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Things You Need To Know About Contracting



Whether you specialize in Credit Risk, Analytics, Data, Modeling, SAS, Insight, Data Management or Marketing Analytics, if you want to work on contract – this article will ensure you’re in the know.

The demand for contract workers continues to rise, especially within Data and Analytics, as flexible working becomes a way of life in many companies. Skills offered by professional contractors are highly valued by a wealth of organizations, many of whom see the procurement of short-term expertise as a key element in their recruitment strategy. Additionally, growing skills gaps in Data and Analytics have meant contract resource has become a necessity for many employers.


What is contract work?

Contract work means that you are not employed on a permanent basis by anyone (Apart from your own Limited Company). You have the freedom and flexibility to decide when you want to work and for how long. Generally within our sectors and industries of focus contract roles range from 3 month assignments to 2 year contracts.

In today’s competitive business environment employers are turning increasingly to contract professionals to provide additional resources as and when they are needed as well as securing harder to find skill sets for specific projects. In fact, for some Data and Analytics skills such as SAS Analytics, Web Analytics, Marketing Analysis & Credit Risk, there is a real shortage of talent and that’s where you come in.

In addition, the flexibility, choice and variety of experience you can achieve by fulfilling contract or interim positions mean that this is an increasingly popular career choice for many professionals. As well as the career choice, contract work can also be an ideal solution for those between permanent jobs, traveling or looking to return to work after a career break.


What are the options?

There are two main options for contracting – you can either set up your own limited company or go through an umbrella company. Which one is for you? If contracting is a long term career choice then setting up your own Limited Company may be the best option as it is the most tax efficient way of managing your income. However, if you are only going to contract for maybe 3 – 6 month with the intention of then getting a permanent job, the utilizing an umbrella company will potentially be your best choice.

If you choose to set up a Limited Company which is the most common route then you will need to:

Become familiar with the constraints of IR35 and what contractual agreements you should and shouldn’t enter in to. If you are paying taxes like a Limited Company, you will need to behave like one, for example restrictions potentially exist concerning how long you can provide services for one client. Also your Limited Company needs the right to substitute its employees with other consultants.

Get a good accountant. Don’t cut corners - you really should do everything thoroughly and by the book. This is a real hot topic for the Government at the moment and you need to be familiar with and comply with all the latest regulations.


Other considerations if your choose to contract

Think about the medium term when it comes to income, as a stable contract for 12 months at a market rate is far better than a very highly paid one for 3 months. It can take another 2 months to find that next contract and you could be unpaid for that length of time.

Be careful contracting through micro agencies (1 or 2 staff) if you can. If you do choose this route – you must credit check them. Some micro agencies can be financially risky - remember they are the ones paying you, not the client!

One of the big benefits of using agencies as well as an easy route to market for you is the fact they will normally pay you within 2 weeks of the end of the month you have just completed. Be aware contracting for companies directly can in many cases mean you are paid like a supplier and monthly invoices can take around 45 days to be paid in the UK.

 

Build your network

 

Lastly, build your network with all agencies, clients as well as other contractors.  However you choose to contract – you are now the sales function for you and your skills and your network will have the have the knowledge of where your next contract is.

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With over 10 years experience working solely in the Data & Analytics sector our consultants are able to offer detailed insights into the industry.

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HRtech Gets A Mindset Shift In 2020

