Skillfair Draft Code of Conduct

As an internet based service, Skillfair operates in an environment where it can be difficult for people to trust each other. The prevalence of spam emails, internet scams, phishing, identity theft and so on makes us all a little wary of information coming to us via the web – but at the same time it is an invaluable tool for building and developing business relationships in a way that would have been next to impossible with only a telephone and telex machine.

This code of conduct is not intended to replace or supersede the many excellent documents and codes of practice already in existence and which many people will already have signed up to on joining a professional body or trade association. Its purpose is to try to remind all of us of the key principles we should adhere to when working through the internet so that everyone we deal with feels they have been treated fairly, professionally and courteously.

I’ve divided the code into separate sections for Project Owners and Consultants but they mirror each other in many aspects – in fact I think the overriding principle to keep in mind is to ‘Do as you would be done by’ at all times and whatever the role that you are taking in a business relationship.

Project Owners

As a project owner, you have access to something that many consultants and advisors are interested in – that is an opportunity for work. You may be concerned that you will get far too many responses to deal with – or that you won’t be able to find the precise specialist skills you need. Whatever your exact requirements our experience is that following these simple points will lead to a smoother and ultimately more successful search.

• Be as clear and detailed as you can about the nature, duration and location of the assignment, even if you have to qualify the information. On the whole it’s better to say ‘we think it will take 10 days but that may change’ than to say nothing at all about how long the assignment may last.

• Be specific about the skills and experience you are looking for. If there are certifications or other requirements (such as location, PI insurance etc) that are non-negotiable then make this clear.

• If at all possible include some information on budgets, you can quote a range of rates or a cost for the whole project to protect your negotiating position, but giving an initial idea will help consultants to determine whether or not they should apply.

• If you are acting on behalf of another organisation, as an agency or in some other capacity, then you should state this in your project summary so that consultants are aware that their fees are likely to be subject to commission.

• If your requirement is speculative, such as to form an associate network or a bid team, make sure that you explain this and give some indication of the likelihood of an assignment resulting from the requirement.

• Projects on Skillfair don’t include your contact or company details, this is done to protect your privacy and to allow you to control how you deal with consultants. However, it does mean that consultants don’t know who you are when they apply – you should let them know your name and contact details as soon as possible so that they know who they’re dealing with. You can do this very simply by sending an acknowledgement email via Skillfair.

• Communicate clearly and promptly with all consultants who contact you. No-one likes to send (or receive) a ‘thanks but no thanks’ email but this is always infinitely preferable to not knowing what has happened. If you get far more responses than you expect and simply can’t work through them fast enough please try to send a simple holding email so that consultants know what is going on. This also applies if the project in question simply ‘goes away’ – as professionals we all know that budgets get cut and managers change their minds but being kept in the loop makes things easier.

Consultants

Bidding for work is always a competitive process and whether a project has come directly to Skillfair or is a tender that is publicly available you will probably be competing for the work with many other equally well qualified and personable consultants. This makes the Client's task of selecting a short list and then awarding the contract very difficult and often time-consuming so that anything you can do to make the job easier for the Client will tend to improve your chances of winning the assignment. If you follow these key points you will maximise your chances of winning and also reduce the amount of effort you waste applying for projects that you don’t win.

• Read the details provided by the client carefully, if they have provided a specification document read this as well before you decide to respond. Then draft your response in a word processor before sending it via Skillfair to make sure that you have taken the time to check it against the requirement before you send it.

• If the project requires skills, certificates or other attributes that you don’t have and it’s clear that these are mandatory requirements then you are unlikely to be successful and will be wasting both your time and the client's by responding. Occasionally the skills that a client requires are very rare or unusual and it may be worth ‘giving it a go’ but this is unusual – if the requirement is fairly standard but you don’t fit it then there will be lots of better qualified people responding.

• Always include a covering note explaining exactly why you think you can help the client, this demonstrates that you have read the requirement and that you understand what they need. Sending an empty message with a link to your profile or an obviously standard message doesn’t help the client and won’t help you.

• Make sure before sending your response that the contact details Skillfair holds for you are correct and your email is working. If you are on-site or away make sure you include suitable phone numbers so that the client can get in touch with you easily.

• If you are acting on behalf of another consultant, either an associate or as an agency, then say so in your response. If the client has specified individuals only then you should respect this and not respond unless you intend to do the work yourself.

• Once a client has responded with an acknowledgement you will have their contact details but you should use these with care. It is reasonable to follow up a few days after you’ve responded to see what’s happening but bombarding a client with calls or emails is more likely to annoy the client than win you the assignment.

• When the client does come back to you to ask questions or arrange a meeting you should try to respond as quickly as possible even if you are working on-site, a timely response at this stage is critical to building a good working relationship.

• If at any point you realise that you can’t take the assignment, whether because of a change in the skills required or because of other commitments, you should tell the client immediately. It is always difficult to turn down work but in the longer term this is the only way to maintain your professionalism and level of service.