Ask HN: How to parry incoming employment leads into consulting leads? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How to parry incoming employment leads into consulting leads?

16 pointsgkop2 comments

Specifically, I get frequent emails from founders and VP's of engineering seeking to interview me for full-time, W-2 roles.

Meanwhile, I am seeking only more limited consulting arrangements.

Consultants of HN, how do you respond to these leads?

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Something like this:

"""

I'm not currently seeking a full-time W-2 role. However, I do provide consulting in that area and I would be happy to discuss how I can help you do {{ X }} and my upcoming availability.

    link-to-supporting-content
    link-to-supporting-content

If that sounds good, please give me a call at 555-555-5555.

Thanks,

Me, Foocorp

"""

If anything comes of it, good. If nothing else, you increase the surface are of people who know you as a consultant of {{ X }}.

I think the "supporting content" is pretty key. As a prospective consultant, few things are as powerful as 1) "Here is an example of me doing some awesome XYZ for other people, proving I can deliver a mutually-beneficial artifact," and 2) "Here is an awesome proposal for XYZ, which I will deliver for you if it seems acceptable."

Some links to e.g. case studies, articles, blog posts, etc could serve as both.

That said, I wouldn't expect a high conversion rate. I would think the people doing the recruiting would lack the authority to change the gig from a job to a consultation. And if the manager him/herself is soliciting, they may be looking for a permanent addition to their team, instead of a one-time deliverable.

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