First time contractor.. where did all the jobs go?

[malvolio]

Your plight is not atypical. I’ve met others who, as permanent employees, see contractors making tonnes of cash and decide that they’ll have a piece of the action or “tap into those opportunities” as you say.
However, once on the outside looking in things are a lot different. Your old colleagues won’t want to know. Your old contacts dry up. When you were the hiring manager agents fawned over you, now you’re a contractor no-one returns your calls. Your CV disappears into a black hole. You can feel quite cut-off and vulnerable. All those easy opportunities that you spotted during your “long permanent job history” have suddenly dried up. Hence the title of your post – Where did all the jobs go?

It’s a tough old game.

Lots of people on here can give all kinds of specific tips. What I would say in general is: you are no longer a Sharepoint Developer or whatever. You are a business. If you have an ego, leave it behind and don’t be too proud. There are some who will tell you that they don’t get out of bed for less than a grand a day and have had back-to-back contracts for 10 years. Well they’re the exception.
I’ll probably get flamed for saying this, but I recommend that you develop the mindset of the small businessman: just as the skilled stonemason will also build a brick wall or the cabinet maker will install a kitchen, you have to adapt as well. You may have to take gigs well below your skill level. If the local college wants someone to teach website design part time, then do it! Your business is generating revenue.

It’s a tough old game and you need to be a survivor.

I totally agree. Been saying for years that your job is being a contractor, so get as good as you can at it.

[europetractor]

SharePoint is dead. There is only NigelFrank keep posting fake SharePoint jobs over and over again. Go permanent.

[uk contractor]

Every time you come on here you post negative tulip.

What market are you in? The exact same one as the OP?

Can you do me a favour & in future just ignore me. Time and time again contractors who do not know anyone struggling, ever experience it themselves & or have different opinions & experiences from contracting come on here & sprout a load of rubbish about how it must be the candidate, their skillset & attempt to belittle them because they do not know or have ever experienced hardship in finding the next contract (yet!!). There are lots of bubbles around the UK related to the region you live or work in where the competition is more intense & very few roles plus lots of outsourcers or management consultancies filling roles before you will ever see them advertised as they exploit the import IT visa rules. Just because you clearly always experience a perfect working life existence do not assume everyone else does.

[LondonManc]

Can you do me a favour & in future just ignore me. Time and time again contractors who do not know anyone struggling, ever experience it themselves & or have different opinions & experiences from contracting come on here & sprout a load of rubbish about how it must be the candidate, their skillset & attempt to belittle them because they do not know or have ever experienced hardship in finding the next contract (yet!!). There are lots of bubbles around the UK related to the region you live or work in where the competition is more intense & very few roles plus lots of outsourcers or management consultancies filling roles before you will ever see them advertised as they exploit the import IT visa rules. Just because you clearly always experience a perfect working life existence do not assume everyone else does.

Fair comments in general.

Contracting isn't easy and certainly isn't for those who crave stability.

Since I started contracting 8 years ago, I've spent about five years in total away from home (not counting weekends). If you've not got a warchest to start with, you've got to go where the work takes you. If there are no gigs in your area, you either sit on the bench and wait or go where the work takes you. If you've got a partner who's on a good wage, you can be more fussy about when and where you work. If you've not got kids and/or mortgage, you again have the luxury of that.

I made the choice to go contracting rather than attempting to climb the corporate ladder. Do I regret it? At times. Do I miss the permie lifestyle of reviews, huggy-feely sessions, team-building, tedium, etc.? No. Do I miss the buzz of promotions and bonuses, the free training, not having to find a new gig, not living out of a suitcase a few days a week and the comfort blanket that a five-figure redundancy cheque? Of course. But similarly I enjoy the variety of work that I've experienced in the last 8 years. I've been fortunate enough to only have had about 8 months off in total (bench/sick/other unavailability). While I've not got a huge warchest, I can afford 5-6 months out without too much hassle factor but I've also enjoyed things - I've owned a Porsche, a Merc and a Jag, and we've had some great holidays, while I've been able to provide my children with everything they've needed to get through college and university.