HRTech Gets a Mindset Shift in 2020

Recent editor picks on LinkedIn highlight how jobs will change in the future. But as changes come, there are a dizzying array of tech advancements, products, and more in the job market landscape.If you’ve been looking through the telescopic lens of the Digital transformation and wonder, what’s next? Well, we may have a role for you. If you’re a business and wonder what’s next, we have some ideas to help you identify, hire, and retain top talent within the Data professional industry. Setting a Mindset Shift We have reached a time in which simply adding the word “tech” to something has shifted. Thinking digitally, or the Digital transformation combines the why with who, how, and which. Who does our technology impact, how will it change how they work, and which advancement is best suited to answer the call?  Below are just a few things to consider when developing your: Recruitment is a process, not a transaction. Interaction instead of reaction.Factor in not only human skills, but machine skills as well.Make employee experience a priority. Experience leads to Data which leads to Insights.Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have a wider role to play within the recruitment space.Base software selection decisions on user experience. Include everyone who will use the software in both the vendor demonstration and the decision process.Seek references from vendors to foster trust and connect with other organizations.Cloud based solutions far outweigh non-cloud solutions in today’s business climate. These are just a few suggestions to consider as you rethink your HR strategies. Incorporating technology with the human element is a new road for many businesses and essential for the future of work.  Design for Data and Insights Whether you’re talking about the employee experience or the customer journey, it’s important to design the process to generate Data. When you use design thinking, you put people at the center and from there can measure the variables which offer insights into thoughts and feelings. When you know these answers, you can always be improving and optimize for success.  As you consider what to invest in next, remember to think about the Data first. Use your workforce insights to determine the best way to move forward and understand how people impact your business. Measure effectiveness, but understand workforce insights go hand-in-hand with delivery. Rather than operating individually in a separate silo, everything is interconnected, just like in our day-to-day lives. It’s this connectedness which is the greatest shift. From our phones, our iPads, our laptops, and so on, we are able to tap into workforce solutions and find at its center a structurally sound HR strategy to ensure next gen talent is identified, hired, and retained. While we often speak of what you can do to retain your top talent, another focus might be how you communicate with leadership. To ensure everyone is on the same page, it’s important to be sure messaging is consistent across your organization. It’s this messaging along with new systems and strategies in which training and education play an even bigger part than in the past. There’s so much to learn and it comes so fast, that adoption of new technologies must be thought out in advance. Try to avoid chasing the next shiny object or new advancement and have a plan in place for staff and stakeholders to follow. Setting your top priorities now, as we enter a new decade of Data, can help ensure you’re proactive in your business strategy, not reactive. If you’re interested in AI, Big Data and Digital or Web Analytics, we may have a role for you. Check out our current opportunities or get in touch with one of our expert consultants to learn more.  For our West Coast Team, call (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to sanfraninfo@harnham.com.  For our Mid-West and East Coast Teams, call (212) 796 - 6070 or send an email to newyorkinfo@harnham.com.

Thomas Daughtrey

Thomas Daughtrey

16. January 2020

Can The New Decade Bring What The Last Decade Missed?

Can the New Decade Bring What the Last Decade Missed?

