State of the Market

[edison]

I think you need to be aiming to ride out the next year, IMO

I've managed to dodge downturns and recessions in the past. I'm less confident this time around.

I said ride things out for six months only because my contract is that long. With continuing threats of a long recession, ongoing fallout from Brexit, Covid and global supply chain disruption, not to mention Ukraine, I might need to rephrase that to 2-3 years!

[edison]

Mini Boom - finally started on site yesterday with a new client on a six month strategy gig after protracted contract negotiations. First time ever going direct rather than via an agency as I was approached directly by the CIO who I knew from elsewhere years ago. Managed to get my highest ever day rate too, so fingers crossed!

[ladymuck]

Mini Boom - finally started on site yesterday with a new client on a six month strategy gig after protracted contract negotiations. First time ever going direct rather than via an agency as I was approached directly by the CIO who I knew from elsewhere years ago. Managed to get my highest ever day rate too, so fingers crossed!

BOOM indeed!

[northernladuk]

Mini Boom - finally started on site yesterday with a new client on a six month strategy gig after protracted contract negotiations. First time ever going direct rather than via an agency as I was approached directly by the CIO who I knew from elsewhere years ago. Managed to get my highest ever day rate too, so fingers crossed!

"It's all going to go wrong, it always goes wrong" - [Marvin the Paranoid Android - 1980]

Grats though

[PerfectStorm]

"There's a role with a really great client at the moment with a great agency, are you interested?"

"I don't know, who's it with?"

"I can't tell you until you sign the forms, I can usually tell if people are interested a not and with you... well, are you interested?"

"Still can't tell you, sorry"

Why do people act so secretively about contract roles that even I don't give a tulip about when applying for them? Who do they think I'm going to tell?

Agents: there's no point asking me about the minutiae of my experience and what I was being paid if we can't have a grown up conversation about what you've got on offer. I'm not interested in what's inside the mystery box - just tell me.

[dx4100]

After paying around during the pandemic with a couple of start ups which did nothing more than pay bills (not a bad thing) I am back on the bench today and looking for a contract. Still got a plan B going but its run out of money so back to contracting we go.

Excited to be back lol

[eek]

After paying around during the pandemic with a couple of start ups which did nothing more than pay bills (not a bad thing) I am back on the bench today and looking for a contract. Still got a plan B going but its run out of money so back to contracting we go.

Excited to be back lol

Snap - but not exactly excited more resigned to it unless I find something interesting (because today's interview really wasn't interesting at all)...

[northernladuk]

"There's a role with a really great client at the moment with a great agency, are you interested?"

"I don't know, who's it with?"

"I can't tell you until you sign the forms, I can usually tell if people are interested a not and with you... well, are you interested?"

"Still can't tell you, sorry"

Why do people act so secretively about contract roles that even I don't give a tulip about when applying for them? Who do they think I'm going to tell?

Agents: there's no point asking me about the minutiae of my experience and what I was being paid if we can't have a grown up conversation about what you've got on offer. I'm not interested in what's inside the mystery box - just tell me.

Because agents ring other agents pretending to be a contractor, find who the client is and then try and get in with them to represent the role. I know it happens for a fact.

The other scenario is you find who the client is then go find your favourite agent that will put you forward with a much lower cust.

[PerfectStorm]

Because agents ring other agents pretending to be a contractor, find who the client is and then try and get in with them to represent the role. I know it happens for a fact.

The other scenario is you find who the client is then go find your favourite agent that will put you forward with a much lower cust.

I think the more likely scenario is that the client is overestimating how much anyone cares about whether they're recruiting or not, and the agency doesn't want people to know who/what they're recruiting for. But as it only ever stays between me and the agency anyway (like I'd want to talk about the world's most boring profession on my evening and weekends) I just don't get it

[ladymuck]

I think there's only been a couple of occasions where an agent has refused to tell me who the client is. I just say that they run the risk of wasting both our time if it's a client I wouldn't want to work with.

Often they'll forward the job spec and forget to remove the metadata and I work it out that way. Or the spec will contain key words that give it away.