Just showing off...

[threaded]

A fellow contractor called me up, "You know about <product X> don't you?"

"Yeah, I wrote it, but that was years ago."

"Well, <agency Y> are looking for a team to do development using <product X>"

"Cool!" says I.

Then I goes onto Jobserve, do a seach for the name of <product X>, and it returned 8 hits.

Now, loathe as I am to use agencies, should I contact the agencies and point out, err actually I wrote the product, so I may well be in quite a good position to help the client...

Or should I turn my fellow contractor, get them to find out who the client is, and then make a direct aproach? (of course I will throw my 'new friend' a few crumbs)

[cojak]

Threaded! I'm amazed you've needed to ask!!


"Agents"...tsk...

Are you feeling well, Dear? You must be off your food.

[stackpole]

What are the client using Hello World for, exactly?

[Rebecca Loos]

I had the same situation a few months ago. Apparently some big investment bank in the City wanted to start a project using MS Visual C++. I went through one of the agencies that started posting on Jobserve, and told them "I did actually write the product, would you like to put me forward?"
They refused there and then, I suspect they did not quite believe me.
So I got a mate to apply, he got an interview, found out who the client was, and told me.
I contacted the client direct, got an interview, explained to them how I wrote the product, what were its strengths, its weaknesses, why it was well suited to their project etc. Needless to say I got the gig (had to lower my normal rate, got down to £2,000 a day but that's only because I was quite excited to see how my product would help them)

Got a call from Bill the other day, he wants to buy the product back but I told him to b*** off, the royalties are too good.

So I do sympathise, Threaded, but it happens all the time

[messiah]

Rebbaca Loos. interesting VC++ product in the city for an investment bank which you acutally wrote ????

or are you just being sarcastic ?

[OwlHoot]

Now, loathe as I am to use agencies, should I contact the agencies and point out, err actually I wrote the product, so I may well be in quite a good position to help the client...

No one in their right mind should let you near it. Obviously in the time since you wrote it (giggle) the product will have been messed around from its original perfection by a bunch of ignorant chimps, probably so much you'd hardly recognise it, and you'd thus be a liability always assuming it worked in its original way when it no longer did.

[wendigo100]

I got the gig (had to lower my normal rate, got down to £2,000 a day but that's only because I was quite excited to see how my product would help them)

Got a call from Bill the other day, he wants to buy the product back but I told him to b*** off, the royalties are too good.

So I do sympathise, Threaded, but it happens all the time