The Bench - Blog! How do some of you cope and bag an Interview?!

[northernrampage]

Very simple: The minute the BS starts, just put the phone down. That's what I do, and I feel much better for it.

Yeah, you're probably right about that. I spent 20 minutes having a semi-argument with an agent the other week. While my friend was in the background telling me to get off the phone. I need to get a backbone. I do get on with some agents though.

[lukemg]

It's hard when the BS starts but I don't let it get to me. On the subject of rapidly filled contracts, this can happen, I have frequently been contacted about roles 'about to break' - agent is getting the list together while the budget is finalised. So I sometimes have an interview lined up around the time I then see the role being advertised so it can be filled very quickly.

[MrHelpful]

Dont come on this as often as before... update got the 2nd formal rejection yesterday - I was told the usual how I was very stong in interview BUT was beaten to the post by a stronger candidate. I asked the manager for feedback and he didn't even acknowledge my mail... to me that is PANTS quite simply.

On with search... decided to utilise the bench time by re-decorating the house and going freelance. I am looking for contracts still actively and speak to 2-3 agents / day however how do I start saying I've been looking for 4months and found diddly squat.

[Worzel]

I am looking for contracts still actively and speak to 2-3 agents / day however how do I start saying I've been looking for 4months and found diddly squat.

You dont. You started looking last week. Dont ever get drawn into conversations about how long you've been looking as no serious agent with a role to fill will be bothered by that sort of chit-chat. Cover the gap with any plausible reason and it doesn't have to be a complete lie either!

[Estragon]

Gaps?

What gaps - you were running your limited company right? So you were developing new product lines, talking to prospective customers and backers and planning a new marketing strategy.

You launched a new Web site and did some stuff for charity to get the name of your company out there, and did a course in XYZ.

Gaps? Way too busy for any of that!

[FICO]

I'm really stuck

I've been on the bench for 18 months now! Have been looking for work almost daily via the jobsites like monster, jobserve, indeed etc and have not had any luck some days I just feel like it will never happen

I have 3 years of good experience in my field and my CV is really good according to my old colleagues and agents!

I have had 7 interviews during this time and they have gone well as the agents have said there hasn't been any problem with me its just that they have hired someone with twice as much experience as me.

I have applied for both perm and contract roles and not sure what I can do next. Agents have been calling me and putting me forward for roles aswell as me applying for some as some as they appear online but now some agents are telling me they are only looking for people with recent experience.

One agent even modified my CV so much that my last role said that I was still working but I do not want to go down that road with lies on my CV

I got some good adivce from one agent to explain the gap he mentioned add your travelling as I did goto a few places during my time off.

Looking for any help as I am open to working anywhere including europe and how I can get accross postively when I speak to agents

[MrHelpful]

FICO - Sounds you have been a similar situ as me. Are you able to re-format your CV so that it looks like you have been working for your Ltd. I have done this recently and that way you are not lying. If the agent assumes you have been working for your ltd - not knowing it is you and you only then so be it. Its not a number game anymore - its being selective and being lucky I believe.

Worzel - point taken. I've just holidaying for the last 4 months - and now am skint - living on beans and bread from ALDI.

Managed to secure another "dark side" permie interview today for next week.... I really hope one of the contract leads come through! Otherwise - I am off to be intereviewed for permie land. Would it be cheeky for me to ask the agent to pay travel expenses considering its a perm position - its a 2hr+ drive.

[Spacecadet]

In a similar vein to how do you cope, how do people repeatedly deal with agents without loosing their cool/giving them grief.
After all the usual tricks, not real roles, never returning calls etc and as i come to understand these tricks/stories more and more I'm finding it hard to keep shtoom when i start hearing bs coming from their mouths.

Yesterday I found myself insinuating that the agent was lying (i'm convinced he was). This morning i was openly speculating that it was improbable that a (new) role which agent posted and i applied to yesterday had already been filled.

How does everyone else deal with this or is it fair game (and without consequence) to hold them accountable?

Whenever you're selling anything you'll have to deal with time wasters and bulltulipters. And the higher the value of what you're trying to sell then the greater the ratio of time wasters to genuine enquiries.

Problem is you really can't tell and it's simpler to be polite to both sets and hopefully not burn any bridges. Try and keep call times down to a minimum, you can do this by leading the conversation from the start (AKA a sales pitch).

I also have a general rule of not calling agents. I'm not going to waste time making calls to people who, if they wanted to buy, would be on the phone to me immediately.
Instead I spend my time trying to generate new leads.

As for lying agents... forget about them. The faster you can move on the faster you can get on with securing that next contract. Calling them out or proving them as liars is not going to force them to give you a contract or really benefit you in any way.

[HeadOfTesting]

I've been on the bench for 18 months now!

God I'm so competitive I even get upset when I see someone has been on the bench longer than me!

It's 17th months for me as of yesterday.

[MrHelpful]

Last 2 days has been manic - 3 interviews. I turned up late to the last one but I was shattered having driven 500 miles! Now the outcome 2 offers... One I'm ruling out as it's perm. The 2nd is a good day rate based working in dales truly for the people but I'm from the midlands and role is isolated in a niche market. Not telco. The 3rd is in banking, the rate is decent and even though I was late 30mins good vibes. Should I go for the dales and help the people or be a capitalist and open the doors of contracting in the lucrative world of banking. The agents are fighting to get hold of me and running out of holding statements....