Time Spent Looking for new contracts

[kanulondon]

I do what I call "the DSS stats". When you sign on, they make you keep a fortnightly record of what you have done to seek work. I do something like that and occasionally the missus asks how things are going and she gets bored with the detail and wanders off.

I have a spreadsheet of agents, their contact details, what communication has occurred between us and my opinion of them.

I have a spreadsheet of applications made: where & when advertised, when applied, agent's details, what actions are needed from me, whether still active. This spreadsheet is what motivates me.

I try to do one of them every time.

Good ideas all round here. When I applied for my first gig I must have applied for over 100 roles. Of which about 25% I decided I was a VERY good match and I phoned the pimp directly.

[FarmerPalmer]

I upload my CV onto the job boards and then go out on my mountain bike, taking my mobile with me.

If the market is bad and there is no work then I don't want to waste my time looking for something that isn't there.

[MikeB]

I upload my CV onto the job boards and then go out on my mountain bike, taking my mobile with me.

If the market is bad and there is no work then I don't want to waste my time looking for something that isn't there.

[RichardCranium]

I upload my CV onto the job boards and then go out on my mountain bike, taking my mobile with me. If the market is bad and there is no work then I don't want to waste my time looking for something that isn't there.

A proper contractor with his life fully in order.

[EddieNambulous]

I upload my CV onto the job boards and then go out on my mountain bike, taking my mobile with me.

If the market is bad and there is no work then I don't want to waste my time looking for something that isn't there.

Hmmm...and I thought it was just me.

I don't sweat it either. If agents don't call, I'll just revise and tweak my CV every few weeks until I hit a sweet spot for responses if any....then I know what's hot in the market at the moment.

I'm a contractor because I want time off between gigs not because I want to spend my days gig-hunting between gigs.

[SuperZ]

I upload my CV onto the job boards and then go out on my mountain bike, taking my mobile with me.

If the market is bad and there is no work then I don't want to waste my time looking for something that isn't there.

Fully agree with that .

[George Parr]

I upload my CV onto the job boards and then go out on my mountain bike, taking my mobile with me.

If the market is bad and there is no work then I don't want to waste my time looking for something that isn't there.

I don't think that agents even bother to search online CVs these days. I have had no response at all from mine. If you were an agent why bother searching and calling up people who may not be interested, may not be available etc when they can post it on JobServe and get a hundred keen, benched and immediately available applicants within the hour?

[vetran]

all day

If she wants the rewards that go with contracting then she has to take the hardships.

You aren't out of work you are marketing. If she wants the DIY doing then show her where the paintbrush is. Your part is working as hard as you can finding the next gig.

The wife did eventually moan like that when I was on the bench, it stopped when she settled down in front of the telly while the kids were at school and I dragged the hoover out and I said while you have time darling!

[d000hg]

I don't think that agents even bother to search online CVs these days. I have had no response at all from mine. If you were an agent why bother searching and calling up people who may not be interested, may not be available etc when they can post it on JobServe and get a hundred keen, benched and immediately available applicants within the hour?

I get quite a few emails and the odd phone call even when I haven't recently updated my online CVs. I don't know if they simply send every difficult role to everyone, but for instance last week:

- I got rung about a Flex gig in Edinburgh by an agent I'd talked to about Flex work last year
- Some random agency phoned me to ask if I was interested in a role doing online multiplayer game server stuff

Point is, these are both areas I've worked in and fairly niche so they must be searching databases in such cases. I suppose when they have a generic Java/.net role, they don't bother putting any work in other than posting on JS.

[thunderlizard]

If you were an agent why bother searching and calling up people who may not be interested, may not be available etc when they can post it on JobServe and get a hundred keen, benched and immediately available applicants within the hour?

Because most of the hundred would be completely unsuitable, but you have to wade through them all while fielding their pushy phone calls just in case any were any good. With the CV database at least you can do a keyword pre-screen.
Swings and roundabouts.