Leverage secondary skills

Many government contracting jobs are built on a core technical skill. You may specialize in web development or comms or something tangible.

BUT, you probably also have secondary skills that will be useful and can set you apart.

For example, if you're in a techy role and are a good writer, you can set yourself up by writing clear documentation or SOPs.

Or maybe you're very organized and good at delegating work, you could create a project plan and break down bigger projects into smaller tasks.

In my case, I'm in analytics but my secondary strength is my writing ability and "business perspective."

This has helped get me out of some menial analytics work and onto higher level work.

So don't ignore those things that you're good at but weren't hired to do. They can become an asset that will help you get your first 1099 gig.

Or, just be the team member that brings in donuts every week. That works too ;)

Want the full playbook? Check out Going 1099.