This time of year is a great time to ensure that you have everything in order to make sure you start off the New Year with your best foot forward. You should focus on building your personal brand in order to give your workload a boost going into the New Year.
Update your CV and LinkedIn
It's a well-known fact that job applications surge in January, and this is no different with contractors. Whether you want to change the direction in which your career is heading, increase your workload, or just want to shake the cobwebs off from the last year.
If your New Year's resolution is to start 2016 strong with a bunch of new contracts then look to improve your CV and LinkedIn, as well as any other social media that potential clients might check out. If you're planning to branch out in terms of job type this year, or use different skill sets, you could create a number of different CVs tailored to various roles. This is sure to save you a lot of time in future months when you're too busy to pay such attention to detail.
Catch up on your reading
We'd all like to do more background reading around our specialist areas, and catch up on the latest trends and industry updates, but more often than not there's just not much time for it.
Start your new year by setting aside an hour each week dedicated to catching up on the latest trends and techniques that are affecting your specialist area. This kind of knowledge will not only empower you but will also impress clients in the future.
How accountancy and payroll service providers can help
An accountancy and payroll service provider can not only save you time but can also maximise your take home pay. However you do need to make sure you choose the right one. Make sure you're choosing one that is easy to join, offers a system that is easy to navigate, provides outstanding customer service and most importantly, one that is compliant.
Look for things like online joining, expenses app's, online portals and dedicated points of contact. It's important to also choose a provider that has a strong focus on customer service and compliance. The best way to check this is to see if they have won any awards or have received any accreditations from recognised and well respected organisations that exist within that sector.
A provider, such as PayStream that provides all of the above, is a provider that is focused on delivering a positive customer experience, ensuring that you get the most out of the service whilst also remaining compliant.