I have been out of work for a year..

[AlfredJPruffock]

My record between contracts was twenty three months , had a ball.

[kramer]

problem with being benched is that if its financially inconvenient you can't really enjoy any of the time off cause you are chasing agents...
Although in a real sense if you are running a business i shouldn't consider it time off.. just a sales restrucutring period

[xoggoth]

All this can't get a contract after six months is bull. I didn't really have a full time one for nearly three years. Back in the harness now worse luck. At the interviews nobody mentioned the gap.

PS Although I did have a small software business which may have helped.

[hattra]

Ditto

Out for three years, though I'm back in now

Though I did have a small software business that might have helped

Is there an echo in here .. ......

[thunderlizard]

Out for 4 months once; other than that, just 1 month max. The worrying thing about the 4 months was starting out feeling "OK, I don't mind not working" for about a month, then for months 2-3 thinking "OK, I really ought to be doing some work now"...but then in month 4 getting used to not doing any work and not bothered if it carried on like that for ever.

[DaveB]

Just been offered a 6 month extension

[buckie]

Hello All,

First post and all that - thought it might as well be on a relevant topic.

I've got me own ltd co and was contracting straight for 8 years - rollout crap, PMing migration projects etc - anyhoo last one was a stressy pain for 2 years straight so after it I decided to award myself a year off... ended up 2 years (although I did brush up my quals with PRINCE2 and MCSE in the meantime).

Now I (well my accountant really) want back into the saddle. I applied for a role via an agency well within my scope this morning and got a call straight back asking if I could start immediately, so I said yes and they said they'd put me forward. Phoned me back 5 minutes later, said they couldn't find anything on my CV after mid-2004 and gave me the spanish archer - said they couldn't send my CV on.

I'm guessing I could be up poo-lane. What have you lot done with that glaring gap on your CV? Made stuff up? Just brassed it out and eventually got something? I'm at a bit of a crossroads between duplicity, directness or drink and drugs.

Buckie.

[expat]

(agency) said they couldn't find anything on my CV after mid-2004 and gave me the spanish archer - said they couldn't send my CV on.

Did they fill in the missing bit for you? Like, why couldn't they send your CV on?

[kramer]

lie!

[buckie]

It was for a contract working with HP rolling out for a 3rd party and I get the impression that she'd not read my CV properly before phoning me and that she wasn't happy sending on a CV with that gap of relevant experience in it to a big client. Can't think of anything else really as I put myself forward for the role on jobserve and was called within 5 minutes and it all sounded very positive (she asked me whether, given my experience, I'd be happy working for the quoted rate etc etc). Was called back 5 minutes later with back-peddling and saying she couldn't see anything on my CV after 2004... I told her I'm employed by my own ltd co and we'd been working on local sme stuff that wouldn't be relevant to the role and she said "I'm sorry I can't put it forward like that". End of conversation. My CV does have me down as working for my ltd co currently (which is true as I'm not unemployed and it still pays me a wage, though not for much longer if I don't get a contract).

Buckie