have started to claim that they are HMRC approved.
To bust the myths around HMRC approved umbrella companies and get straight to the facts, in today's guide Umbrella Supermarket look at whether HMRC approved umbrella companies really exist, so you know exactly where you stand.
If you're considering making the leap to contracting, you will understandably want to know how much you will have to pay in umbrella company costs. After all, this amount comes directly out of the contractor’s pocket, so it’s important to be clued up on how much you should expect to pay.
To help contractors, in this guide Umbrella Supermarket answer the all-important question of how umbrella companies cost in 2021.
