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Consultants: Hire one? Be one?

January 30, 2001, 10:07 AM —  ITworld.com — 

Welcome to ITworld.com's special report on IT consultants. Each week ITworld.com presents a comprehensive examination of an important IT topic, with content targeting the various components of our audience, CIOs, IT managers and technical professionals. You’ve all heard the old saw: “A consultant is someone who borrows your watch and then for a hefty fee tells you what time it is.” Kidding aside, consultants have become a vital part of the IT landscape. And who hasn’t thought about striking out on their own? Our report covers both sides of the coin: How to hire a consultant and whether you should become one.

Hiring And Working With A Consultant

  • How to pick a winner
  • Know the difference between a consultant and a contractor
  • E-Commerce strategists differ from old-line business consultants. Here's what you need to know before you hire one.
  • Paying your consultant may not be as straightforward as you think. Several methods exist; choose the one that's right for your company.
  • Make sure these horror stories happen to someone else
  • Computerworld’s second annual consultants salary survey
  •  

    Living The Life Of A Consultant

  • Should you move on? Feeling unappreciated? Now is the opportune time to explore the consulting waters.
  • Veteran consultants tell how to set up your new business
  • How to bankroll your new venture
  • Is it better to know Java or C++?
  • Need to update your skills? Try a Web-based training course
  • Don't make these 10 stupid mistakes
  • The art and science of estimating
  • Demand grows for Web-savvy developers
  • What’s it really like being a consultant?
  •  

    Additional ITworld.com Network Resources

  • Case Study: An IT department becomes a consulting company
  • Computerworld's 4th annual hiring forecast
  • The Computerworld Career Advisor answers your questions
  • Best and worst career moves
  • Tell us what you think about being a consultant or hiring one. Go to ITworld.com's Careers and Management discussion forum and share your thoughts.
  • Book Excerpt: Five fatal flaws doom most consulting assignments. Learn how to recognize and avoid them. From the book High-Impact Consulting by Robert H. Schaffer
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    Other Resources

    These third-party sites are not endorsed by ITworld.com.

  • Learn how much consultants are charging at realrates.com
  • Get information on consulting legal issues, finances and more at Contract Employee's Handbook
  • From the IEEE, the Consultants' Services Page supports self-employed IEEE members
  • The nonprofit Independent Computer Consultants Association provides professional development opportunities and support programs for independent consultants. The site also offers a "find-a-consultant" feature.
  • The Professional and Technical Consultants Association offers consultant directories, referrals, training, mentoring, insurance discounts and more
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