Standing still means taking a step backward; this applies for the IT-industry in particular. As an IT-freelancer, you always need to improve your profile to keep pace with this fast developing industry, your competitors and your clients of course. In today´s edition of our FREELANCER INSIDES, we present João Bernardino, a Portuguese IT consultant and experienced freelancer, who advices all self-employed workers out there to continuously acquire new skills, learn, test and certify. “Don’t go against trends, if you do, this undermines your credibility.” – Those are the wise words of a freelancer who’s in the IT-business for more than 30 years already. Let’s find out what else you need to know about the IT-freelancing business! An interview with João Bernardino…
1) First off, can you tell us bit about yourself?
I am a Portuguese IT consultant, someone who has, since 1980 as a mainframe operator, never worked outside the data processing area, even during the 8 years as micro infrastructure manager, in the commercial department of a big beer making Portuguese brand, I was not involved in manufacturing, commerce, sales or marketing, only IT advice, support and app development; I was born in Maputo (formerly Lourenço Marques), today the capital of independent Mozambique, but in 1957 (year of birth) it was a territory under the Portuguese colonial empire; I am involved in freelance work since April 2011, almost three years, mostly via online contracting platforms but a few work assignments via personal contacts as well.
2) If you would search for your profile on Google, which are the three keywords you would type in the search bar?
I start by referring IBM mainframes, acting in operations for 8 years, on OS/370 and OS/390, and later as a programmer and analyst programmer, from 1997 to 2008, mostly on OS/390 but also some zOS, developing using COBOL in MVS and Micro Focus; second I want to mention Oracle database and distributed systems, from 2008 until 2010, in my role as developer using SQL, PL/SQL and forms & reports; lastly I will mention Oracle Middleware Fusion in my capacity as composite applications and processes architect, using SOA and JDeveloper.
3) What was your inspiration and when did you actually decide to become a freelancer?
The opportunity arose when a friendly contact asked me if I knew anything about Drupal, which I had e-learned and used personally, and if I was interested to develop a website for a non-profit organization, which I accepted, for a small pay! When I started freelancing, I was already at my last company as IT consultant and freelanced on my spare time from home; from January 2012, as I left this company, I improved my personal freelancer organization, developed some skills and focused solely on biding for online contracts, with the odd here and there work assignment for local clients, at their premises. I was working on a term contract, as IT consultant, fulltime, in a SOA middleware application architect and process orchestrator capacity, within a complex government public health distributed system.
4) What kind of services have your clients asked you to provide?
I offer various types of services, from solution conception, to web design, web development and coding, maintenance (improvements, upgrades, tuning, etc) and content creation and translation (Spanish, French and Portuguese into English and vice-versa). The web solutions can be full websites or sections, web stores or simpler web presences like personal pages and blogs; the web services are normally associated with database modeling and creation, data retrieval and presentation, data capture and page organization and design, namely templates and HTML/CSS design. I also do mainframe programming (OS/390, zOS and AS/400), testing and delivery, using COBOL and WebSphere.
5) Do you use other freelancers or companies to provide skills that you don’t possess?
Yes, I have resorted to calling for help on projects and work assignments I bid for, even without dominating all technologies required, as long as I am skilled and confident about the main technology used. I find it would not be very intelligent to forego an interesting contract, and an opportunity to get income, just because I don´t have a skill required for, say, 25% or less of the work! I don´t work with other freelancers very often, but on a few bigger contracts, and after discussing and getting the contractor agreement about my requirement and intention to work with another freelancers. I have usually contacted personal friends and ex colleagues.
6) Now tell us, how do you find new clients that are interested in your services?I use three main sources to get in contact with the right contractors, so that I don´t waste too much valuable time approaching the wrong contracts for my skill profile. One source is through biding on an online contracting platform, where I got some platform skill certifications on a mix of technologies I am interested in, where I am developing a contractor trust and a good level of return feedback. The next source is through my LinkedIN profile, group memberships and searches, as well as my large network of HR contacts targeted specially with freelance work in mind. Lastly I also source my contracts locally, through some business contacts. That said, I am now planning to implement a personal professional website, because I feel this is the trend, and you can´t go against trends, if you do, this undermines your credibility.
7) What about freelancermap.com? Can you tell us a little bit about your experience with our IT-network?
I can hardly say much, I have joined your IT-network a week ago! I am still feeling around, reading the guide, creating agents, improving my profile. I have yet to search for a contract, but I am already excited reading the contracts the agents send to my email box! My overall impression about freelancermap is a very positive one, and I am totally committed to use it for my freelancing needs.
8) How do you set yourself apart from your competitors? What makes you special?
I like to think my network of contacts in varied environments is a good advantage point. I certainly carry out consistent marketing strategies both in the online contracting platform I use, ex when I write my biding proposals, and the way I market my profile in LikedIN. I probably set myself apart as an experienced COBOL code provider! The fact that I have skills in the mainframe combined with distributed technological frameworks (IBM OS/390, zOS, AS/400, WebSphere, Oracle Middleware Fusion, Weblogic, JDeveloper), including service coding (COBOL, SQL, PL/SQL, Java, JSP) and database modeling and design (DB2, Oracle) is unique and can be, if well leveraged, a competitive edge.
9) What are the top three books, blogs or magazines you read to stay up to date in the IT-market?
Last eBooks read – The 360 Revolution and The Apps Revolution; Blogs: Oracle Blog Center, IBM developer Works; LinkedIN groups: COBOL Programmers, MAINFRAME Users , Oracle PL/SQL Programmers & Developers
10) Freestyle! Is there anything you would like to tell our readers?
NEVER fail a contract deadline! Be careful about your skills match with a contract technology and complexity! If the contractor allows flexibility, negotiate the contract duration well! Always remember that between two proven experts, the contractor will choose the less expensive! If you are very skilled at an unpopular technology/language/software and much less skilled at a very popular technology/language/software, acquire new skills, learn, test, certify (ex, at your online platform certification program) and start reconverting!
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Where to find João Bernardino?
Link to freelancermap.com profile: João Bernardino at freelancermap.com
Link to website: http://www.linkedin.com/in/joaobernardino2014/en
Skype: MasterOfSkypes
The interview was conducted by Doreen Schollmeier, freelancermap.com team.
Pic: © João Bernardino
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