Have you been apprearing for any interviews?

[MrMark]

The charitable view is they're trying to guage if you will be available for the role they're resourcing.

The realistic view is they're fishing for info on which companies are actively looking for resource and if they can extract an interviewers name all the better.

I've had a few calls lately, that have obviously been training calls for newbie agents (latest ones claimed to be from Hudson and Reed). You know they're just fishing because they start by asking "And what kind of role would you be interested in?".... followed by other standard time-wasters... I really really want to give them a nice time-wasting diversion, as retaliation for their lies* and time-wasting. But C.Lyon at London Zoo is too obvious; I need something that's a bit more plausible.

* They nearly always claim they'll be sending me the job spec by email. I tell them that "I look forward to seeing it, if it arrives" but I suspect they think I haven't cottoned on to their lies.

[SueEllen]

I've had a few calls lately, that have obviously been training calls for newbie agents (latest ones claimed to be from Hudson and Reed). You know they're just fishing because they start by asking "And what kind of role would you be interested in?".... followed by other standard time-wasters... I really really want to give them a nice time-wasting diversion, as retaliation for their lies* and time-wasting. But C.Lyon at London Zoo is too obvious; I need something that's a bit more plausible.

* They nearly always claim they'll be sending me the job spec by email. I tell them that "I look forward to seeing it, if it arrives" but I suspect they think I haven't cottoned on to their lies.

If you really want to be evil pair up with a contractor mate who works through a limited company, and give each other as references.

[Wanderer]

I have a burn phone that I put a new PAYG sim card in everytime I start looking for a new contract, once on the gig I throw the sim card away

Yeah, I always do that. Get a burner email address too.

[oversteer]

Yeah, I always do that. Get a burner email address too.

Two phones is a bit drug-dealer ish.

I got a number from voiptalk which forwards to my mobile (when I'm jobhunting) or forwards to voicemail when I'm not, or unavailable. Works nicely, it also confuses agents massively.

I've cancelled it now, but for my next role I will reactivate it with a new number then put that number on my CV.