Trouble getting a new contract

[northernladuk]

Few agents understand the role they are recruiting for and are not in a position to ask the right questions. They instead find the CVs that match as many keywords as possible, and where the few most recent gigs appear to have some resemblance with what the client is asking for..

There is a great example of that on jobserve at the moment..

There are 8 ads for a Service Delivery Manager for DWP in Warrington. The spec is for a PM but they call them Delivery Managers. The amount of time that is being wasted by SDM's applying or ringing up asking why the spec is nothing to do with ITIL type services must be unbelievable. I can't image PM's will be searching using the job title so will be missing it. Complete **** up.

Find service Jobs with JobServe.com

[SueEllen]

There is a great example of that on jobserve at the moment..

There are 8 ads for a Service Delivery Manager for DWP in Warrington. The spec is for a PM but they call them Delivery Managers. The amount of time that is being wasted by SDM's applying or ringing up asking why the spec is nothing to do with ITIL type services must be unbelievable. I can't image PM's will be searching using the job title so will be missing it. Complete **** up.

Find service Jobs with JobServe.com

Isn't that the fault of the client though?

They need to use standard terminology if they want to recruit particular skills.

[DaveB]

There is a great example of that on jobserve at the moment..

There are 8 ads for a Service Delivery Manager for DWP in Warrington. The spec is for a PM but they call them Delivery Managers. The amount of time that is being wasted by SDM's applying or ringing up asking why the spec is nothing to do with ITIL type services must be unbelievable. I can't image PM's will be searching using the job title so will be missing it. Complete **** up.

Find service Jobs with JobServe.com

DWP have a shed load of stuff going in Warrington atm. I've turned down three agencies in the last couple of weeks for roles there (not the same ones) on the basis of the changes due in April. Responses have varied from "Yeah, completely understand" to "What changes are they then?"....

[northernladuk]

Isn't that the fault of the client though?

They need to use standard terminology if they want to recruit particular skills.

I'd put my money on someone at Capita screwing up ahead of the client in this case. The agents just spewing it out with zero understanding is probably just pay for the course. Only two have it advertised as Agile Delivery manager and one as just Delivery Manager so there are a few that are on the ball at least.

[eek]

I'd put my money on someone at Capita screwing up ahead of the client in this case. The agents just spewing it out with zero understanding is probably just pay for the course. Only two have it advertised as Agile Delivery manager and one as just Delivery Manager so there are a few that are on the ball at least.

It's crap job titles within DWP - they had to change a lot to justify moving people round pay scales to keep permies and the end result is a set of job titles that don't make sense to anyone not already working with DWP...

I would bet decent money that the agencies with decent descriptions know people already in DWP and so know what the DWP job title really means....

[dwater]

Even said all that I think LMs statement stands. This is the first time I've seen a contractor looking at it from a future perm perspective.

I'd understand contractor for life until something crops up i can't turn down but using contracting as a way to check clients for permiedom doesn't sound right at all.

Yes, I agree, but that's not what I'm saying at all. I have many reasons for switching back to contracting, and this is more of an observation than anything else - it's certainly not a main reason for switching, or even a minor reason. It's more of a benefit than anything else - and it's not really that either since I don't think there are such companies any more so I don't expect to find one. That's the benefit of being self-employed, no? You really have your own interests at heart.

Perhaps I'm wrong. Are there good companies still around, that are as good on the inside as they look on the outside - or perhaps better on the inside than outside?

[stek]

Yes, I agree, but that's not what I'm saying at all. I have many reasons for switching back to contracting, and this is more of an observation than anything else - it's certainly not a main reason for switching, or even a minor reason. It's more of a benefit than anything else - and it's not really that either since I don't think there are such companies any more so I don't expect to find one. That's the benefit of being self-employed, no? You really have your own interests at heart.

Perhaps I'm wrong. Are there good companies still around, that are as good on the inside as they look on the outside - or perhaps better on the inside than outside?

Nordea Bank here are great, WFH if u want, peeps do it randomly, I don't cos I don't wanna be UK tax resident.

Despite contracted hours people come and go as they please as long as work is done, canteen is a buffet style, £2.80 all you can eat which is well cheap for uk let alone Denmark..

Unisex toilets a bit weird....

[dwater]

Nordea Bank here are great, WFH if u want, peeps do it randomly, I don't cos I don't wanna be UK tax resident.

Despite contracted hours people come and go as they please as long as work is done, canteen is a buffet style, £2.80 all you can eat which is well cheap for uk let alone Denmark..

Unisex toilets a bit weird....

That's interesting I used to work for Nokia in Helsinki (perm) and Nordea sounds somewhat similar. Yeah, I suppose Nokia wasn't a bad employer, tbh....not as good as (the old) Silicon Graphics, but not bad at all.

I am resisting the urge to 'rubbish' previous employers, since it is my experiences with them that have attracted me to contracting, to become self employed. However, I am already finding that it's more difficult than I remember (my skill set now is much more common :/).

How does one attain a much in demand skill without learning it in a perm position? I suppose I might tempt a client if I have some professional certification in the skill, which I might do by going on a course or otherwise learning it, and then taking the certification exam? Otherwise, it seems to be catch-22 and is up to chance if I can land a contract for skills I *do* have, and the new skill somehow becomes adopted.

[northernladuk]

Unisex toilets a bit weird....

It's just got weirder for the locals!

[DS23]

Unisex toilets a bit weird....

urinals & cubicles or cubicles only?