Reply to: Acceptable number of previous contracts over a set period

[quackhandle]

Days/Weeks/Months/Years. Some great, some not so great.

qh

[MrMarkyMark]

Possibly but you then run the risk of people applying a bit of diligence to it and you getting found out. You might not think much of it but a client or vetting service will take a very dim view of it. At the end of the day its a CV, it's your history, not a sales brochure. It doesn't matter what you think it is, it's a document for your audience so it's them you have to consider and generally a doctored CV will arouse much suspicion.

Lost count of how many I have seen fall foul during IB screening.

You can lie actually, if need be, just make sure the reference stands up forever more and you don't get caught.

[ShandyDrinker]

Leaving some contracts out of the Cv is not different from what other companies do, they only mention a few impressive names on their website and in their brochures. My CV is my company's brochure. There are no lies on it

That's a fair comment and one which I expect could create some debate.

While I think you're right that companies spin things to suit themselves and bury anything which shows them in anything other than an amazing light, when you have the scrutiny that we can potentially have every time we go for a contract (particularly in financial services), can we afford to not be whiter than white?

A slight digression but 123-reg have this weekend screwed up their VPS hosting (thanks) for many customers who have lost everything. I was lucky and had backups elsewhere. While there's a furore right now and they'll probably lose a lot of customers in the short term, in 6 months time it will all be forgotten and people will go back as they need the service or 123-reg will do some special deals to entice people back.

When clients or their representatives infer that short contracts equal cr*p contractor (and potentially 123reg type cr*pness) I can entirely understand why people are prepared to put a spin on their history, even if it's not something I would necessarily do myself.

[northernladuk]

Leaving some contracts out of the Cv is not different from what other companies do, they only mention a few impressive names on their website and in their brochures. My CV is my company's brochure. There are no lies on it

Possibly but you then run the risk of people applying a bit of diligence to it and you getting found out. You might not think much of it but a client or vetting service will take a very dim view of it. At the end of the day its a CV, it's your history, not a sales brochure. It doesn't matter what you think it is, it's a document for your audience so it's them you have to consider and generally a doctored CV will arouse much suspicion.

[WTFH]

Leaving some contracts out of the Cv is not different from what other companies do, they only mention a few impressive names on their website and in their brochures. My CV is my company's brochure. There are no lies on it

If you alter the dates of the others to make it appear you were at one site longer than you actually were then it is lying.


Are your clients more impressed with where you have worked or what you have done?

[Eirikur]

IMO you do it straight or not at all. If you have to manipulate your CV to the point if it not being a true reflection then you deserve everything that will happen to you when you get caught. There is absolutely no reason to do this if you are good at what you do. I've seen a few contractors walked because checks find they have been liberal with the truth. It only takes one banking gig to dig a little and find out the CV isn't telling the real tale.

It's just not for me and don't see why people need to do this.

Leaving some contracts out of the Cv is not different from what other companies do, they only mention a few impressive names on their website and in their brochures. My CV is my company's brochure. There are no lies on it

[BrilloPad]

Quite - I was once (actually, more than once) asked in an interview why I only spent 2 weeks with a certain client. My answer? I was working with MF

FTFY

[Mordac]

There is no acceptable number.

Some projects are short and sweet. Others are a year long. Others are many years with you there to deliver a specific piece of work.

Quite - I was once (actually, more than once) asked in an interview why I only spent 2 weeks with a certain client. My answer? It was a fixed price deal, so only a moron would hang around, and it was included on my CV only because it was a highly relevant project, and also to demonstrate that I'm flexible in that regard. Waste of sodding time, probably cost me more than it ought to have gained, so it became rapidly erased.

[MrMarkyMark]

Saying that, one contractor I know who targets roles in IBs uses this precise approach and he's never had an issue.

Does anyone else think it's acceptable (or unacceptable) to remove roles or to manipulate dates as described above)?

I'm guessing when he goes through screening, he just states it is time not working and produces other "evidence" to cover.

Anyway FWIW, I wouldn't do it. I have a total mixture of durations on my CV, a lot of the short ones are for consultancies.

[fool]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Generally matches what I thought.

Not about to start pulling my career apart as I can't undo what I've already done but just trying to get a handle on the strategy I should employ for my next contract. If short term contracts are seen as an issue, I guess I need to consider what Ketto said and think about taking a contract with a longer term potential.

At risk of being flamed it does seem that in some parts of software development in the financial services sector all they're really looking for is a bum on a seat permie-tractor...

A bunch of 3 month contracts might raise an eyebrow with some people but you'll probably be fine if it wasn't because you're a bit dire. A bunch of 1-2 month contracts will make it look like you're getting sacked.

[slogger]

Very true. I've had a couple of stints of 2 years after which I think it would be hard to be considered anything other than a pseudo permie.

There's a happy balance in there somewhere, I just don't know what it is right now.

i just think it varies - cant please all of the clients all of the time :-) I've done mostly 18 months at clients - usually 6x3month contracts or 3x6 months, max is 3.5 years, however done quite a few short ones (6 weeks - then client went bust, 3 months a few times ) - i would be a bit suspicious if someone had only done a few weeks here and there with lots of time off - but then again one of the best contractors I know just does 6 months a year and then goes cycling the rest of the time.

[ShandyDrinker]

I've been at companies as a contractor and been involved in hiring consultants - in some companies I've heard permies say if someone moves more than a few times over 2 years then they must be skittish, and I've heard others say if a contractor stays at one place for more than a couple of years then they mustn't be any good!!

generally if you can show at some point you've had a couple of stints longer than a year and extensions then I wouldn't worry - can never please everyone.

Very true. I've had a couple of stints of 2 years after which I think it would be hard to be considered anything other than a pseudo permie.

There's a happy balance in there somewhere, I just don't know what it is right now.

[ShandyDrinker]

IMO you do it straight or not at all. If you have to manipulate your CV to the point if it not being a true reflection then you deserve everything that will happen to you when you get caught. There is absolutely no reason to do this if you are good at what you do. I've seen a few contractors walked because checks find they have been liberal with the truth. It only takes one banking gig to dig a little and find out the CV isn't telling the real tale.

It's just not for me and don't see why people need to do this.

It's not really for me either hence not having done it before.

With respect to removing roles I completely agree. However, in the example of 2014-15 dates I mentioned above it is not strictly speaking untrue, just a different spin on the dates.

It's interesting to hear what other people think and how far they're prepared to go...

[slogger]

I've been at companies as a contractor and been involved in hiring consultants - in some companies I've heard permies say if someone moves more than a few times over 2 years then they must be skittish, and I've heard others say if a contractor stays at one place for more than a couple of years then they mustn't be any good!!

generally if you can show at some point you've had a couple of stints longer than a year and extensions then I wouldn't worry - can never please everyone.

[northernladuk]

Does anyone else think it's acceptable (or unacceptable) to remove roles or to manipulate dates as described above)?

IMO you do it straight or not at all. If you have to manipulate your CV to the point if it not being a true reflection then you deserve everything that will happen to you when you get caught. There is absolutely no reason to do this if you are good at what you do. I've seen a few contractors walked because checks find they have been liberal with the truth. It only takes one banking gig to dig a little and find out the CV isn't telling the real tale.

It's just not for me and don't see why people need to do this.