2020 will go down in history as an unpredictable year, full of surprises and learning experiences that, although often stressful, will make us all better people in the end. The holidays are a great time to look back and reflect on the last year — What went well? What could have gone better? How will it be better next year?

The Talent Development Centre had 145 new posts over 2020, including job market updates, quick polls and some excellent tips and tricks from industry experts. Many of those posts were packed with valuable knowledge and were well received, so we want to make sure you saw them. Here’s a collection of the top-viewed informational posts from 2020:

COVID-19 Support

There’s no ignoring the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic defined 2020. When it hit, Eagle was quick to gather as much information as we could regarding government support to help IT contractors navigate the fast-changing updates. Over the following months, we provided some additional articles for coping, as well as uplifting success stories, all of which are still very relevant today:

• The Federal Government’s Incredible Tech Accomplishment and What It Means for the Future
• Managing Your Stress and Anxiety Through the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Practical Ways for IT Contractors to Use Free Time
• Tech Wins at Companies Across Canada During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Networking During a Pandemic

IT Contracting

Even the most seasoned IT contractors continue to learn the ins and outs of the independent contracting world. It can be complex and, like everything else in today’s reality, it’s always changing. These articles were among the most popular guidance we provided to IT contractors in the past year:

• Backing Out of a Contract Without Ruining Your Reputation
• How to Pay Yourself as an Incorporated IT Contractor
• Make Note of These 5 Sections in Your IT Contract
• Navigating the IT Contract Extension Process

Working with Recruiters

A natural part of being a successful IT contractor is building great relationships with recruiters to leverage your network and gain more access to jobs. Here are the top tips on that topic:

• Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Apply for the Same Job with Multiple Recruiters
• Please Don’t Ghost Recruiters After Being Submitted to a Client
• Get More Job Opportunities by Keeping Recruiters Up to Date on These 5 Things
• How to Tell Your Recruiter They Screwed Up (and you’re not happy about it)

Job Interviews

There are many steps in a job search, but it turns out the area our readers were most interested in learning about in 2020 were job interviews. Specifically, these posts were most popular:

• Preparing for an Interview? Use this Worksheet.
• Simple Tips to Lighten the Mood in a Job Interview
• The Difference Between a Recruiter and Client Interview
• Outside-the-Box Job Interview Tips
• Video Interview Tips That Will Get You the Job

Other Job Search Posts

In addition to interviews-related articles, here are a few other job search tips and tricks that hundreds of contractors grabbed knowledge from this year:

• What to Think About Before Transitioning from a Functional to Technical Role (or vice-versa)
• Dating Advice for your Job Search: 8 things you should NEVER do after a first date (or job interview)
• What to Do When You Change Your Email Address

Personal Development

Finally, whether it’s professional skills or soft skills, helping yourself become a better person is not only beneficial for your career, but your personal life as well. Here are a few posts we published in 2020 that help you add new lines to your resume, or just become a better individual to work with:

• These Weekend Python Projects Look Impressive on a Resume
• 5 Signs You’re a Difficult Person and Don’t Even Know It (and what to do about it)
• Change the Negative Attitude That’s Destroying Your Career
• How Many of These 79 MS Word Shortcuts Do You Already Know?

What was your favourite post in 2020? Is there a topic you would like to see more of? Please share your feedback with us so we can continue to provide the best resources that IT contractors need to be successful.

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