For our evening workshop: The Technical Communicator in a Contract Role
This Thursday, October 18, we will have a moderated panel discussion devoted to contractors, contracting firms, and how the technical communicator fits in a contract role.
In addition, we will also have two short presentations. The first will be on the “dos and don’ts” of social media and the role social media plays in establishing your personal brand. The second will be a brief discussion and handout on the most common and trending technologies used in companies today — and how to become familiar with them.
About our panelists:
The panel will include representatives from two consulting firms and two contract technical communicators.
Lisa Vitale – The CARA Group, Inc. – Recruiting Lead. In this capacity, Lisa leads the recruiting team and helps build CARA’s base of consultants. She is primarily responsible for partnering with her team to help CARA grow profitably by providing strong resources for client engagements. She has more than 20 years of experience in recruiting professionals within learning, change management, and communications. Lisa’s particular expertise in fostering relationships with candidate and consultants comes from a deep commitment to the industry and to CARA.
Rose Pagliari – Mastech – Senior Director Digital Learning. Rose has been working with Mastech’s learning clients and consultants for 30 years. She works closely with Mastech recruiters to conducts screenings of potential consultants. During that process she reviews consultant portfolio and relevant work samples. In addition, she asks each consultant to define the perfect opportunity from his/her point of view. Her top priority is to get to know the consultant while gathering information about her/his experience, technical skills, and ideal role. She provides open feedback and guidance throughout the process. She stays connected with the Mastech recruiters and consultants during the client consultant interview process as an extra source of support.
Elizabeth Burke – Contractor – Elizabeth Burke has worked as both an employee and independent contractor in the roles of technical writer and instructional designer. As a contractor, Elizabeth has experience working with consulting companies for projects as well as direct 1099 projects. Working with consulting companies and 1099 projects share some common traits but also present some big differences. From your first contract project to your hundredth, Elizabeth can share the ins and outs of consulting to help you prepare for the world of contract work.
Gretchen Hartke – Contractor – Gretchen started her career designing lessons for middle school students, which evolved 18+ years ago into a career where she gets to help clients identify their learning strategies and then helps to guide them through design, development, and execution of those strategies. She’s had the great privilege to work with clients like Walgreens, McDonald’s, Tenneco, BlackRock, Aon, Hollister, Levi’s, and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. She’s the author of So, You Want to Join the Gig Economy…Now What? available on Amazon in January. In it, she shares the good, the bad, and the “meh” based on her ten years as an independent consultant.
Some of the topics to be discussed on the panel:
- How do you choose a consulting firm?
- What do you need to prepare before approaching a consulting firm?
- What is the market like right now for contract work in the tech comm field?
- What do I need to consider when moving from FTE to contractor?
There’s still time to register, so go HERE to register now.
Add Comment