[S_A_P]

I do technical consulting for a fairly niche industry. Here is what I’ve found in no particular order:

1) when times get bad you will be “expensive” and among the first to be let go.

2) you have to be expensive enough to afford bench time in between gigs. When the economy is good I plan for 85% utilization. Covid had me at 50%, until very recently.

3) if there are multiple consultants and or consulting firms be prepared for political games where each firm tries to position themselves to take other spots in the organization. It will range from limited access to information to outright bus throwing. The best way to stop this is highly detailed accounting of how you spend your day and what roadblocks you face. Send this to your supervisor daily via email. It’s worth the 30 minutes and has helped me on numerous occasions.

4) on a similar token don’t be afraid to mention your success. It doesn’t have to be a brag but if you build some take the credit before someone else tries to.