Benched 4 Weeks now and not a single interview

[BrilloPad]

I do IT PM, have background in development / TIS / etc.

My plan is to go to Oz on a Working Holiday Visa at the end of the year, and look for work there. But before that I want to build up more cash assets by getting one more contract.

Retrain? There is nothing much else I'd like to do in IT!

I think DiscoStu is off to Oz soon? Try PMing him for advice.

[RichardCranium]

I was going to start a thread in a similar vein.

I have not spoken to an agent for 2 weeks. I cannot get them on the 'phone and they are not ringing me.

I can usually get past the gatekeepers that block you, but I'm just getting "He's not in today", "He's not taking calls" and so on.

About 200 applications and not one interview yet. I have never known it so bad.

[Peter Loew]

Thanks all for the advice, it does go well read.

I had an agent call me up yesterday; one of the few I keep in regular contact with and he tells me most of his clients are demanding contractors with specific sector experience even though the roles are pretty standard. he said it makes it very difficult for them not to reuse their proven contractors.

Hate to say it but permie might have to be an option for some, but who knows what that market is like right now?

[gingerjedi]

I've had 4 interviews and failed on all which was a bit of a kick in the balls as I had a 100% record up until a few months ago, I only got this gig as the person they took on walked after a day.

I was sloppy seconds.

[MPwannadecentincome]

It's so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

I can't believe things have gotten as bad as this.

I can't believe how far rates have dropped - £200 pd plus in London for a PM - which brings down Snr PM rates and Programme Manager rates too

Or maybe that was just one of those ads where they know no-one will apply so some Indian can come in under ICT.

[MPwannadecentincome]

Then pick an agent of your choice (the client will want to use an agent mostly) and decide on your Ts&Cs.

PZZ

The client might want to use an agent or an umbrella

[MPwannadecentincome]

call me up yesterday; one of the few I keep in regular contact with and he tells me most of his clients are demanding contractors with specific sector experience even though the roles are pretty standard. he said it makes it very difficult for them not to reuse their proven contractors.

And particular sector experience can backfire sometimes according to Be a better project manager

For much of the public sector, the NHS included, project management is only an emerging discipline- despite the size and scope of many development projects. As Nick Saalfeld finds out, there is a skills gap in the project management discipline, but plenty of training on offer in order to bridge the divide.
Project management needs a better press. In an NHS where the media perception is that there are too many bureaucrats; project managers need to shout about their contribution. Rather like quantity surveyors (“I counted four…”), it’s tempting to think that project managers contribute rather little.

That couldn’t be further from the truth – and the role of the Project Manager (PM) is only going to grow, thanks to a renewed government focus on value.

The Office of Government Commerce recently analysed the performance of major public sector projects (not just in IT, and not just healthcare, either) and tried to identify the reasons for the failure of big projects. At number 4 on the list was “Poorly trained project managers”.

There are two points hidden in those four words. Project managers need to be adequately trained to do their jobs – and they need to be project managers in the first place.

Vince Hines of project management consultancy, Wellingtone, says “60% of projects are run by people who have never run a project before. Traditionally that means a line manager, or a subject area expert. So we have lots of projects headed up by people who are unaware of the formal tools and techniques of project management. Furthermore, subject area experts will naturally focus on ‘their’ area, because it’s what most interests them; meaning other aspects of the project get forgotten.”

“A good project manager, meanwhile, when they find slippage on a project, will immediately look to recover it and get it back on track. To do that, you need to have a logically linked plan in the first place, with a lucid understanding of the dependencies involved. A good PM is logical, recognises the benefit of progressing the project plan, has the skills to evaluate its progress against a baseline, and also the people-skills needed to get people in over the weekend if he has to!”

This is one industry which, if you haven't been in you cannot get into - yet clearly it needs people from the outside.

[pzz76077]

The client might want to use an agent or an umbrella

Most clients are too chicken livered not to use an agent.....

PZZ

[Peter Loew]

I can't believe how far rates have dropped - £200 pd plus in London for a PM - which brings down Snr PM rates and Programme Manager rates too

Or maybe that was just one of those ads where they know no-one will apply so some Indian can come in under ICT.

I've seen a few like this too. Must be the Indian thing, we hope. Though all the roles I have supposedly been put forward for are 450 +

[MPwannadecentincome]

I've seen a few like this too. Must be the Indian thing, we hope. Though all the roles I have supposedly been put forward for are 450 +

I have hardly seen any roles at 450 + apart from banking and finance - but my brain is now wired to ignore those as is my Jobserve search criteria.