Dear Aunty Entity,
How can a freelance project manager make themselves indispensable to their new employers?
Signed, Daria

Dear Daria,
Let’s get one thing clear. No-one but no-one is indispensable in a workplace unless you own the company and even then you can be taken over, edged out or just plain fired if it’s big enough….

Freelance project managers are usually hired on a temporary project by project basis - when the project is over, so is your contract. To ensure you stay in their memory and get asked back, ask yourself the following:

• Are you comfortable with doing what has been asked of you?
• Are you generally fun to be around?
• Do you look like you belong there?
• Are you available when required?

…and probably most importantly:

• Do you fill out your timesheets on time and accurately? (essential for billing)
• Do you start and end your day at the preferred times?
• Do you follow company protocol for purchasing/booking resources for your project?
• Do you pitch in – answer phones, keep the kitchen area clean?

In many cases when a freelancer has been asked to stay on for another job it’s usually because they fit the environment culturally and they are perceived to be easy to work with, rather than specific skills they may have. Remember it’s not just your employer who is watching you – the team your have been hired to work with will also give their views when asked. While it is accepted that you will not get on with every single person you work with, words like: ‘control-freak’, ‘psycho’ or ‘crap’, applied to you in feedback probably won’t win you a second gig.