Blacklisted/Blackballed/Defamation What to do next?

[boredfromsurrey]

Clearly not.

Employers struggle to find good people. If you can’t find work (contract or perm) then your skills are not needed. Or you fail to articulate your skills.

Try a career change.
Being over 50 with no kids is desirable (wrongly IMO) to employers as you’re likely to stick around for 15 years.
New skills without experience are not new skills though. You need a totally new tack. You’ve not said much about what you do so it’s hard to make suggestions, but what about office temping? Get you going in a high demand area and a lot of those companies keep the good ones on.

I have new skill which are complementary to the work I was previously doing. Amongst other things I set up from scratch and ran my own technology resale business for three years. This did not work out but I gained a lot of skills. Since 2016 I have been looking at getting back into work contract, permanent anything. I have had one face to face interview and two telephone interviews it is a bad joke. I am keeping up to date my skills and gaining new ones where I can but office temping? don't see how this is relevant to moving forward you know onwards and upwards. I see this as a problem solving exercise. I was looking for ideas from others about what other techniques,ways of identifying the problem and solving the problem I can use as well as any other experiences people have had. Anyway retirement is not on the cards as I feel I have to add back the 6 years gap now to my retirement age of 67. What should I do for the next xx years is another question, not the one I am asking.

[boredfromsurrey]

Check your CO2 alarms

Maybe we should be more careful there are some not so nice people around.

[Scruff]

I think that this has run its course in the Professional / Business section and should be moved to General?

[Lance]

Blacklisted/Blackballed/Defamation What to do next?

I cannot go into too much detail about what I used to do as it was six years ago but I provided services non-technical for IT Implementations as an Independent Consultant. My last rate was £500 Per day (overworked and underpaid). I have never brought a case about sexual harassment or anything but I accept there is sex discrimination in the IT world.
The rate I am currently asking may be an issue now as I have adjusted for mostly being inside of IR35 but rate was not an issue before and I do not see how rate would affect blacklisting?

Perhaps times have changed. Are companies are sick of being shafted by non-technical people screwing up their projects with glib statements like ‘I’m not technical it’s not my fault’ and ‘I don’t know that’s technical’?
I won’t work with non-technical PMs any more as I can’t be bothered teaching them how to finish the project.

[boredfromsurrey]

I remember reading a sort of a blacklist at a bank client. Basically an unprotected excel spreadsheet made by client for the agency listing contractors who would be renewed/who were a pain and ones that had refused a rate cut.

To the OP, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.

qh

A number of companies were involved in rate cutting and they are listed somewhere (cannot remember where). I believe what you say might be true. My experiences in my last few contracts a lot of IR35 bullying, a lot of talk about rates (hate that), A lot of references to permies vs contractors (hate that too) How can one provide a professional service when all of that sh** is going on.

[Scruff]

A number of companies were involved in rate cutting and they are listed somewhere (cannot remember where). I believe what you say might be true. My experiences in my last few contracts a lot of IR35 bullying, a lot of talk about rates (hate that), A lot of references to permies vs contractors (hate that too) How can one provide a professional service when all of that sh** is going on.

http://www.egos.co.uk/contract-breakers.htm#Contract

[PerfectStorm]

A number of companies were involved in rate cutting and they are listed somewhere (cannot remember where). I believe what you say might be true. My experiences in my last few contracts a lot of IR35 bullying, a lot of talk about rates (hate that), A lot of references to permies vs contractors (hate that too) How can one provide a professional service when all of that sh** is going on.

What's IR35 bullying? Is there a mutuality of obligation to bully back?

[BlasterBates]

Ah no this is what I have to deal with. The first contract that fell through was for less money and the other two were for the same. I have had to change my rate to keep up with the market loads of advertised contracts to apply for which I do. What I am saying is that the "blacklisting" may have lead to the gap so whoever has done this should pay up. In case you think this is not a serious post it is! I have a true contract mentality and cannot quite get the £500 a day * 180 days a year (that was approx. my previous days invoiced)* 6 years out of my head. I am a bit angry

The market has got even harder than it was a few years ago so I would recommend dropping your rate. I went from contract to permie in 2013 taking a corresponding cut and the market has deteriorated even further since then.

Once you're in contract you can work your way back up again.

[boredfromsurrey]

£40 if you do a good job + Reference

Well, I have a bigger pile of washing and then ironing plus 100+ other jobs round the house.
If you have not done any of this type of work for a while I will just pay you £20 plus no reference.

[boredfromsurrey]

Are you saying you suspect a former client or an agent of coming round to your house and causing criminal damage?

Possibly, I do not know who did it.



When you say your "data was shared" do you mean they saw your CV, or was your bank account details handed over, or something else?

No comment it is now in the hands of the ICO.


Strange as in "from the agency", or from someone telling you your computer had a virus, or asking if you need your oven cleaned, or if you've been in a car accident recently?

Funny enough not what I am talking about.