State of the Market

[BigDataPro]

I had a couple of calls about contracts in Europe but they didn't amount to anything. I was the perfect fit technically but one agent said I was too senior, or rather that's what the client told him (yes for a contract role and the rate was the same regardless of seniority!) and the other role never got back to me but I did say I couldn't travel to Brussels due to Covid and the agent said that would be OK but I guess it wasn't. Both roles were for Indian outsourcers - Wipro and TCS. So we know what happened there - they brought in cheap resources from the homeland.

Seem to be plenty of permie jobs out there though, and not paying badly either. I mean, yes the salary is only a bit more than what I earned in my last perm Senior Tech role 15 years ago, but it seems that salaries in general have been stagnant since then.

In or out of London doesn't make a difference from what I can see either. In fact, one of the offers I have is for out of London (and home working) and is better than a City salary I might have otherwise been offered.

What is a good perm salary anyway these days for a reasonably senior role? £70k, £80k?

Is it Gazelle Global => TCS => Proximus?

[ChimpMaster]

Is it Gazelle Global => TCS => Proximus?

Gazelle were the agency last year but they didn't respond so some other agency called IBS put me forward a couple of weeks ago. This is for the German role.

[BigDataPro]

Gazelle were the agency last year but they didn't respond so some other agency called IBS put me forward a couple of weeks ago. This is for the German role.

If it were Brussels (didn't you mention it so?) and the chain I mentioned, I thought I could do something. Any way, best of luck. What's your skillset anyway?

[ChimpMaster]

If it were Brussels (didn't you mention it so?) and the chain I mentioned, I thought I could do something. Any way, best of luck. What's your skillset anyway?

Thanks BDP, would have appreciated that but I've now decided to wind up the company and take up a permie job.

Yes one was Brussels and the other Germany. Can't remember which was Wipro and which TCS, but I'm quite sure they would have shipped in a cheap resource from India in the end.

[PerfectStorm]

People not getting work/calls, why do you think that is?

Are your rates too high?
Did you have too little experience heading into lockdown (one gig or no gigs?)
Is your skillset too specialist (I can program a specific language, I can roll out one app, I won't do Agile, I'm a Systems Analyst not a Business Analyst)?
Are you somewhere remote and unwilling to work in London (shouldn't be too much of a problem now)

I feel for you after a dry run 2 years ago but I do wonder...

[simes]

People not getting work/calls, why do you think that is?

Are your rates too high?
Did you have too little experience heading into lockdown (one gig or no gigs?)
Is your skillset too specialist (I can program a specific language, I can roll out one app, I won't do Agile, I'm a Systems Analyst not a Business Analyst)?
Are you somewhere remote and unwilling to work in London (shouldn't be too much of a problem now)

I feel for you after a dry run 2 years ago but I do wonder...

Not that my case will in any way be indicative, but to assist;

• 20 years, back to back, PM assignments.
• I don't set a rate on initial conversation, just revert the question to the agent asking what the client is expecting. 9/10 I say fine.
• Current in-vogue PM needs are largely SC, Cloud, Azure, Security - of which I have absolutely none.
• Experience set (if not skill set) has been quite generalist. Product launch, Migrations, Network - currently not required.
• Willing to work anywhere, applications going to Nordics and Mainland Europe.

It's a ride, but am positive.

[Fraidycat]

People not getting work/calls, why do you think that is?

Are your rates too high?
Did you have too little experience heading into lockdown (one gig or no gigs?)
Is your skillset too specialist (I can program a specific language, I can roll out one app, I won't do Agile, I'm a Systems Analyst not a Business Analyst)?
Are you somewhere remote and unwilling to work in London (shouldn't be too much of a problem now)

I feel for you after a dry run 2 years ago but I do wonder...

Its agents and clients being extra picky when they have an abundance of good candidates.

A CV that would have got an interview a year ago is no longer good enough because there is more supply with other candidates on the market being a better match for the job spec.

[PerfectStorm]

Not that my case will in any way be indicative, but to assist;

• Current in-vogue PM needs are largely SC, Cloud, Azure, Security - of which I have absolutely none.

.

On the subject of things like this...




it's the contractor way - otherwise you'd never learn anything.

There's not a lot you can't google and/or watch a YouTube video on.

[simes]

I could not agree more, and that has been Exactly the way I got on with life in the past.

My standard response was always, 'If you look at my CV, you will see that before I did XYZ, I had never done before, XYZ.'

What is now making that difficult is that a) as above there is an abundance of people available with those skills and experience, and b) as no one is in the office and none of the numbers are being forwarded, I cannot actually have that conversation with anyone to convince thus.

And so, the CVs get thrown into a black hole. Have even tried Linking in with Agents for alternative contact numbers but that has not worked either.

So, rest assured, IF anyone were to say what you are suggesting, that is already long term part of my DNA.

[SussexSeagull]

Too many contractors and too few contracts. Jobserve has gone from several hundred jobs a day to probably about 50 passing my initial filter.

Problem is with learning a skill off your own back is clients like to see experience of it and at the moment can hold out for someone who has done it.

Networking contacts is the only game in town and even they have been decimated in the lat year.