Work

I’ve been on enough contracts now that I’ve started noticing patterns. Some good, some not so good. This is a collection of the things I check before signing, and the things I wish someone had told me about earlier. Before you sign There are three administrative questions that can catch you out if you don’t sort them early. The first two are about checks — whether the client needs a BPSS or DBS check done, and whether they’re going to organise it. The third is about timing. Some start dates are real, others depend on the client actually getting you a laptop and sorting your access. If their setup process is slow, your start date slides whether they realise it or not. ...

Self-promotion gets a bad reputation because people confuse it with boasting. Done well, it’s just making sure the right people know what you’ve done. Use “I” when it’s your work If you led the project, say “I led the project.” Saving “we” for genuinely collaborative work means your individual contributions stand out when they matter. Performance reviews are your moment If your organisation does annual reviews, prepare a list of accomplishments before the meeting. Don’t rely on your manager to remember everything you did over twelve months. ...