Best approach to finding your next role?

[jmercer]

Hi All,

Long time lurker here... little bit of background about myself, I've been contracting for 20 years and pretty much gone from contract to contract without any issues, friends/colleagues have mostly paved the way from one to the other. I started off purely technical and eventually moved into project/programme management (technical/security in the main) and that's where I market myself.

However this year seems totally different to any other I've experienced in those 20 years, roles seem thin on the ground where I live/want to work (North West/Midlands) and the usual sites don't seem to be bearing any fruit as it were - Jobserve, CWJobs, CV-Library, TotalJobs etc.

I've built a small network of contacts at a number of agencies but non have managed to find me anything so far, and trying to get hold of an agent that has advertised a role seems impossible once applied.

So my question is what should I be doing? what works for you?

Thanks

[doconline]

Out of the job sites, I think Jobserve is still the go to site. That is where I have had most of my roles from. The others have been from agents that I have been previously placed through or registered at from applying to Jobserve roles. You could also try LinkedIn. Try and grow your network in your preferred areas. Any local tech groups you could sign up to on LinkedIn that recruiters might be a member of too?

[jmercer]

Yeah LinkedIn has been a great source of contacts too, it's just the roles don't seem to either be there or get filled before they hit the boards.

I tend to call the agencies once a week to check in with them and make sure I'm still relevant.

[uk contractor]

Its not just you the IT market for several roles (generic support & dev & PM roles especially) has been poor for a long time. Read here backwards to get a flavour of that http://forums.contractoruk.com/busin...arket-135.html
....but a lot of it is down to what you do. Unless you have a niche skillset right now its a very tough job market probably the hardest its been since post 2001.

Experience is less attractive right now to many clients it seems to boil down to rate first then experience 2nd due to how many foreign IT workers are here & happy to take lower rates which then dilutes future rates as many agents look and see what rates were offered in recent job ads before basing their rate card on that for the current ad! Which leads to constantly diminishing returns for the IT contractor obviously!!

[mattfx]

Currently in the middle of negotiating a contract extension at the current gig, after a rate rise (12.5%) and as such, thought i'd best have a fallback so started reaching out for roles this past week. Got put forward for a role which frankly I thought i'd have in the bag given the day rate on offer being on the low side and being outside of London, but the client came back and passed on my CV! I was gob smacked. However their feedback was useful; I didn't entirely interpret the job spec correctly and didn't emphasis enough experience in a particular area they're after.

I think you're right OP, it's a very competitive market.

[BrilloPad]

Look for permanent roles.

[kaiser78]

Currently in the middle of negotiating a contract extension at the current gig, after a rate rise (12.5%) and as such, thought i'd best have a fallback so started reaching out for roles this past week. Got put forward for a role which frankly I thought i'd have in the bag given the day rate on offer being on the low side and being outside of London, but the client came back and passed on my CV! I was gob smacked. However their feedback was useful; I didn't entirely interpret the job spec correctly and didn't emphasis enough experience in a particular area they're after.

I think you're right OP, it's a very competitive market.

Gosh - how many times have we all thought that ?!!

[Eirikur]

mass mail all possible vacancies

[kaiser78]

mass mail all possible vacancies

Postage would cost a fortune...

[mattfx]

Gosh - how many times have we all thought that ?!!

Yep - I'm still pretty green around the ears, don't worry; the optimism is being beaten out of me on a daily basis!