Got a gig after 7 months

[MrMark]

Hope for us all. I'm now into 6 month territory, so your story has perhaps persuaded me not to visit Beachy Head just yet.

Hope your next bench spell is many years away...

[Mr Crosby]

Things seem to be picking up slowly, I've had 5 calls in the last 2 days the first time since last December.

[HeadOfTesting]

I'm 4 days away from the 7 month mark.

But I had 4 calls today where as recently I've had a max of 2 a day.

One of those calls was from a very senior guy at my last client who wants to discuss an opportunity with me. We're currently playing telephone tennis and I'm not getting my hopes up, but getting head-hunted is the only realistic hope right now because the agency route is just so hit and miss.

[icarus]

Congrats. What is your skillset?

Bog standard C#/ASP.NET/SQL Server/WCF.

Thanks everyone for your kind words.

I have no idea what I did right. All I can suggest, if you are a dev, is to set up a vanity website and stick some of your best code examples in it, then put the link on your CV. I think it helped me to get the dev manager's attention when he was going through CVs.

[d000hg]

What did you say about the bench time? "I was in the pub every day, enjoying a well-earned break"?

[dozer]

bravo, also approaching the 6 month with 2 calls today, nice to know theres hope.

[kanulondon]

You da man!

[icarus]

What did you say about the bench time? "I was in the pub every day, enjoying a well-earned break"?

I said that I had been working on a mobile phone game. I've been writing this game for various reasons, not least so that I can answer the bench time question with something a bit more positive than "I've been in the pub". I can then steer the conversation towards what a big business the iStore is and it makes me sound a bit less tragic.

[mace]

Well done lad

Feeling like there'll be a bit more room on this bench soon. Try to take a bit of a holiday before starting work, if you can.

[Mustang]

getting head-hunted is the only realistic hope right now because the agency route is just so hit and miss.

I totally agree - that's why I have increased my networking over the last 6 months.

Well done on getting the gig!