FAO The IT employers: freelance vs commercial experience
Discussion
Currently I have some freelance experience in IT, involving various areas of IT such as programming, database design, ecommerce, etc etc.
If I have an interview, or simply send my CV, to an IT company (large or small) what is percieved better - having freelance experience or commercial experience in IT in a large or small company?
Currently I have done some work in small shops, serving customers and a bit of IT troubleshooting, like a friend's phone shop/internet cafe. And I'm rapidly building up a lot of IT experience in programming and web dev (freelance). I think freelance experience would look very good as it can show what I can do on my own.
What do the IT employers on here like to see in terms of experience?
If I have an interview, or simply send my CV, to an IT company (large or small) what is percieved better - having freelance experience or commercial experience in IT in a large or small company?
Currently I have done some work in small shops, serving customers and a bit of IT troubleshooting, like a friend's phone shop/internet cafe. And I'm rapidly building up a lot of IT experience in programming and web dev (freelance). I think freelance experience would look very good as it can show what I can do on my own.
What do the IT employers on here like to see in terms of experience?
We have interviewed many developers whose CVs looked great, but couldn't actually show us anything they had done. Demonstrable relevant experience with examples of what you have done are paramount. Ideally these should be viewable over the web, but if not possible, just get the database and demo applications set up on a laptop and bring it into the interview.
The methodology of your approach to the project will be important too.
Are you looking for a contract or a permie job? It is good to be able to show ability as above, but also longevity. If you're looking for a permie job and have only ever done 3 month contracts, your staying power will be questioned (e.g. you might be a pain in the ass to work with, or just like changing locations every so often, etc).
If it's contract you're looking for, IMO it won't matter too much whether you've been freelance or working with large firms; it's the quality and relevance of your experience that's important. If you can display that, then you should be in with a good shout.
The methodology of your approach to the project will be important too.
Are you looking for a contract or a permie job? It is good to be able to show ability as above, but also longevity. If you're looking for a permie job and have only ever done 3 month contracts, your staying power will be questioned (e.g. you might be a pain in the ass to work with, or just like changing locations every so often, etc).
If it's contract you're looking for, IMO it won't matter too much whether you've been freelance or working with large firms; it's the quality and relevance of your experience that's important. If you can display that, then you should be in with a good shout.
The majority of people I have interviewed in the last few years that have had solely freelance experience have not had the range of skills that someone with the commensurate amount of time in a "commercial" role has developed.
This may be unique to my industry (Security) but freelancers/contractors are usually brought in to do specific tasks. People who have started out doing this (by going on the certification courses & then getting contracts) typically lack good overall understanding of the subject and more importantly contextual understanding of what they are doing & why they are doing it. Business process knowledge is usually nonexistent too, which in this industry is critical.
The best people usually have worked at a company or consultancy where they have gone through a few project lifecycles. Armed with those tech skills & their experience of doing this job it's an easy step to jump into the contract market and building on the solid foundation gained in that environment.
There are always going to be exceptions & all industries are different, but I've not yet used anyone that has freelanced from day 1 because none of those I have interviewed have been up to scratch yet.
This may be unique to my industry (Security) but freelancers/contractors are usually brought in to do specific tasks. People who have started out doing this (by going on the certification courses & then getting contracts) typically lack good overall understanding of the subject and more importantly contextual understanding of what they are doing & why they are doing it. Business process knowledge is usually nonexistent too, which in this industry is critical.
The best people usually have worked at a company or consultancy where they have gone through a few project lifecycles. Armed with those tech skills & their experience of doing this job it's an easy step to jump into the contract market and building on the solid foundation gained in that environment.
There are always going to be exceptions & all industries are different, but I've not yet used anyone that has freelanced from day 1 because none of those I have interviewed have been up to scratch yet.
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