How do I approach a company looking for contract work?

Question

After about 3 years of working a 9-5 at a couple companies, I've found myself unemployed. My current location doesn't seem to have many opportunities that interest me, so I'm considering working from home doing contract work.

I've started to send out some resumes to postings I've seen on boards like jobs.rubynow.com and similar web-sites. I haven't had much response though. I'm not sure what a company is looking for other than "where did you hear about us" and seeing my resume.

Is there any sort of protocol that companies looking for contract work like to see in a cold-call sort of email?

Answer 1

The US, and the world in general, is not in the best economic state at the moment (to say the least). So, besides improving your skills and increasing your skill set, I would suggest doing precisely what you're doing. Get your name out there, send out resumes to companies which you think fit you best, as well as job posting sites. Education is, of course, very important to a lot of companies.

Besides that, all we can do is wait for an economic turn-around, which is inevitible sooner or later.

Companies want to make money. Therefore, what companies want is a skill set that will benefit them in a way that will ease them into rearching that goal. Your goal would be to show them that you are the best person to lead them through that process.

Answer 2

A simple CV/resume that is very focused on examples of your past work.

By the sounds of things your a Web Developer so make sure you include examples of all of the best websites that you have worked on.

I know that when I contract things out I am most interested in someones past work. I want someone with good experience so that I know they will get the job done efficiently.

edit: sorry about the CV/Resume confusion

Answer 3

Have you checked out Elance? You can actually bid on contract work there. This should give you a feel for what companies are looking for.

Answer 4

I know in my area and in my experience, most companies, especially larger businesses and corporations, will not hire "freelance" contractors. They typically will only hire contractors through agencies such as Robert Half or Sogetti. For instance, at one company I worked at they had a deal with RHI where they had 3 weeks to try and fill a job vacancy before the position was opened to other agencies. And if they still hadn't filled the position after 6 weeks, only then did they open the position to direct applicants.