Benched 4 Weeks now and not a single interview

[dozer]

6th month on the bench and only had 2 interviews for PM roles.

ive signed on and looking at becoming a minicab by night, market has completely collapsed.

[Peter Loew]

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.

Yep, I can't get em on the phone either; some of them anyway. The ones I do get on the phone don't have much to say.

[Peter Loew]

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



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

This is interesting. I always thought it must be like this within. A conundrum they have built for themselves. And yet their pompous arrogance that goes something like 'nobody understands our sector except those who have worked in it', will see their projects keep failing and their money thrown away.

[Peter Loew]

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.

Although I still allow them, and NHS stuff, to come through in my job alerts, I quickly delete them when I see them. I just don't wanna amiss anything which is why I allow everything to come through.

Banking and Finance. I wish I had that sector experience.

[Peter Loew]

6th month on the bench and only had 2 interviews for PM roles.

ive signed on and looking at becoming a minicab by night, market has completely collapsed.

What?! Sorry but there must be something wrong somewhere... CV, attitude, experience, skillset, lack of right client / sector experience... SOMETHING that is preventing you from getting interviews other than the dismal market?

I was on the bench for 2 months before Feb this year, had 2 interviews one of which I got the gig for and just finished 4 weeks ago.. And that was when the market was supposedly worse than it is now.

[SillyMilly]

And that was when the market was supposedly worse than it is now.

But it wasn't, it's much worse now. I had no problems getting my CV put forward, speaking to agents, interviews etc. when I was on the bench at the end of last year.

Most of this year it's been dead. And definitely, absolutely, far worse than 2001-2002.

[dozer]

not sure, cv has been tweaked and have had a lot of positive feedback on it. i do specialise in sharepoint and there seems to be nothing in that area.

market seems decidedly worse in the past month, calls have almost completely stopped.

maybe its the big gap emgerging from my last role, starting volunteer work next week to fill that.

[moorfield]

Most of this year it's been dead. And definitely, absolutely, far worse than 2001-2002.

I'm involved in some of the recruitment on current gig.
Plenty of CV's on desks and talk about hiring but the bottom line is no one here can get sign off to actually do the hiring.
Also it's summer hols so everyone is bogging off on staggered holidays until September. I suspect this is a similar scenario at many other clientcos.
Personally I don't think much will happen now until the next lot of financial year ends kick in ie. Jan-Mar 2010. Finding a gig is pot luck, it was for me, and I'm grateful for it despite the daily abuse I get from clientco.

[Peter Loew]

But it wasn't, it's much worse now. I had no problems getting my CV put forward, speaking to agents, interviews etc. when I was on the bench at the end of last year.

Most of this year it's been dead. And definitely, absolutely, far worse than 2001-2002.

When I first came on the bench 4 weeks ago I got lots of calls but then it just died out. Agents who I speak to tell me it's better, but from my perspective, so far that is; it's worse.

[Peter Loew]

not sure, cv has been tweaked and have had a lot of positive feedback on it. i do specialise in sharepoint and there seems to be nothing in that area.

market seems decidedly worse in the past month, calls have almost completely stopped.

maybe its the big gap emgerging from my last role, starting volunteer work next week to fill that.

Better to be a jack of all trades? I have seen some sharepoint stuff around but not that much. Once the Records Management matures in SharePoint you will see it take off. It is already starting to and some clients are implementing RM in SharePoint rather than integrating it with middleware / EDRMS to do the job.