How full is the bench?

[chris79]

Just to give some bench news from my own position here, I too have been applying like mad "location not an issue, willing to travel".. good CV in my field/qualifications/etc.. and I'm hearing almost nothing back at all on anything.

I got into a discussion this morning for a project co-ordinator / BA hybrid role today and almost fell off my chair when they quoted £100pd.

[BrilloPad]

Sorry to hear that BP. Time to work on plan B?

I have been doing a bit of part time stuff. helping a builder with a supermarket! He has picked up another couple of jobs (totally against trend) so I might be helping organize them. At the moment job hunt in full swing......

[Spacecadet]

Weird, I've been firing off my CV for the past few weeks, getting calls back for about 50% of the adverts I apply for

No interviews lined up before christmas (no suprise there)
Got a few prospects this week, including a couple I was contacted about rather than me applying.

Jobsites seem to be full of duplicated adverts tho, definitely not much around but things should speed up as the month progresses

[ace00]

I have been doing a bit of part time stuff. helping a builder with a supermarket! He has picked up another couple of jobs (totally against trend) so I might be helping organize them. At the moment job hunt in full swing......

Widen you horizons, that's the spirit. I managed a restaurant for a bit last year. Hard work though....

[BrilloPad]

A big un joining it here !

Just to cheer you up, I've been ringing round my fellow contractors and a few of us are benched and resigned to a decent stay on it. There has been a handful of contracts on Jobserve over the last month or so and all of us have fired off CVs to them regardless of location ( ie, probably wouldn't want them anyway at this early stage in benchdom so haven't chased them up ) and none of us has heard a thing back. All of us 10yr+ in our niche so there must be hundreds of CVs from lesser experienced bods also going in the bin

Its a tricky time of year. keep going! I still feel that IT is the bedrock of the modern economy. There are bound to be ups and downs but we are working in the right industry.

I just wish the onshoring would start. Seems like my job is off to Mumbai.

[OwlHoot]

I've been on the bench for a month, but bagged a two-month contract in Bath, where I'll be staying in a B&B three doors from the client site! (I'm based in London)

But the rate is rubbish (£250 per day), and I suspect the market will still be as dead as a dodo when I finish in march.

[rootsnall]

Just to give some bench news from my own position here, I too have been applying like mad "location not an issue, willing to travel".. good CV in my field/qualifications/etc.. and I'm hearing almost nothing back at all on anything.

I got into a discussion this morning for a project co-ordinator / BA hybrid role today and almost fell off my chair when they quoted £100pd.

I think quite a few of the ads are very speculative by agents also struggling to find anything worthwhile to do. As a minimum they get more leads from the up to date CVs.

Aswell as low rates the dreaded fixed term contract has also started to appear.

This time of year is always tulip so it may improve

[BrilloPad]

I've been on the bench for a month, but bagged a two-month contract in Bath, where I'll be staying in a B&B three doors from the client site! (I'm based in London)

But the rate is rubbish (£250 per day), and I suspect the market will still be as dead as a dodo when I finish in march.

Any money is better than none. It keeps the cv current. You may get renewal or market might pick up.

[rootsnall]

Its a tricky time of year. keep going! I still feel that IT is the bedrock of the modern economy. There are bound to be ups and downs but we are working in the right industry.

I just wish the onshoring would start. Seems like my job is off to Mumbai.

Agreed. I just like spreading doom

Chatting to another bench dweller last week we would both be happy to tick along for a year or so on what appear to be awful rates aslong as they are within daily commute range. One of these will come along sooner or later. I am tempted to undercut the going rate now when I next pester my client contacts and hopefully reserve a recession dwelling slot for myself.

[Unicorn]

I'd love a change but..

Widen you horizons, that's the spirit. I managed a restaurant for a bit last year. Hard work though....

Did you have any previous experience in the restaurant trade ?

I'd fancy a change as I've been doing what I do now for 18 odd (very odd) years. How could you even start to move into a new area (washing dishes or similar would be a no-no).