Finding work on LinkedIn

Finding work on LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be a valuable tool for contractors; mainly due to its vast network which can have you connecting with so many useful contacts.

But where to begin?

Your LinkedIn profile page
Firstly, you need to make sure you create a great LinkedIn profile that showcases all of your expertise, skills and experience within your field. Using relevant keywords throughout can really help to improve your visibility.

Make sure to regularly keep your profile updated and take advantage of the ‘open to work’ feature so that potential clients know that you are actively looking for new contracts.

It’s also worth taking the time to share certain content and articles on your profile page, as well as taking part in industry discussions, as this can make you stand out to potential clients.

Searching for clients
LinkedIn allows you to create a thorough job search where you can look for the type of industry, location and job title.

You can also set up alerts using these search filters so that you’re made aware of any new roles as soon as they’re posted.

Once you’ve found a role, or a potential client, craft a personalised outreach message showing that you’ve researched the company and how much your skills and experience could benefit them. Just make sure not to waffle on too much, otherwise, you’re at risk of losing their interest!

Rates of pay

A lot of contractors can find setting their rates of pay quite difficult – it’s not easy working out what you and your skills are worth.

It can be useful to look at similar contractors and see what they charge and then compare their skills and experience against your own to get a rough idea.

It can also be helpful to have an annual amount you think you should be earning and then divide it to get to an hourly or daily rate (taking weekends/holidays/bank holidays into account), and then apply this method to fixed rate projects when you’ve worked out how long it’ll take you to complete the project.

Daily, hourly or fixed rate?

You’ll also need to decide how you will charge for your work and whether to set a daily, hourly or fixed rate.

This might change with each project, or you may even find that a client has their own preference.

Here are the pros and cons of each one:

Daily rate
A daily rate can be the easier option for both the contractor and the client in the sense that the contractor will have a better idea of how much they’ll be earning for a project and the client will also know how much they’ll be spending, which will help them from a budgeting point of view.

A contractor can also often charge more when it comes to a daily rate compared to an hourly one.

However, it’s worth being aware that if the client asks for additional work to be done within those days, which could essentially be seen as ‘over-time’, the contractor could miss out financially.

Hourly rate
An hourly rate can benefit a contractor if a project takes longer than expected, but it can become an issue should a client limit the number of hours that a contractor works on a project to cut costs.

Fixed rate
A fixed rate means that you know exactly how much you’ll be earning for a project, however, when setting this rate, you have to really think about how long a project will take, as you could find it takes longer than expected meaning you’re potentially being underpaid.

Take a look at our Contractor take home pay calculator to get an idea of how much you could take home either working through a limited company or under an umbrella.

If you’d like to sign up or need any further information, please give us a call on 01442 795 100 or you can email sophie.lewis@dolanaccountancy.com. There’s also the option to contact us via live chat.