Agency Lies

[ZARDOZ]

(The only consolation was a splendid evening with 2 top gents ).

Was that expensive?

[cojak]

Was that expensive?

No, but the plane tickets were.

[aussielong]

Here are some rules of thumb that I've discovered over the years, and found to be huge time savers:

Never apply to contract for banks. Unless you like working in bureaucratic environments, alongside bobs that exhibit a piss poor attitude and try to undermine everything you do because your actually getting stuff done makes them look bad.

Never apply for banking contracts?! There are loads of them and they are highly paid.

Dealing with bobs is not something you'll probably have to do - they do the semi-skilled integration work mainly - or is that what you do too?

Banking is contracting nirvana, if you can get passed your first gig. Relatively closed market, lots of work, good pay, transferrable knowledge/skills, etc.

[BrilloPad]

Never apply for banking contracts?! There are loads of them and they are highly paid.

Dealing with bobs is not something you'll probably have to do - they do the semi-skilled integration work mainly - or is that what you do too?

Banking is contracting nirvana, if you can get passed your first gig. Relatively closed market, lots of work, good pay, transferrable knowledge/skills, etc.

There is a reason it is highly paid.

I managed 25.5 years before finally managing to get out. Went for a drink with mates down the wharf last night who were all moaning how IBs go downhill each year.

Of course I managed the finance nirvana - a hedge fund. And not just any old hedge fund either. Whenever things get tough I tell myself I could still be in a bank.

[aussielong]

There is a reason it is highly paid.

I managed 25.5 years before finally managing to get out. Went for a drink with mates down the wharf last night who were all moaning how IBs go downhill each year.

Of course I managed the finance nirvana - a hedge fund. And not just any old hedge fund either. Whenever things get tough I tell myself I could still be in a bank.

Hedgy would be more risky if they start doing badly though right? Where do you go? Another hedgy (there aren't that many to go to), or back to banking because there are a lot of banking jobs (even though the pool is shrinking). I have been at 6 banks - the longest of those stints 5 years - it can be stressful but pound for pound i've found it better than other environments, certainly more lucrative. So you're working in the west end now then?

[FiveTimes]

Well I won't bother with Scotland again.

I spent a foolish amount of money going to an interview in Glasgow when a Skype interview would have given me a 'No thanks' without the cost of travelling up there.

(The only consolation was a splendid evening with 2 top gents ).

I didn't have you down as that sort of girl

[pjclarke]

Thanks for the advice, Gentile. I agree with most of it, except for the bit about banks, 80% of my employment has been in the financial sector, from global banks to mutual building societies via insurance companies, and very lucrative it has been too.

This particular role is with HSBC in a business park in Stirling; on paper it's the kind of excellent fit to my skillset that comes along very rarely. The first agency I saw it with stated 'Edinburgh' and only told me the actual location once I enquired. Edinburgh would have been Ok but the extra hour or so each way to Stirling puts it out of my travel comfort zone. A few weeks later it was readvertyised as London or Scotland (and again with another agency as just London'). I surmised that they had failed to recruit into Stirling and so had opened the role to working in Canada Sq. My surmise was incorrect - the agencies are simply lying to get us to apply.

So it goes. I'm off to the canaries for a week's scuba so I'll stop whining now.

[nomadd]

No there is not you timewasting liar.

And in the present market, the clients are just as troublesome.

Take every phonecall with a large pinch of salt. Then go out for a walk in the sunshine, you'll feel much better.

[Old Hack]

I had a great gig in Edinburgh. 3 nights away, 1 and a bit hour flight from Gatwick, London money. Left home 7am Monday, was back by 7PM Thursday and nothing was expected from me on Fridays aside from agreeing to short notice phone conferences if anything came up. I only gave up the gig for an ludicrous offer from EADS, ludicrous, which saw the contract canned 5 months later. I should have seen the writing on the wall given the rate they offered, and then the work that had been done. But the money....

I operate on the principals that Agents are sales people, and all sales people lie, and have one interest: the bottom line. I have never trusted one, well, one I do trust, but I have never worked with him, and we have a chat, laugh and beer occasionally. It's no different than listening to an estate agent/car salesman/Double glazing rep. They just want the lucre and will say most things to get it.

Standards? That is funny. I believe there area a few BS type, but yet to be convinced.

My very favourite lie was "yes, it is based solely out of Exeter, with a couple of weeks in Brussels liaising with Eurocontrol", which turned into 99% of the gig being in Brussels, and 1% setting my equipment up to work in Brussels.

[cojak]

I didn't have you down as that sort of girl

Excellent beer with a lift back to the airport, and I don't think I put my hand in my pocket the whole evening.

Lovely lads.