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How does Skillfair work? No commission, easy to use, quality checking system
Partnerships with service providers, networking groups and professional bodies
Advice for consultants and clients starting a consultancy, networking for business etc
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Help and frequently asked questions Help and frequently asked questions


Quotes
"Thank you all for a fantastic conference - when you are in a web based community you often lose sight that there are other people out there who we may be eager to meet!" Kate Hiseman, Sherwood Sustainability & Environmental Associates
To contact Skillfair call 0844 4457071 or click here to email us


How does Skillfair work for Consultants?  for Clients?
 
Skillfair provides experienced consultants, interim managers and freelancers with a range of new client opportunities from the private and public sector.

We offer consultants;
Fast Access more...
Wide Range of Projects more...
Cost-effective service more...
Quality checking more...
Marketing your services as an independent professional is hard work and we recognise that for most people a combination of marketing activities, such as networking, PR, advertising etc work best. Skillfair adds a new dimension to the typical consultant's marketing mix by providing opportunities from clients who are actively looking for consultants with specialist skills.
Client opportunities - what's available ?
 
There are currently 530 live projects registered on Skillfair, split across our 3 markets, Business, IT and Technology. For more details click here
Business projects include requirements for experts in marketing, PR, finance, procurement, management, HR and many other areas. Projects may require consultants with experience in both large and small businesses.
Our IT market contains projects ranging across every technical IT specialism, from programming to database to network security. We also get requests for consultants who specialise in managing IT projects, due diligence, security audits and the many business oriented aspects of IT.
Technology for us means opportunities where the primary expertise required is in science or engineering, but extensive business experience is normally a requirement too. We have posted requests for specialists in electronics, manufacturing, packaging, bio-science, intellectual property and many other disciplines essential to the hi-tech business.
Fast - how can I find the projects I need?
 
Finding projects through Skillfair is easy. Just register with us as a Guest and you can browse our project exchange looking for the kind of projects you need. To make sure you don't miss out on any opportunities, make sure that you enter a description of your services and a skills profile. We will then send you a weekly email listing all current projects that match your skills, and an immediate alert if a client posts an urgent project.
To browse for projects first select the market that covers the specialism you're after, then use the Find Project button to start a search. You can search using a keyword and projects with that word in their desription will be displayed. Or you can use the Advanced Search facility to specify exactly what combination of skills you're interested in.
When you've found an interesting project you can click on the view link to see more details before deciding to get in touch. If we have loaded the project from a public source, such as the European Journal, this is always shown as the "Project Source". As a full member you can then contact a project owner or obtain tender details by clicking on contact. When you do that we will send your email address and contact details to the project owner. This is the only time that Skillfair will send your contact information to anyone.
When you respond to projects you'll have the opportunity to send a brief message with your contact details, explaining why you're interested. For suggestions of things to cover when responding see the Consultants check-list in our Resources area.
Wide Range of Projects - where do they come from?
 
Skillfair projects come from a wide variety of sources. We generate new projects through a number of activities, including direct mail to potential clients, networking, internet advertising, attending trade shows and exhibitions and through forming partnerships with organisations that themselves generate opportunities.

Projects can come from any of the following sources;

Clients placing adverts directly on Skillfair
Clients asking Skillfair to provide a shortlist
Skillfair consultants and partners who need help with projects
Public sources including European Journal, specialist email forums & job sites Weekly, systematic review of council, University, government and QANGO web sites

If a project has come from a public source this is always shown in the project details.

For a breakdown of projects by market or skills click here.
Cost-effective - how much will it cost?
 
Skillfair's aim is to put you in touch directly with clients. Our membership fee is only £120 per year excluding VAT and we don't charge commission on assignments arranged through the site. Once you are in contact with a client you are free to negotiate the scope and cost of any assignment. A few of our clients represent networks or groups of consultants and may charge a commission fee if they put you in touch with an end-client but they should make this clear and be open about any mark-up charged.
As well as access to any project on Skillfair, your membership fee pays for our quality-checking service which helps prospective clients to have confidence in the people offering services on the site. We also check any projects placed directly on Skillfair to make sure,as far as possible, that they are genuine opportunities.
If you're not ready to sign up to full membership yet, you can register free as a Guest and enter a skills profile. This will allow us to let you know when suitable projects crop up. Any projects which are publicly available, such as Public Sector tenders, can be purchased by Guests for a nominal fee of £15 including VAT.

Guests also have access to our resource centre, which includes sample contracts, terms and conditions etc.
What are Consultant Alerts?
 
Clients and consultants can identify the skills that they regularly need. We then send them a weekly update of consultants who've joined or renewed with Skillfair and whose skills match their requirements. This is particularly useful for companies that work mainly through associates and are always on the look out for particular skills. Both client and consultant guests are offered this service on a 3 month trial basis.
Quality checked - what does that mean?
 
As a Skillfair consultant you're encouraged to post as much information as possible about yourself, a good profile usually includes a full CV or company profile, qualifications and training undertaken.
We also operate a voluntary quality checking process, aimed at verifying the information you provide. Consultants are awarded up to 5 points as follows;

Basic details such as phone numbers, company registration etc 1 point
Evidence of professional memberships, training or PI insurance 1 point
Reference details provided for 2 referees 1 point
References returned satisfactorily 1 point per referee
The points you achieve are shown in your directory listing so that clients can immediately recognise which consultants have taken the trouble to provide references.
Guest or Member - what do I get?
 
We think Skillfair membership is a very cost-effective addition to any consultant's marketing activity. To show you why we've listed below the benefits of membership and also which facilities you can access as a Guest.
Member Guest
Daily & Urgent Project Alerts Yes 3 months trial
Weekly Project Alerts Yes 3 months trial
Resources Centre Yes Yes
Full Directory Entry Yes No
Quality Check Performed Yes No
Website Link (visible to search engines) Yes No
Included in Consultant Alerts Yes No
Access to Public Tenders Yes £15 per tender
Access to Private Projects Yes No
Ability to Post Projects Yes Yes
Discount on advertising Yes No
Discount on events Yes No
Membership Fee £120 per year Free
What next?
 
To register with Skillfair and start receiving project alerts now, click here.