Training whilst on the bench

[BrowneIssue]

You should become a life coach,

So why is mine a shambling mess, no house, no pension, no savings and a shedload of debt?

I suspect it's 'cos I can organise a piss-up in a brewery with ease. Sadly, little else!

[suityou01]

I keep writing the same advice; one day I should collate it all and stick it on my web site.

Condensed version:

- only apply for gigs you are likely to get otherwise you are wasting your time.

- treat seeking work as a full time job. Start by 08:00 and spend no less than 5 hours at it. Do not spend more than 8 hours at it.

- ALWAYS follow up an application with a phone call. ALWAYS. Jobserve applications do not all get through.

- do not rely on just one job web site; use a selection. You will learn which are the duplicates.

- keep a record of the gigs you go for. Statistics make you feel better.

- before firing off your CV for a gig, check that everything they ask for is mentioned on your CV. This is a tedious pain in the arse but necessary to be shortlisted.

- try not to apply for the same gig twice through different agents.

- a gig on £50 per day less than what you want is worth more than being on the bench. You can always lie about the rate later.

- attend every interview you can. They are good practice.

- if you are not getting interviews, you are not being shortlisted and there is something wrong with your CV.
- if you are getting interviews but not gigs, there is something wrong with your interview technique

- do not stop applying for gigs just because you have an interview lined up or have had an interview.

- always ask for feedback from interviews. Occasionally you actually get some. Even more rarely, it is useful and true! Normally, though, it is bollocks. Get a friend to interpret it for you.

- do not pay anyone to bugger with your CV; they just rip you off. There is free and good advice on the agency web sites on tailoring CVs. I think ContractorUK may have some too.


BTW, you did the right thing doing training. Any grown-up interviewer will understand when you say: "I actually did my PRINCE2 about a month ago, now I'm looking for a gig where I can use it."

Or there is just no work. Read the papers!

[NickNick]

Or there is just no work. Read the papers!

See, no matter what the papers say, I've found that there is indeed a lot of work out there for my skillset (BA) and as we BAs seem to be somewhat in demand at the moment, rates are better too. Just secrured myself a 15% rate hike.

[cojak]

Or there is just no work. Read the papers!

Not true.
HTH.

[BrowneIssue]

- only apply for gigs you are likely to get otherwise you are wasting your time.

- if you are not getting interviews, you are not being shortlisted and there is something wrong with your CV.

Or there is just no work. Read the papers!

Then what were the applications for? Ignore the scare-mongering in the papers and read the job ads.