GDPR in Europe. State-by-state data privacy laws in the U.S. Online businesses which got their start in dorm rooms and garages have entered every arena including grocery, health, and politics.   Social media habits are no longer in the purview of angsty teens, but are in high demand by corporations; reaching to the highest office in this land. Data infuses every business, day-to-day life, and personal preference, but has it been the grand design imagined at the turn of this century? We can speak with people around the world in real-time, but the internet and the data it gathers has raised a curtain we can hide behind. What had once been intended to unite us, had alienated us instead. As we enter a new decade, it begs the question. Can the new decade bring what the last decade missed? Grand Statements Distract from the Bigger Picture Somewhere between the Y2K scare and the predictions of a digital age, tendrils of the then superhighway began to weave itself into our daily lives. Shouting its pros from the rooftops, and little to nothing of the cons, we became apathetic to our own sensibilities. We put our faith in tech, expecting it to tame the wild side of the possibilities within the internet’s environment. It didn’t. We held grandiose ideals that technology would free us from the daily grind. Allow us to do more. Instead, we hold a computer in our hand and are available 24/7. No rest for the weary. As we attempt to disentangle ourselves, and focus on coordinated efforts to right twenty years of laissez-faire policy, we can look to the Harris Poll Alienation Index. Want to know what people believe and how to help them help themselves? This is a great place to start. Where Do We Fit? Really. Over the last few years, we’ve focused on diversity and inclusion with a focus on those in the Data industry. But beyond race and gender, there’s a wider gap and the Harris Poll strives to help us understand what’s wrong so we can fix it. After all, isn’t this the basis of why we seek Data? To have the information we need to correct a problem? Data is the new oil. Data Scientists are the next rock stars. These statements and similar filled headlines in the second half of the 2010s. While its true, the question is, what does it mean? Well, it depends. Data is a commodity and when it comes to healthcare, social services, food, and housing, it’s important to have the right information. On the flip side, it can be used to skew feelings further to one side or the other. And that can cause bigger problems. So, the question becomes not ‘can the new decade bring what the last decade missed,’ but ‘what should we be asking and where do we fit, really?’ What the Last Decade Missed Without meaning to, the last decade alienated most of us from the powers that be and from each other. In our excitement to connect, we have 5,000 friends or connections, none of whom we know. Slowly, the norm is building to have “offline meetings” once again. Remember when it was the other way around? Our Data isn’t our own and its only been in recent years, major platforms have attempted to listen. Feelings persist of loneliness, anger, and a sense that no one is listening or cares. Driving the wedge further is class and incentivization. We want to belong. But in our most recent digital world, it’s a ‘pay to play’ belonging.  One Final Thought… It may seem as though this has been a disparagement about the digital world. But ultimately, it’s a cautionary tale of the changes which are possible as we enter this new decade. After all, we want to fill the gap the last decade missed and changes are already under way. We have begun to come together much more in the way the digital nation was intended. New startups are paying attention to how people feel and what they want or need. Businesses need soft skills to balance out the technical skills to help with communication across departments and for stakeholders.  Can you talk to a UX Designer or Data Engineer as easily as you can talk to an Executive? Can you take a request from an Executive and explain it to your Data Analyst? It’s this flexibility which remains an important skill to focus on the next decade begins. Are you up for the challenge? If so, we may have a role for you. Take a look at our current opportunities or get in touch with one of our expert consultants to learn more: For our West Coast Team, call (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to sanfraninfo@harnham.com.  For our Mid-West and East Coast Teams, call (212) 796 - 6070 or send an email to newyorkinfo@harnham.com.

Bryan Minami

Bryan Minami

09. January 2020

How To Make A Mid-Career Move Into Data & Analytics

The world of work has changed and in the world of tech, it’s in a league all its own. While some articles ponder the strange strategy of school and work start and end times, others talk about the hottest jobs on the market. We already know Big Data, Analytics, and anything data-related is the place for aspiring data professionals. Both universities and businesses have amped up their curriculum and offers to help skilled workers keep up with the demand. Skilled workers. These are the people needed to fill the jobs of the future. The jobs automation can’t do, not yet. The jobs which require the human element like why a consumer buys one product or service over another (read: gut instinct). Gut instinct. It’s something developed through our human experiences. But what about those aspiring Data professionals who are coming from other industries and not directly from university. What would someone who wanted to make a mid-career change need to consider before making their move? 11 Things to Consider About Your Mid-Career Change While everyone has different reasons for changing career paths, two of the most common are money and unhappiness. For more about what employees want to remain in their job, check out this year’s Diversity Report. Mid-career changers making the leap into the tech industry plan for a year.  As you plan, think about these questions, and find your why. Then, figure out how. Are you looking for a more challenging role?Looking for advancement opportunities?Do you want more flexibility in your career?Do you just want to move location or do your motivations run deeper?Are you ready to be a student again? Are you willing to “learn the ropes” again – processes and frameworks?Do you have the support of your family as you enter this next phase of your life?What’s the best way for you to learn the technical skills required? Is it a university degree, or a combination of degree, certification program, and/or bootcamp?Are you prepared for the costs associated with a career-change? Not just moving from employee to student, but prepared for the right business for your newly acquired skills.Do you have what it takes to make your desired career change? Are you prepared for the challenges, pitfalls, and triumphs change and new projects brings? You’ve thought long and hard about these questions. Your family’s on board. You’ve made it through an intensive educational program, and you’re ready for next steps. So, now what? Well, we’ve got a few articles you might want to check out to learn best practices for applying in this industry. Though you may have an edge in your business knowledge, goals, processes, and implementation of technologies, there are a few other pieces we can offer to round things out. We want to help set you up for success with tips for your resume, including how to boost it with video, and add a layer of depth without shedding the basics. And to round it all out, check out our article on how to rock your interview.  Over to You  If you’re interested in making a career-change into the world of data, let us know how we did with this article. What other questions do you have? And if you’ve made the leap, we’d love to hear from you about your journey into Data Science or other position in the Data and Tech industry. If you’re interested in Big Data & Analytics, Bioinformatics, Computer Vision, or Data Science, we may have a role for you. Take a look at our current opportunities or get in touch with one of our expert consultants to learn more.  For our West Coast Team, call (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to sanfraninfo@harnham.com.  For our Mid-West and East Coast Teams, call (212) 796 - 6070 or send an email to newyorkinfo@harnham.com

