I recently wrote a series of three articles for IT Business Edge, an online magazine for technology professionals. By reading these articles, you can learn how to land lucrative short-term (and long-term) assigments using my creative marketing strategies. They have consistently worked for me, and they can work for you.

Once you have read my articles, I encourage you to read my book, watch my DVD, and listen to my CD.

Mitch Paioff

Yes, it is. I have been an independent computer consultant for a little more than seven years. I put off buying E&O insurance until about a year ago. Errors and omissions insurance is expensive, and I had been trying avoid that expense.

What I am finding is that more and more consulting firms and recruiting agencies are requiring their 1099 contractors to carry their own E&O insurance, in addition to general liability insurance. This wasn’t the case just a couple of years ago.

Anyone who has been a consultant for more than a week knows that when something goes wrong on a project, the consultants always get blamed, regardless of who really is at fault. I have never been sued and don’t know of any computer consultants who have been sued. But it is best to protect yourself because the worse case scenario could be financially devastating.

I bought my E&O and general liability insurance policies from The Hartford. You can contact Jenny Skalnig at 1-877-853-2582 x4417 jenny.skalnig@thehartford.com for more information.

Some consulting firms and agencies will cover you on their own policies if you are their W-2 employee, but you need to check with them first.

Here are a couple of other sources for E&O insurance:

www.wiredforgrowth.com

www.techinsurance.com

I look forward to reading your comments

Mitch Paioff, Author, Getting Started as an Independent Computer Consultant

I am frequently asked this question by my readers. The obvious answer is to search the job websites like Monster and Dice for consulting opportunities and apply online. Everybody knows that.

What a lot of contractors and independent consultants don’t realize is that they can bypass the agencies, recruiters, and consulting firms and get hired directly by a client.

Have I done this? Yes! Many, many, many times. I have been a successful independent computer consultant for over seven years. About 30% of my consulting projects have come directly through clients, without any agencies involved. How do I do this?

Cold calling. Yes, cold calling…if you are unemployed or between projects, then you need to get on the phone and start calling complete strangers and ask them to hire you. Getting hired directly by a client, where you bypass the agencies and consulting firms, is the best possible scenario for contractors like me.

I know, you’re probably thinking “Cold calling? That is beneath me! I would never do that!” Well, I am living proof that it works. Some of my best, highest paying consulting projects have come as a direct result of me calling up companies and asking them to hire me.

Another other way to find projects is to 1) create your own website, and 2) advertise on Google’s AdWords. My results using AdWords have been mixed. And it can be expensive. But I have acquired a couple of clients this way. You’re still better off cold calling. It’s effective, and it’s cheap.

I look forward to reading your comments.

Mitch Paioff, Author, Getting Started as an Independent Computer Consultant