How difficult was it for you to find contractor roles?

Question

So I'm looking at exploring contractor roles more seriously. I've been a contractor before but I fell into those roles. I'm trying to be more proactive in finding contractor roles but I wanted to ask for advice as I start to work on this.

What were the most useful things you did to find contractor roles?

Rahul Pandey · Accepted Answer

I haven't had a contractor role as a software engineer, but I had one as an instructor for Codepath. I landed this since I went through the Codepath class, and had a portfolio of work demonstrating what I learned, and I stayed in touch with the founders.

I think the same playbook could apply for contractors.

Build a portfolio of your work (for contractors, more so than FTE), you're hired for a specific skillset rather than your learning.
- Make it clear why your work is impactful and impressive. Having published apps here helps a lot.
Leverage your network. If you want to commit to being a contractor, you should spend a good amount of your time in brand-building and marketing.
Get in touch with people you've worked in the past. Offer a concrete deliverable which is fairly quick for you to complete, and builds more trust.

Unless you're desperate (or you're purely doing it for lead-gen), I wouldn't spend much time on Upwork or Fiverr. It's hard to differentiate yourself here, and the cost structure favor devs in cheaper countries.

Platforms like TopTal and Turing are better, but I'd still prefer a direct relationship if you can.

How difficult was it for you to find contractor roles?

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