Karla Guerra

Karla Guerra

12. December 2019

COMPUTER VISION AND MORE. WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2020?

Computer Vision and More. What’s in Store for 2020?

For years, we’ve been blending tech with tradition as technological advances have moved us forward. At the heart of it all are Data, the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Demand is high for advanced connected devices and at the industrial level, this means robots. According to market reports, the smart robot market is expected to be worth just over $14 billion by 2023. As we reach the turn of the decade, there are a few other trends to be mindful of as well. These include such disruptive technologies as automation, phygital spaces, smart buildings, and digital twinning to name a few. While disruption may often be evocative of something negative. In the tech world, it isn’t. But how the technologies are used and what they’re for may change our world, not unlike the invention of electricity changed the world of agriculture into the Industrial Age. With that in mind, here are some of the most disruptive technologies for 2020: Robots & Automation It’s almost a broken record, isn’t it? How quickly technological advances are marching across our landscape of connected devices? But the immersion of these devices into our lives offer a variety of interactions far beyond that we’ve so far imagined. AI-enabled robots, for example, are able to interact and respond to time crunched human situations. There’s more to robots and automation than meets the eye and the additional technologies just might have the answers to the challenges we are facing and will face in the future. Phygital Spaces  What if you could go to a baseball game with the experience of being at the game without leaving your couch? What if you could watch a race as though you were a participant? What if…? What if the technology to do this was already here? Enter phygital spaces, the blending of physical spaces and digital technology by bringing together AR, VR, mixed, and human reality.  Ready, Player One? Predictions are in for the growth of the AR/VR Industry to a $160 billion industry in the next three years.  Smart buildings  Since 2000, the smart building market has been expanding. Voice Assistants, smart home tech, and IoT allow you to check on your home’s safety from a remote location, control your temperatures, and even let the cable man in (if you still have it) without ever leaving your office.  However, immersive experiences are also becoming part of business management systems as well. The common denominating factor in these new advances? Where once you controlled each stage, now, based on preferences, changes will be made by measuring heat signatures, time of day, or some other assigned metric.   Safety & Security Come First As exciting as these advances are, there is one important thing to remember. While robots have become smarter and we offer an abundance of Data to varying degrees for our convenience, robots are not human. They may be able to reason in bits and bytes, but moral reasoning remains an entirely human endeavor. GDPR in the UK. Data Privacy Regulations state by state across the United States. They are steps in ensuring your Data’s safety and security, but as we increasingly combine and blend robots and automation, AR and VR technologies, digital twinning, voice assistants, and more across our connected devices its important to be aware and careful what you do on networked systems. No matter how strong your password, no matter how secure your system, everything can be hacked. Want to get a jump on your 2020 job search? If you’re interested in Computer Vision, Robots and Automation, Big Data and Digital or Web Analytics, we may have a role for you. Take a look at our latest opportunities or get in touch with one of our expert consultants to learn more.  For our West Coast Team, call (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to sanfraninfo@harnham.com.  For our Mid-West and East Coast Teams, call (212) 796 - 6070 or send an email to newyorkinfo@harnham.com.

Mairead Holt

Mairead Holt

28. November 2019

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