Landing a new job mid-contract

[malvolio]

I had one idiot on my team bail out on a contract not very long after I'd got him an extension. He asked for 2 weeks notice till he started his new role, he actually got about 25 minutes. Then he used me as a referee and the agency called me. "No comment, he jumped the contract" I said. His new contract offer was immediately withdrawn and he was back on the bench. Then he tried for two jobs with my client. HR refused to even consider his CV. Then he did manage to come back in a few months later in a different division, someone mentioned it to HR (not me, I hasten to add!) and he was out the door again. Blacklists do exist...

It's a mindset thing. If you make the commitment to take on a three-month contract, that's what you are going to deliver. If you start with the assumption you can always jump ship, your clients will notice and you may well jump quicker than you might think. Not all managers are dumb. Nobody will refuse you notice for a good reason, but "I got a better offer" is not a good reason. It's up to you to manage your way out, and finding a sub is by far the most professional.

[Robster]

Thanks for all your comments. I've been here since the beginning of June. The contract was originally a year but when I got the contract somehow that had turned into Aug 08.

I take the point about sticking to what you've agreed to do, but if the client decided I was no longer needed I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to put me on notice, so I don't see any reason why I shouldn't do the same, a contract is a 2 way thing after all.

lukemg It sounds like a good idea to take the approach of asking to get involved in other work I might give that a try. The manager of the team I'm working with is aware that i'm not happy on the basis of me wanting to work closer to home and he has been very understanding but so far I've made no mention of the lack of work. Incidentally I work for an outsourcing company at one of their client sites, so I'm kind of one step removed from the end client.

I'm not the sort of person who ditches things lightly, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get bored like this again because I'm looking for roles that sound like they involve a fair amount of work that is quite varied. Put it this way, our target is to close 4 calls per day each, and we often don't hit that.

In relation to the suggestion of replacing myself I'm not sure how easy that would be because the role requires BC security clearance.

[mace]

length of contract

They'll normally be longer in contracts that require security clearance as there's usually a 2 month lead time before they can get a newbie doing productive work.

I really can't understand the dog eat dog mentality in this industry. Having been a contractor for 10 years, I've been shafted by clients on more than 1 occasion, yet am required to be 'professional' in my relations to them. When you get to the age of 40, you'll hear agents/clients telling you that you're no longer considered for jobs because "you've not successfully managed your career". This means that you've not chosen roles and a skillset which will move you up the greasy pole without having the pole chopped at some point by some obscure management decision.

All that you need to learn about life and career planning can be learnt by playing snakes and ladders. Don't listen to idiots who talk about being 'professional', if you stick with a dead end job, you're not 'managing your career'.

[malvolio]

But if you get into a dead end job in the first place, you're not managing it either...

You should do the due diligence bit up front, not rely on a notice period to sort out your own cockups.

[NotAllThere]

There's a big difference between jumping ship a few weeks after starting a presumably negotiated extension, and giving notice according to your contractual rights after giving the contact a fair go.

While I agree that generally you should work the length of the contract you signed, there are circumstances when you shouldn't. Not having enough work to do, is one of them.

Explain to the manager that you feel that your skills are not being fully utilised, and ask him what can be done about it. If he doesn't take action, give notice.

[mace]

Reality check

But if you get into a dead end job in the first place, you're not managing it either...

You should do the due diligence bit up front, not rely on a notice period to sort out your own cockups.

Indeed, but this is a contracting website. The reality is that the longer you are in an industry, the higher up a pyramid you go in terms of either skillset or title. In either case, there will be less and less jobs in order to carry on rising up that ladder.

Many a contractor takes a contract which uses cutting-edge skills and/or is in an industry in the investment part of the business cycle and maintains an excellent relationship with their client, only to find that the client decides not to upgrade that particular skillset and new clients and their agents no longer have an interest in a contractor who either isn't using the latest version of a product or who has industry skills in a sector which is no longer in the right part of the business cycle.

Typical examples of contractors:-

1. John decides to stay on permie track. Developer, then team lead in late-20s, application architect - early 30s, development manager, late 30s. Then his position is got rid of. He goes contracting as his industry is in the recessive part of the business cycle and doesn't want to take on permies. John can 'manage his career' by only taking development manager positions. However, this would mean that he'd have extensive gaps between contracts, making contracting an unviable option.

2. Guy starts off as a developer. Gets lured in to contracting after a few years as he trebles his salary. Career bobs up and down between development and team lead roles. In his particular niche, he has extensive experience so gets paid higher rates. Guy will find that if he tries to go permie after 10 years, many employers won't touch him because he won't fit in with a team where the team leads are younger than him and substantially less experienced.

[Lewis]

I had one idiot on my team bail out on a contract not very long after I'd got him an extension. He asked for 2 weeks notice till he started his new role, he actually got about 25 minutes. Then he used me as a referee and the agency called me. "No comment, he jumped the contract" I said. His new contract offer was immediately withdrawn and he was back on the bench. Then he tried for two jobs with my client. HR refused to even consider his CV. Then he did manage to come back in a few months later in a different division, someone mentioned it to HR (not me, I hasten to add!) and he was out the door again. Blacklists do exist...

It's a mindset thing. If you make the commitment to take on a three-month contract, that's what you are going to deliver. If you start with the assumption you can always jump ship, your clients will notice and you may well jump quicker than you might think. Not all managers are dumb. Nobody will refuse you notice for a good reason, but "I got a better offer" is not a good reason. It's up to you to manage your way out, and finding a sub is by far the most professional.

I don't know what industry you are in, sounds very small if people keep having to go back to the same client again and again. I am investment banking and have never worked for the same client twice. Plus there are many more places to go as well. I have always been able to leave on good terms, including where I left mid contract. Leaving mid-contract is not in my opinion something that should affect anything. I obviously wouldn't say "stuff your job up you ars"£ I have a better offer". A reasonable excuse can always be come up with if it is simply a matter that you hate your boss. But I am NOT a believer of sitting in some sh^t role, not happy for 3 months. Like I said life is too short and I have better things to do!

[Lewis]

But if you get into a dead end job in the first place, you're not managing it either...

You should do the due diligence bit up front, not rely on a notice period to sort out your own cockups.

Unfortunately you have to believe the interviewer when he says what the job involves. Unfortunately they don't always tell the truth. A bit of support but mainly new development can often be a lot of support and a bit of new development. etc.. etc..

[malvolio]

I don't know what industry you are in, sounds very small if people keep having to go back to the same client again and again. I am investment banking and have never worked for the same client twice. ...

Fairly small company - about $266bn turnover, 97k employees world-wide, plus about 50k contractors...

IB is not the best example either, since it is very incestuous - at least, in the Square Mile it is. I kept meeting the same people everywhere I went.

I'm not saying you can't, and I'm not saying it's death to do it, I am saying it is only an option when all else fails or when you've really run out of things to do. The client doesn't care that you're bored after all, he just wants a resource for when he needs one.

[King Cnvt]

Fairly small company - about $266bn turnover, 97k employees world-wide, plus about 50k contractors...

IB is not the best example either, since it is very incestuous - at least, in the Square Mile it is. I kept meeting the same people everywhere I went.

I'm not saying you can't, and I'm not saying it's death to do it, I am saying it is only an option when all else fails or when you've really run out of things to do. The client doesn't care that you're bored after all, he just wants a resource for when he needs one.

Sounds like a permie role.