Struggling to get the next contract

[DodgyAccountant]

I have always found Dec / Jan / 1st half Feb to be a 'Death Zone'. Jul / Aug not great either.

Market seems to be picking up now.

Regards

DA

[SueEllen]

How many DAs do we have?

[Gumbo Robot]

This time last year I struggled and some agents I spoke to were blaming the election.

Just wondering if there's a similar referendum effect?

[SueEllen]

This time last year I struggled and some agents I spoke to were blaming the election.

Just wondering if there's a similar referendum effect?

Nope it's skills market dependant.

[ContractorHardman]

Welcome to your new job... SALES

My advice is simple, you are out of work and you really need to start putting yourself out there. Remember you are a business and you are promoting "My Co Ltd".

A couple of tips

1) Get a few CVs which relate to your different specialities, could you maybe sell skills as a BA as well as a DA? Yes? You have doubled your market potential. Do you have experience in a Niche area? Get a CV for it, you have tripled your market potential. Your new job is tailoring your CV to make yourself look like the perfect candidate for that job.

2) Follow up - Send your CV and follow up with a phone call 15 minutes later to the person, get talking about the role and why you will be a fit. Its easy to ignore a name on a screen but not a person you have spoken to (For some). I also ask if they are a preferred supplier and if they will email confirmation they will submit my CV (Agencies will tell you they will submit but wont really)

3) Start streamlining your day to day costs of living. Try and make that war chest last longer. Remember you are in a state of play where you have to keep surviving. Expensive gym? Bin it! Netflix? Bin it! Stop shopping at Waitrose, you have time to shop at Lidl and make home made soup.

4) You will get the opportunity, keep telling yourself that. Its just around the corner you just need to have belief. If you don't believe in yourself, then believe in me that believes in you (Sorry, I needed to end this on a positive note)

Best of luck! Apologies if this is maybe steps you have already taken.

[vetran]

How many DAs do we have?

send two references and we will tell you.

[fullyautomatix]

We have a SAS expert in our midst, hopefully he will come and help you out.

[NigelJK]

Try and learn .Net from your VBA experience. The more pokers in the fire you have the more chance of contract work. Never be afraid to take a rock bottom day rate role to learn something new, preferably in a new 'industry'.

[DelboyTrotter]

Longest I had was 5 months out (Sep 2013 - Feb 2014), and I managed to amuse myself by cycling 5,500 km and running 500km in that time - and I wasn't even doing this every day.....helped to free my mind from the contract search.

Best benchtime I had was July - August 2012 as I secured a new contract but had to wait after the Olympics due to new hire freeze in the Wharf

[MrMarkyMark]

Sorry to be clear I have a warchest that could easily cover me for another year. So it's not the money that I am concerned about. It's really the fact that I am out of work, not extending my experience, will have a gap in my CV.... That sort of stuff really.

And breathe .

Having bench time is part and parcel, it is there to be enjoyed.
I have had all sort of time out, 6 months, 3 months, 1 year over the last 16 years, some chosen, some not, I certainly made sure I enjoyed the majority of it.
I like travelling, I don't know what you like to do with your free time.

If you can't face the bench time, maybe, going forward, continuing contracting may not be right for you, only you know that
Currently, on the bench myself and am looking forward to it, continuing, for the next couple of months, in the sun.