When will I retire from contracting? Probably when my wife and I agree the time is right, roughly 15-20 years from now once the pension pot is full enough to pick and choose contracts or start a new adventure together.

Would I go back perm? Probably, but it would take one heck of an offer in terms of role, package and prospects.

The choices to stay contracting, go perm, leave perm are very personal; it's not a one size fits all call for someone on a forum to make. Others believe they've made a mistake and want help putting it right rather than being told that they've already been the fool they know they have been. Kudos to the latter for wanting to rectify the mistake rather than deny its occurrence.

Many people come on hear and ask questions in hope of hearing the answers that they want to, taking umbridge when those answers aren't forthcoming. Others come on to hear the pros and cons of contracting and there are many of each. There are also many pros and cons to permanent jobs and I'd never seek to dissuade an individual from either route; a person is judged on their choices and they are simply seeking advice.

As experienced contractors, we have a breadth of knowledge and the one thing we must have realised by now is that not every sector is the same, not every type of role is the same; but the one thing that underpins all contracting is the uncertainty of it. You could be walked tomorrow with no recompense beyond the signed off timesheets for the days that you've completed; less than that if you're unfortunate. This isn't an easy life of pots of gold; there are no employment benefits.

Ultimately, we are microconsultancies; little businesses doing our best to make a profit each year in a challenging, uncertain, changing environment. Contracting isn't just a choice, it's a mindset and if you cannot handle uncertainty and change, contracting probably isn't for you.

[Johnk01]

Well said UK contractor - I have been contracting for over ten years had good times and bad .... I mistook this forum for one where we stood together and helped each other
, let's stop these stupid "gloating look at me" comments

[SueEllen]

Can you do me a favour & in future just ignore me.

I'm calling you out because you are talking tulip.

If you posted something like what HugeWhale posted rather than a blanket the market is dire you would have been more use to the OP.

Time and time again contractors who do not know anyone struggling, ever experience it themselves & or have different opinions & experiences from contracting come on here & sprout a load of rubbish about how it must be the candidate, their skillset & attempt to belittle them because they do not know or have ever experienced hardship in finding the next contract (yet!!). There are lots of bubbles around the UK related to the region you live or work in where the competition is more intense & very few roles plus lots of outsourcers or management consultancies filling roles before you will ever see them advertised as they exploit the import IT visa rules. Just because you clearly always experience a perfect working life existence do not assume everyone else does.

Regards to what I do and don't know - you in and out of the forums so don't know the backgrounds of other posters. I have alluded to the fact a few times that I know other contractors with other skill sets including siblings, and some off them have ended up with just over a year out of contracts at different times.

It was already pointed out on another thread the skills that are in demand but when asked about what skills you had, unlike another poster also having difficulties, you declined to answer.

[DallasDad]

This
The OP posted at 03:37AM

So maybe not in the UK or so worried he is up to the small hours banging f5 on Jobswerve every few seconds!

Me I am always super positive not been benched since I started this lark, but then I am bloody good at what I do, plus I do have loads of cash to live on so not bothered in the slightest if I have to take a year or three off.

This contracting thing, it really is a great hobby so much better than proper work.........

OP think positive!

[SussexSeagull]

I do think at times people get a bit carried away about the perfect CV or applying for contracts the nano second they appear.

The truth of the matter is it is all about the amount of contracts available for your skills. At the moment, from what I can see, anything involving a lot of development or testing (quite possibly other things) is getting swamped with people applying. People who were more or less walking between contracts two years ago are out for months on end now. I should know, I am one of them.

That said I find almost everyone on here quite supportive as in their heart of hearts they know it could happen to them.

Slightly too late too advise but unless you are serious player with a trade-able reputation in a specific sector I wouldn't go near contracting anymore. In fact if you are leaving school or six form I wouldn't consider trying to get into IT as the technical skills are heading increasingly off shore and there is a movement to have business people perform the soft skills.

[ruasonid]

SharePoint is dead. There is only NigelFrank keep posting fake SharePoint jobs over and over again. Go permanent.

Dead here maybe. Just worked on a project where SP work was offshored.

[hardboiled]

There is the issue of being registered with too many worse than $hit agencies that do nothing but waste your time other getting your details ( which will never see the light of day again ).