noobs elusive 1st contract

[rjoe]

Salutations

I'm a previous perm who took the leap into the light of contracting 5 weeks ago.

The IT PM market is tricky to judge, but generally pickings seem real slim and I reckon the fact I'm green to contracting is working against me.
I've pimped what I can (Linked-in Profile, CV etc) and am networking where I can. I'm checking and applying on the boards every day, calling up the agencies, getting put forward for a few, but nothing is biting atm. I'm trying to flex and would take lower rate or will travel...
Something will come up, hopefully before my dwindling cash reserves dry up.

So how long would you folks say is average for a noob to land their first contract? Any advice?

[Lance]

It's unusual to take the leap without having a gig first. Without being personal were you subject to redundancy? Your CV needs to look like a contractor CV. So even if you've been at the same place since pussy was a kitten you can break it down into chunks where you delivered projects. Write each project like a different job. You also don't need to tell an agency you've never contracted before (they'll figure it out themselves), nor should you tell them what your salary was (they'll never see your P45 so can never find out). There are a lot of contractor PMs on the market so an agent is unlikely to take a high risk punt.
Once you present your CV correctly (and the talk behind it) a few weeks is all it should take

[Dante]

Salutations

I'm a previous perm who took the leap into the light of contracting 5 weeks ago.

The IT PM market is tricky to judge, but generally pickings seem real slim and I reckon the fact I'm green to contracting is working against me.
I've pimped what I can (Linked-in Profile, CV etc) and am networking where I can. I'm checking and applying on the boards every day, calling up the agencies, getting put forward for a few, but nothing is biting atm. I'm trying to flex and would take lower rate or will travel...
Something will come up, hopefully before my dwindling cash reserves dry up.

So how long would you folks say is average for a noob to land their first contract? Any advice?

For most contractors I've met over the years, I think they usually have the first one lined up before making the leap from permiedom, often through contacts at their current employer (or competitor).

Sometimes it's finding the second one that can be tricky!

HTH.

[BrilloPad]

Get a permie role if you can. Then keep applying for contracts.

[uk contractor]

Salutations

I'm a previous perm who took the leap into the light of contracting 5 weeks ago.

The IT PM market is tricky to judge, but generally pickings seem real slim and I reckon the fact I'm green to contracting is working against me.
I've pimped what I can (Linked-in Profile, CV etc) and am networking where I can. I'm checking and applying on the boards every day, calling up the agencies, getting put forward for a few, but nothing is biting atm. I'm trying to flex and would take lower rate or will travel...
Something will come up, hopefully before my dwindling cash reserves dry up.

So how long would you folks say is average for a noob to land their first contract? Any advice?

http://forums.contractoruk.com/busin...te-market.html

[tomtomagain]

Salutations

So how long would you folks say is average for a noob to land their first contract? Any advice?

It's impossible to say. Depends on the market you're targeting & the state of that market, the skill-set you have, the years experience you have.

For example if you are an O&G PM with 10 years of experience you will struggle - the life has been squeezed out of O&G. They aren't doing many projects and have shed thousands of staff.

You'll need to drop any self-imposed limitations. For example if there's a contact 100 miles from home you should still think about applying for it. If there is a role for a "Project Manager" and you view yourself as a "Programme Manager" then apply for it.

[missinggreenfields]

So how long would you folks say is average for a noob to land their first contract? Any advice?

I started looking in the November, and got a contract the following April.

That was in the glory days of contracting though.

[rjoe]

It's unusual to take the leap without having a gig first. Without being personal were you subject to redundancy?

I went voluntarily, there were a couple of factors to that. First, with 3 months notice, I figured I wasn't going to appeal to any prospective clients vs a guy or gal who could start at the drop of a hat. A lot of the reading I did, suggested it was a good move to jack in my job, but I suppose it's six of one, half a dozen of the other. Second, there was a gig informally waiting for me - turns out now not as concrete as expected. Could still happen at any time but I'm not counting my eggs...

Only a few agents ask how much I was on, I've told them my perm salary isn't comparable and what's important is what the client is willing to pay for my services.

[rjoe]

Get a permie role if you can. Then keep applying for contracts.

Thanks, I'll give it another couple of weeks before I try that.

[stek]

I started looking in the November, and got a contract the following April.

That was in the glory days of contracting though.

The real glory days were when it was a genuine finish Friday, start Monday, rate increases without asking in case you fancied clearing off, as soon a you finish a role, phone rings it's knackers off, no real need to look for a role, faxing timesheets, typing invoices, actually posting stuff in a postbox, easily outsmarting HMRC and VAT people, no need for building access, no compliance, 486SX25 desktop or IBM PS/2, DEC TeamLinks, 10Base2, jumpers for goalposts, three rings when you get there, stray dogs, manual chokes and Pounds, Shillings and Pence....