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THE MONSTER.COM INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONAL (IP) NEWSLETTER

Monster's IP Zone is your online career home, whether you want to start
a new business, test out a new industry or strike out on your own.
What's up in the Independent Professional Zone this week?

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IN THIS ISSUE: Week of October 18, 1999

-- Monster Talent Market Update
-- Employer Guide: Lessons Learned -- Contracting Experiences You Only
Want to Read About
-- From the Boards: Charging by the Hour vs. the Charging by the
Project
-- Independent Professional Poll: Which entrepreneur do you admire
most?

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MONSTER TALENT MARKET UPDATE

Over 89,000 of you have registered already, with more than 24,000
current auctions. Join this innovative auction-style environment at:
http://talentmarket.monster.com

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EMPLOYER GUIDE: Lessons Learned -- Contracting Experiences You Only
Want to Read About

Gather a group of recruiters and HR managers in a room and it doesn't
take long before the war stories start to surface. Problems with drug
testing, stolen resumes, promises broken or alien abductions? You hear
it all. To find out more about these tales of woe (and success), read
more at:
http://content.talentmarket.monster.com/weeklyarticle

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>From the Boards: Charging by the Hour vs. the Charging by the Project

Last week, Monster member Joseph wrote: "I am considering going to full
time consulting in the HR/Labor Relations area. Shall I price by the
assignment or by the hour? How can I determine the financial value of
my services? Where can I get additional information in this area? Any
information you could provide would be extremely helpful and much
appreciated."

The Free Agent Advisor answered: "When the scope of a project is at all
unclear (which is usually the case), you'll probably be better off
charging by the hour. When you've been in business for a while and feel
you've got a better grip on estimating time and other resources
required to complete a project, you might try charging a flat fee on
projects that are similar to previous projects you've done. Just be
sure that you have a contract that spells out exactly what you have to
do to earn the fee."

"To get a handle on what to charge, you might get in touch with
recruiters who find HR consultants to jump-start staffing efforts at
start-ups. Ask them what the likely pay would be for the sorts of
assignments they would offer you. If you drum up the business yourself,
add 50% or more to what you would get with a gig obtained through a
recruiter. Associations such as the Northeast Human Resources
Association should also help you determine what to charge. Good luck!"

Do you have questions about the perils and rewards of working on your
own? Our experts are available throughout the week in message boards
and chats. Post a question to one of our two Independent Professional
Experts:

Ask the Free Agent Advisor
http://my.monster.com/forum.asp?forum=800

Ask the Work-from-Home Coach
http://my.monster.com/forum.asp?forum=801

or

Join the group discussions Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. EST at
http://content.talentmarket.monster.com/chats/index.asp?redirect=chat.asp

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Independent Professional Poll: We Asked, You Answered

This week we asked: Which entrepreneur do you admire most?

You said:
-- Martha Stewart 41%
-- Donald Trump 19%
-- Jeff Bezos 19%
-- Wolfgang Puck 12%
-- Michael Ovitz 7%
*346 total votes

Tune in Monday for next week's poll question: How do you think you will
find jobs in the year 2010?
http://independentprofessional.monster.com

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Please include your phone number.

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Comments? Suggestions? Let us know what you think about the Monster
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Email your ideas and opinions to:
mailto:IP@monster.com

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Copyright 1999 TMP Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.