Freelancing
EXCITING PROJECTS, EXCELLENT CONTACTS
Christoph Janotta became self-employed 18 years ago and founded his own company four years later. His IT firm is doing very well—not least because Hays regularly procures exciting projects for him.
Demand for qualified IT experts has been growing for years. Java developers are particularly sought-after. No wonder, says Christoph Janotta, managing director at SoftCap GmbH in Essen, Germany: “Java is considered to be the world’s most important programming language, making it a fundamental component of digitalisation.”
The IT technical engineer became a freelance software developer at the turn of the millennium and hasn’t regretted this step. “Business is great—especially since I started collaborating with Hays.” Hays procures exciting projects for the software developer and handles the administrative side of things. This enables Christoph and his team to focus on what they do best: helping companies design, develop and maintain J2EE applications.
He stressed: “Hays has paved my way to many interesting projects and customers”—and driven his business forward. Contacts are worth their weight in gold, especially for independent IT service providers. “Hays supports a wide variety of companies where I would find it impossible to get my foot in the door on my own.”
Collaborating with external experts is a successful concept for Hays: In the German-speaking regions alone, the HR service provider completed more than 57,000 IT projects together with its partners. Nevertheless, close contact with service providers isn’t being ignored.
“I feel valued as a business partner and as a person. When I try to get in touch with a Hays contact I never have to wait long for a reply.” At the moment, he is helping a leading energy service provider to develop software for e-mobility charging stations.
As a member of various certification committees, he makes sure that all the IEC and ISO standards for electric mobility are met.
“I’m not a number here, but a valued partner.”
The project manager says: “Getting a future technology moving and making it fit for everyday use is a multi-faceted challenge.” After all, electric cars will only become a sweeping success if specific safety requirements in vehicles and at charging stations are met.
This will keep him busy for the next few months. “Luckily, I can dedicate all my energy to this project without having to worry about payment processing and follow-up orders,” explains the 42-year-old. Hays pays his invoices on time, and when a project is completed, new offers automatically arrive in his inbox. That’s another reason why Christoph has been working with the HR service provider for nine years. “I’m not a number here, but a valued partner. And ultimately, it’s a win-win for all of us—customer, Hays and myself.”