Freelance Guide continued:-

The first steps

Availability The freelance market is a very fast moving world. If you are looking for freelance work, then you will need to be available to start a job within a few days of receiving a phone call from an agency or potential employer. If you are currently on more than a weeks notice with your current employer, then going freelance will be a major decision. You will have to give notice to your employer without having any work set up for when your notice period has expired.

We strongly suggest that you speak to us or another agency first, so that they can advise you if the market is currently buoyant enough to warrant taking such a risk.

Preparing a CV A full CV is essential. Get one typed up in Word format, and if you do not have access to a computer all the time, then make copies onto several floppy discs. This will then enable you to quickly send off your CV to various agencies and also to post it onto the Internet.

Include on your CV the names and telephone numbers of 3 previous employers, so that they can be contacted for a reference. This is essential, as most good agencies will not send out anyone on assignment until they have taken references on them.

Full details on how to prepare a CV can be found in the Candidates section of this web site.

Dealing with agencies

Choosing the right one. Rockall specialize in the supply of freelance staff to the construction industry. Our main target area is Wales and the South West, although we do supply people across the UK on demand. These are the two pieces of information you need to know about the agency you are dealing with. Local and Trade Press, the Yellow Pages and the Internet will all give you an idea of which other agencies specialize in a similar field in your geographical area.

Initial application Once you have found a likely looking agency, then you should prepare answers to the following questions before speaking to them.

	When you are available for work
	What kind of work you are looking for
	What geographical area you are looking for work in
	A rough guide to the kind of hourly rate you are looking for

Once you have thought about this, call the agency and ask to speak to the person who deals with work in your field. If he or she is not available, ask for their name and e-mail address so that you may forward them a copy of your CV. In the e-mail, you should include answers to the above questions.
When you speak to the consultant, it is important that you are able to sum up your abilities and aspirations concisely.

Agencies need to know what you can do and what you want to do, otherwise they will be unable to help you.