Contract to Permie

[bbcdancer]

What would you do if you wanted to apply for a permie role, but your CV looked like a contractors job hopping CV?

I know for sure agencies will rarely consider a contractor CV for a permie role.


What can one do to resolve this?

CV manipulation?

[Fraidycat]

One thing to try is to remove as many of the shorter duration roles from your CV as you can. eg. Anything less than six months.

I don't recommend outright lying or even stretching the truth (eg. stretching the start and end dates of old roles that they are unlikely to check up on), but many people do lie and they often get away with it. You would need to be aware of how rigorous the background check is for the role.

[northernladuk]

What would you do if you wanted to apply for a permie role, but your CV looked like a contractors job hopping CV?

I know for sure agencies will rarely consider a contractor CV for a permie role.


What can one do to resolve this?

CV manipulation?

More and more perm roles, not just in banking do some form of vetting so the chances of getting caught out are pretty good. What will you do with they ask for references for two years when you've got a doctored CV? That said, there is a little manipulation that can be done but out right changing key facts like duration and dropping clients etc is a big fat no no.

It's highly likely your client is well aware of how contractors work and what a contractors CV looks like. In fact if you think contractors job hop then I'd bet the client has a better idea of what you do than you do. It's what we do, there is no hiding it. It's not as easy to go contractor to perm as they will eye you with suspicion as to why you are going perm. Looking around the forum in the last few months, the number of people quitting their perm jobs less than six months you could argue the employers are perfectly right to do so. It's just the way it is.
I don't think there is too much you can do to avoid this TBH. Most will just wonder why a contractor is going perm regardless of whether you have three, five, ten previous clients. It's what they expect to see. One thing that won't look too favourable is a number of short gigs all with a few months break inbetween. They'll immediately wonder why you were end to end.

I think your best bet is to manipulate your CV as you should be doing for every gig, bring out the skills in each role to suit the jobspec to prove that you are the person for the job and just stick it in and see. Have a good think about what to say when they ask you why you are leaving contracting through. That could be key. 'Because the contract market sucks and I can't find a gig' really isn't going to cut it. 'Because I've a family, can't travel and are looking for stability so I can grow and make a difference' is obviously better.

I wouldn't worry too much about the CV and concentrate on your answers for your interview.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Was this thread really originated on 26th May 2005?

Or is it merely Yet Another Bug in this POS?

[northernladuk]

One thing to try is to remove as many of the shorter duration roles from your CV as you can. eg. Anything less than six months.

And what does he put in it's place? I'd say multiple gaps of up to six months make him look crap so a much worse thing to do than leave them in. How do you account for those gap? Whatever answer you give will be a lie. Are you suggesting he extend the dates of other gigs to cover? Isn't that outright lying? If the employer is big enough they will be well aware contractors can be used for three months and let go.

I don't recommend outright lying or even stretching the truth (eg. stretching the start and end dates of old roles that they are unlikely to check up on), but many people do lie and they often get away with it. You would need to be aware of how rigorous the background check is for the role.

Isn't removing whole gigs to give incomplete and inaccurate representation lying or stretching the truth? I guess you could say it's not a lie technically but I can't imagine the employer will be very impressed that you've manipulated your CV to give a distorted view? That's a genuine question BTW. I don't personally think leaving things out to trick the client is a very clever thing to do but I could be wrong here so am asking.

If the roles are that old to not check up on then I doubt that role has much of an impact on the situation to be honest so buggering about with dates etc on those roles isn't really worth the risk IMO. Haven't we had instances were references for the last two years were required so still a long time.

[northernladuk]

Was this thread really originated on 26th May 2005?

Or is it merely Yet Another Bug in this POS?

Or there is a ban incoming and it hasn't registered yet?

EDIT : The OP isn't showing on the members list either so could be the latter.

[krytonsheep]

More and more perm roles, not just in banking do some form of vetting so the chances of getting caught out are pretty good. What will you do with they ask for references for two years when you've got a doctored CV?

For my sins I did a brief permie stint in the finance industry. My CV did have various contracting gigs, but the background screening company weren't interesting in getting references from any gigs. They just wanted proof that I was working for my limited company.
They asked to see things like:
·Invoices to Clients
·HMRC Documentation
·Company registration letter

At the end of it they produced a single document with the title 'Career Gap – Declaration of Fact' which had
From 2005 to 2017 Krytonsheep is currently self employed at VioletDwarf Ltd.

[northernladuk]

For my sins I did a brief permie stint in the finance industry. My CV did have various contracting gigs, but the background screening company weren't interesting in getting references from any gigs. They just wanted proof that I was working for my limited company.
They asked to see things like:
·Invoices to Clients
·HMRC Documentation
·Company registration letter

At the end of it they produced a single document with the title 'Career Gap – Declaration of Fact' which had
From 2005 to 2017 Krytonsheep is currently self employed at VioletDwarf Ltd.

Gotta say wow to that. I don't doubt what you say but that's a pretty poor bit of background screening isn't it? I mean, that last line can't even be right can it? Self employed at a LTD?

From this link https://www.rapidformations.co.uk/bl...-of-a-company/

Is a director self employed?

Company directors are not considered to be self-employed in relation to the companies in which they hold office as directors. Although they can be both directors and employees, it is not possible to be a director and also a self-employed contractor for the same company.

I'm guessing then the process is different for potential employees than contractors as we don't really have career gaps. If they were doing a security type risk asssessment where is the investigation in to time between gigs to check you aren't detained at her majestys pleasure or on an outward bound in the middle of Afghanistan? Where is the diligence on previous clients, time spent with them etc. The two finance clients I was at I had to explain all that, credit checks and give references for X years.

Very surprising but if that's normal then that helps the OP in his quest for CV doctoring. But that initself shows it's not a very good screening process as it does give him the option to doctor his CV.

Very interesting.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Then again, if the OP asked the question in 2005 it might be a little bit academic by now.

[BR14]

What kind of eejit resurrects a 16 year old thread?

oh, of course, - that kind of eejit.