State of the Market

[Dorkeaux]

It's been quite a lively week this week. I had 3 separate phone calls from agents yesterday, though didn't lead to anything (perm, inside IR35 and junior going through her script).

However, I also had an interview earlier today. Wow, remember those?!?! Now for the painstaking wait!

Good luck.
Don't get too attached to the role yet, though. You know what you're like!

[herman_g]

I keep an eye on the basket (case) of larger agencies that are publically listed, we are still in 2008/2009 territory but it looks like they have at least reached a floor.

The question is now, whether they go through that 2008/2009 floor or start to bid.

My UK-based agent (my client is in the Netherlands) mentioned on Linkedin last week that business is the lowest he's seen in 40 years. In 2008, there was no usual new work in the UK at the start of the fiscal year but the phone started ringing mid-August and I had 3 offers in September.

[quackhandle]

FTC's for five and six month contracts, WTF? I don't recall seeing that before.


Fooking dead as a dead thing out there.


qh

[sadkingbilly]

We're Stll looking................

[Cookielove]

Yep I had one of those FTC for 6 months not seen that before either...waste of time had a Teams interview and they just wanted to pick your brains...

Agencies don't want to talk these days, its the younger generation they don't want to pick up the phone.

Nigh on impossible to get to talk to them as just told apply online end of... I like to actually talk to the agent but that rarely happens now.

[oliverson]

Yep I had one of those FTC for 6 months not seen that before either...waste of time had a Teams interview and they just wanted to pick your brains...

Agencies don't want to talk these days, its the younger generation they don't want to pick up the phone.

Nigh on impossible to get to talk to them as just told apply online end of... I like to actually talk to the agent but that rarely happens now.

I've had a few actual conversations the last few days with REAL PEOPLE on a REAL PHONE. Forgot how much I actually enjoy talking to people, usually about how good I think I am!

[willendure]

Well blow me down. Had an out of the blue call from a professional and polite agent from an agency I previously did some solid work for. Outside contract, local and decent rate. What is this? 2019? Applying.

[herman_g]

Yep I had one of those FTC for 6 months not seen that before either...waste of time had a Teams interview and they just wanted to pick your brains...

Agencies don't want to talk these days, its the younger generation they don't want to pick up the phone.

Nigh on impossible to get to talk to them as just told apply online end of... I like to actually talk to the agent but that rarely happens now.

Not wanting to talk on the phone is a bit rude but that is pretty much par for the course with under-35's. They are so used to chatting on social media and you need to ask them it's ok to call them. If you just call them on whatsapp or whatever, they seem to think you've broken protocol and don't answer. My daughter and my neices are all 32-34 yo. and that's just how they communicate.

For a few years now, I have responded to a jobserve ad and then connected with them on Linkedin straught away. When I initiate a chat with them, I find they can be pretty responsive when you bring up the role they advertised for but they haven't read a single CV yet (and confess it may well be getting filtered out by their filtering people). They normally ask me to send them the CV through Linkedin and my rate of interviewing is quite high using this technique.

When I fire off a CV through jobserve and don't reach out to them via Linkedin it's just a dead end. I often wonder why they even bother listing there.

[avonleigh]

Not wanting to talk on the phone is a bit rude but that is pretty much par for the course with under-35's. They are so used to chatting on social media and you need to ask them it's ok to call them. If you just call them on whatsapp or whatever, they seem to think you've broken protocol and don't answer. My daughter and my neices are all 32-34 yo. and that's just how they communicate.

For a few years now, I have responded to a jobserve ad and then connected with them on Linkedin straught away. When I initiate a chat with them, I find they can be pretty responsive when you bring up the role they advertised for but they haven't read a single CV yet (and confess it may well be getting filtered out by their filtering people). They normally ask me to send them the CV through Linkedin and my rate of interviewing is quite high using this technique.

When I fire off a CV through jobserve and don't reach out to them via Linkedin it's just a dead end. I often wonder why they even bother listing there.

Last year or so have been put forward for at least four roles where the agent has just looked at my cv and said they will let me know when they get feedback from the client, no phone call at all, Pretty poor really. As you say pretty sure it's the younger generation. But that's the way the world is now. Can't even speak to the doctor surgery anymore, all done online.

[pjt]

Not wanting to talk on the phone is a bit rude but that is pretty much par for the course with under-35's. They are so used to chatting on social media and you need to ask them it's ok to call them. If you just call them on whatsapp or whatever, they seem to think you've broken protocol and don't answer. My daughter and my neices are all 32-34 yo. and that's just how they communicate.

For a few years now, I have responded to a jobserve ad and then connected with them on Linkedin straught away. When I initiate a chat with them, I find they can be pretty responsive when you bring up the role they advertised for but they haven't read a single CV yet (and confess it may well be getting filtered out by their filtering people). They normally ask me to send them the CV through Linkedin and my rate of interviewing is quite high using this technique.

When I fire off a CV through jobserve and don't reach out to them via Linkedin it's just a dead end. I often wonder why they even bother listing there.

Yeah my experience also. My last few gigs I've had have been after some form of reachout on LInked in following an application. I seem to be getting traction and roles if I can get to actually speak to the agent and talk through the CV. Sending a blind application has resulted in pretty much 0 responses for me over the past few years.