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Comment by jimrhods23 | Hacker News Reader

You are contracting and essentially a business. Your next career move is to find more clients.

As a remote contractor, you really won't feel like you are part of a team. I've been contracting for the last 10 years and I don't expect to be part of a team, because it's only a way for me to fund my other businesses.

You need to find a 9-5 job where you can go into an office every day and interact with your co-workers.

"I lack the career wisdom and maturity of a typical 10+ year engineer. Nobody really thinks of me as someone as a skilled expert in a topic, someone they could forward jobs to, or refer me to."

Why wait for referrals? I found all of my contracting jobs by reaching out on Linkedin or various job sites.

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>Why wait for referrals? I found all of my contracting jobs by reaching out on Linkedin or various job sites.

Do you have a system in place for choosing people on LinkedIn to reach out to? I don't know what's a good starting point- seeking in local companies first or with companies that are just related to my developer niche. In job boards I tend to email blast a lot of applications.

And yeah, I haven't really felt part of a team since 2010. Contract jobs can wreck your visibility if you're not skilled in tailoring your connections.

Like I have been told I do great work but they never want to re-engage for more work. Not in six months, not in two or four years.

"seeking in local companies first"

I find this too limiting. Many contracts are remote.

I don't have any special system. I just look for contracting gigs that might interest me and make my introduction. It's definitely a numbers game.

Before the new year (in December), I probably talked to 50 potential leads. Narrowed it down to about 10, and finally found two that I thought would be a good fit.

One of them ran out of money/changed their mind, and I'm still working with the other today. It's a multi-year contract and it keeps me busy.

"In job boards I tend to email blast a lot of applications."

It also depends on when you make the contact. The closer you can get to the time it was posted, the more likely you will get a response.

I then get their phone number and setup a phone call. You need to get good at selling yourself/services and not be afraid to talk to people.

Most business owners want to talk on the phone first before making any major decisions.

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