Time Spent Looking for new contracts

[Naaarwich]

I am now on the bench and spend a considerable amount of time per day looking at the job boards, customising CVs, speaking to old colleagues etc.

The other half isn't too pleased with this - she thinks I am just browsing the net when I could be doing useful chores around the house ( I do spend a small amount of time reading the on-line newspapers).

How many hours do you typically spend contract hunting per day ?

[pmeswani]

I am now on the bench and spend a considerable amount of time per day looking at the job boards, customising CVs, speaking to old colleagues etc.

The other half isn't too pleased with this - she thinks I am just browsing the net when I could be doing useful chores around the house ( I do spend a small amount of time reading the on-line newspapers).

How many hours do you typically spend contract hunting per day ?

Typically I spend about 30 minutes a day looking for jobs. Most I have spent is about 1 hour.

[d000hg]

I guess looking can only take a few min a day, but putting a covering email together can take 30min per application so you can lose a whole day if you aren't keeping up every day and a bunch of new ones pop up.

[RichardCranium]

How many hours do you typically spend contract hunting per day ?

I treat it like a full-time job. I expect to do at least 30 hours per week including research and typically do 40+.

It took a few years for my other half to realise just how time consuming gig-seeking can be.

Once she went self-employed and working from home, she suddenly understood because everyone started assuming she did nothing all day and was at everyone else's beck and call.

[northernladuk]

Blimey!! This is certainly not my experience. I work in the area of Service Delivery so might be different but I am more or less on the thing all day!

To me there are a few different elements of our 'role' and one accepted element is looking for work. When I am not working I am on and off the boards every hour most of the day when I can. Speaking to the pimps at the moment they are getting 150-200 cv's in the first 2 hours and are often taking the roles down before the end of the day. I have often saved a role and when I have come to access the URL 3 hours later its expired (jobserve mainly).

I aim to be the first person to ring that rep, get my CV in his personal inbox (not the job board rubbish) and get my name under his nose less than 10 mins after he posts. If your number 150 30 mins later ur screwed. If your in the first lot you can have a laugh with him and he is willing to spend some time with you. If his phone and email has gone ballistic he won't give a dam about you. I also re-write at least the front page of my CV for each role highlighting skills which can take 15-20 mins per CV. Do this 5 or 6 times a day and your day has gone.

Guess it all depends on how much you want to work I guess.

And I know its harsh but for the record I think your wives attitude is pretty poor and she needs to get a grip. I guess the fact she is home your the main breadwinner. Sorry but in my house that would be pretty clear and understood from the outset. She ought to be supporting you to support her not getting in the way of you finding work. Am not a male chauvanist but to me the world is turning to rat sh*t out there and cleaning the dishes isn't going to keep your roof over your head.

Flame on.

[RichardCranium]

Flame on.

No flames from me, that strategy is spot on, but I want to revise my answer.

Naaarwich, if the agents are calling you, then just make sure your CV is up to date and on half a dozen job boards. Then get on with the DIY but give yourself a couple of hours a day me-time too.

If the agents are NOT calling you, then bugger the DIY and me-time. You should be spending the working day trying to find a gig. Unless your war chest is such that you can afford to earn nothing for a few months, of course.



May I suggest you propose this deal with your missus? 9 to 5 is YOUR time to be spent as you see fit. The commuting time you are not using up is HER time for her to abuse as she sees fit. So from 8 to 9 and 5 to 6 is spent washing her smalls and putting up shelves. The remaining time is spent exactly the same way as if you were in work.

In this way you have 10 to 15 hours extra per week to spend on chores PLUS you can do full-time job searching PLUS your still do your normal weekend and evening activities PLUS your routines do not get affected.

Instead of wasting hours sitting in traffic / standing on trains you do husband-slavery but the rest of the time everything else stays the same.

How would that sound to SWMBO?

[Naaarwich]

Valid Points

Blimey!! This is certainly not my experience. I work in the area of Service Delivery so might be different but I am more or less on the thing all day!

To me there are a few different elements of our 'role' and one accepted element is looking for work. When I am not working I am on and off the boards every hour most of the day when I can. Speaking to the pimps at the moment they are getting 150-200 cv's in the first 2 hours and are often taking the roles down before the end of the day. I have often saved a role and when I have come to access the URL 3 hours later its expired (jobserve mainly).

I aim to be the first person to ring that rep, get my CV in his personal inbox (not the job board rubbish) and get my name under his nose less than 10 mins after he posts. If your number 150 30 mins later ur screwed. If your in the first lot you can have a laugh with him and he is willing to spend some time with you. If his phone and email has gone ballistic he won't give a dam about you. I also re-write at least the front page of my CV for each role highlighting skills which can take 15-20 mins per CV. Do this 5 or 6 times a day and your day has gone.

Guess it all depends on how much you want to work I guess.

And I know its harsh but for the record I think your wives attitude is pretty poor and she needs to get a grip. I guess the fact she is home your the main breadwinner. Sorry but in my house that would be pretty clear and understood from the outset. She ought to be supporting you to support her not getting in the way of you finding work. Am not a male chauvanist but to me the world is turning to rat sh*t out there and cleaning the dishes isn't going to keep your roof over your head.

Flame on.

You make some valid points. If anything, I need to customise my CV per role - I have customised only some until recently.

[Naaarwich]

Thanks & Cover Note question

No flames from me, that strategy is spot on, but I want to revise my answer.

Naaarwich, if the agents are calling you, then just make sure your CV is up to date and on half a dozen job boards. Then get on with the DIY but give yourself a couple of hours a day me-time too.

If the agents are NOT calling you, then bugger the DIY and me-time. You should be spending the working day trying to find a gig. Unless your war chest is such that you can afford to earn nothing for a few months, of course.



May I suggest you propose this deal with your missus? 9 to 5 is YOUR time to be spent as you see fit. The commuting time you are not using up is HER time for her to abuse as she sees fit. So from 8 to 9 and 5 to 6 is spent washing her smalls and putting up shelves. The remaining time is spent exactly the same way as if you were in work.

In this way you have 10 to 15 hours extra per week to spend on chores PLUS you can do full-time job searching PLUS your still do your normal weekend and evening activities PLUS your routines do not get affected.

Instead of wasting hours sitting in traffic / standing on trains you do husband-slavery but the rest of the time everything else stays the same.

How would that sound to SWMBO?

This sounds like a good plan - thanks. I think part of the issue is that in the olden days she could see me filling in application forms, popping down to the post office etc. Now thats its all done online she doesn't see anything tangible and so assumes that I am not doing anything.

On a side note, do any of you attach a cover note in Jobserve? When I mentioned it to an agent he wasn't even aware that there such a feature.

[MPwannadecentincome]

And I know its harsh but for the record I think your wives attitude is pretty poor and she needs to get a grip.

this attitude is all too common, but I get my own back now as she spends too long on facebook

On a side note, do any of you attach a cover note in Jobserve? When I mentioned it to an agent he wasn't even aware that there such a feature.

ah - I can stop wasting my time on these then!

[RichardCranium]

This sounds like a good plan - thanks. I think part of the issue is that in the olden days she could see me filling in application forms, popping down to the post office etc. Now thats its all done online she doesn't see anything tangible and so assumes that I am not doing anything.

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.

On a side note, do any of you attach a cover note in Jobserve? When I mentioned it to an agent he wasn't even aware that there such a feature.

I try to do one of them every time.