agent just crushed me

[eliquant]

I was out for 13 months once around 2000, was alot younger back then but not junior. For that time I got snotty agents (strangely many women agents being nasty to me and some real lies with CVs and making me go attend tests on agency premises only later to find they hadn't even sent the test results to the client - thanks N. Harpin of London I never forget an agent who messes me about).

But then I got a top job in an I.B. beating the very agent that did me over on £65K (permie job sadly).

So never EVER give up hope. Keep going and look for alternatives.

[suityou01]

Bad luck. He's an insensitive tosser.

Did you do any coding type work (personal projects etc) while you were a carer? Anything that would fill out the cv?

Listen to Zippy. I sometimes do

Seriously though, excellent advice. They key here is self belief. If you go into future calls feeling less of a contractor because of this then HE/IT has won. Shrug this off completely before getting back in the saddle.

This pimp was probably < 25 yrs with acne.

[cojak]

When I was your age, I went to a night club. I was shy, unsure but everyone else seemed to know the score so I went with the flow. I plucked up my courage , walked to the floor, and asked this bird for a dance.

As I walked, rejected, back to the table, I was sure everyone was staring at me laughing at the failure. But nobody seemed to notice.
A few minutes later it happened to a mate of mine, but he came back laughing 'youse wont beleeve it, but that lezzie just turned me down ferra dance'
a little light went on in my head, first, no one gives a flying fck, second, develop a coping strategy, third, it happens to everyone. you are not special.

all you lack is one thing 'a fck you attitude'

so, just for you, here is my 'fck you' attitude song

wow, youre an agent - well - fck you,
and you work for a big agency - well - fck you,
you want to write my CV ? do you? - well - fck you,
Have you ever done my job ? no ? - well - fck you,
will you pay me if times get tough ? no ? - well - fck you,
I am getting up from the table girl, - well - fck you,
do you want a harmless dance ? - well - fck you,
No ? lezzie - well - fck you,
do agents or lezzies care, no - well - fck you,
If you dont put food on my table - well - fck you

- well - fck you,- well - fck you,- well - fck you,

A motto for our times, I think

????? - well - fck you

I will pin that on my board tomorow!

[al_cam]

So, you are a PM.

Chances are that when you get a gig (which you will), you will have to hire someone for the project.

Call the creep and tell him you are hiring, but won't be going with him.
(except do it nastily)

I've a large list of agents I wouldn't use because they have screwed me over. Don't they understand that I routinely hire people so they should keep me sweet?. No, of course not - that would require intelligence.

Al.

[George Parr]

Maybe you were second or third on their list and they were playing mind games with you to push your rate down just in case. Or maybe they were just a bunch of tossers. Either way tomorrow is another day, they will have forgotten about you within minutes of filling the gig so I'd take EOs advice.

[DodgyAgent]

Do you guys want feedback or do you only want feedback that you want to hear? Agents are reluctant to give feedback because contractors want to argue the toss, despite the fact that the decision is not theirs to make.

[threaded]

Do you guys want feedback or do you only want feedback that you want to hear? Agents are reluctant to give feedback because contractors want to argue the toss, despite the fact that the decision is not theirs to make.

Ah, there is feedback, and then there is being nasty 'cause you get off on it.

HTH

[Tarquin Farquhar]

It's a load of bollocks, though admittedly it might be the client's bollocks rather than the agent's. And "fast-moving"? Give me a break, if only it were.

What, really, do you think is the chance that this agent will know the first thing about your area, to be able to judge whether it is fast-paced or not?

In general, do not let one agent get you down. In fact, do not let any number of them get you down. The agent who will get you a contract will not give you this bulltulip. That's the agent you are interested in.

Specifically, it doesn't matter squat if you've had a break. I've had a couple of long breaks and nobody has even asked about them, except one who thought the break I was just returning from was a good thing to have done.

[Tarquin Farquhar]

Do you guys want feedback or do you only want feedback that you want to hear? Agents are reluctant to give feedback because contractors want to argue the toss, despite the fact that the decision is not theirs to make.

What's your feedback then, Dodgy? Do you think it is likely to be true that the OP

" wasn't suitable due to the time you've had off..you should consider applying for a more junior position, and then working your way back up as it's such a fast-moving industry". He then finished it off with "it'll be a long, hard climb back-up".

"Long, hard climb back up"? Why?

[DodgyAgent]

Ah, there is feedback, and then there is being nasty 'cause you get off on it.

HTH

Fair point