Reply to: State of the Market

[Unix]

The issue is a lot here have tried different venues and came out with a big fat zero. Everyone in their right might is looking at every possible angle to land anything and also coming up with nothing. It's not about accepting a low ball rate, it's about having any rate to consider in the first place.

It won't change until after UK and US elections are done and dusted and a few rate cuts. I've been lucky to have been in contract through all this, but could be on bench towards end of the year, have built a very large warchest though but hate the thought of dipping into it

[dsc]

My take on this is a bit different. For a skilled contractor, there are a LOT more avenues you can explore between not getting the contract you’re most suited for and any ‘unskilled’ or ‘low-skilled’ job.

The specifics will of course differ from individual to individual but to take my own example, as a mid-career generalist PM contractor with experience primarily in FS - if I couldn’t find the kind of contracts I’m best suited to (and pay what I’d like) then I’d go down all of the below routes (not necessarily in that order) before looking at Uber or a supermarket worker job.

- contracts outside FS
- PAYE FTCs
- perm jobs
- FTCs and perm jobs outside FS
- perm and FTC jobs in the civil service and charity sectors (from experience their recruitment processes are very good for square pegs looking for a round hole and ignoring things like being “overqualified”, “too old”, “wrong kind of experience” which private sector recruiters often use to set aside CVs). Applying for CS and non-profit sector jobs is an absolute pain in the arse as they all require some form of cover letter addressing person specifications in a STAR format etc. but it also eliminates a lot of the competition.

To state the obvious, none of the above is likely to pay what the “best” contract for me might but if push comes to shove I’ll try out everything.

At least on the basis of my recent experience and expectations, the job market that’s relevant to me is doing alright.

The issue is a lot here have tried different venues and came out with a big fat zero. Everyone in their right might is looking at every possible angle to land anything and also coming up with nothing. It's not about accepting a low ball rate, it's about having any rate to consider in the first place.

[sreed]

So anyone out for more than three months with a small war chest has to decide when they try 'out of industry', eg a delivery job etc.. thats a very hard pill to swallow and most wont do it except as a very last resort, when things get desperate..

My take on this is a bit different. For a skilled contractor, there are a LOT more avenues you can explore between not getting the contract you’re most suited for and any ‘unskilled’ or ‘low-skilled’ job.

The specifics will of course differ from individual to individual but to take my own example, as a mid-career generalist PM contractor with experience primarily in FS - if I couldn’t find the kind of contracts I’m best suited to (and pay what I’d like) then I’d go down all of the below routes (not necessarily in that order) before looking at Uber or a supermarket worker job.

- contracts outside FS
- PAYE FTCs
- perm jobs
- FTCs and perm jobs outside FS
- perm and FTC jobs in the civil service and charity sectors (from experience their recruitment processes are very good for square pegs looking for a round hole and ignoring things like being “overqualified”, “too old”, “wrong kind of experience” which private sector recruiters often use to set aside CVs). Applying for CS and non-profit sector jobs is an absolute pain in the arse as they all require some form of cover letter addressing person specifications in a STAR format etc. but it also eliminates a lot of the competition.

To state the obvious, none of the above is likely to pay what the “best” contract for me might but if push comes to shove I’ll try out everything.

At least on the basis of my recent experience and expectations, the job market that’s relevant to me is doing alright.

[Dark Black]

Thought I'd look in and see how things were... The market sound horrific

Went perm a couple of years back after struggling to find much post-pandemic. Hating every second of course, been keeping myself sane with the prospect of returning to contracting at some point. Looking less and less likely now.

Really feel for you guys out there with long bench times. Worryingly, there is a real lull in work where I am currently, no new revenue-earning projects since last year and a lot of dev staff on internal projects to keep them "ticking over". Can't see that being sustainable for too long without the inevitable result...

Tough times.

[SchumiStars]

******* tulip market. I ******* hate this bollocks.

FFS.

[Fraidycat]

For those holding their breath for an interest rate cut...

I don't think anyone is holding their breath.

Just not many perm jobs around either.

So anyone out for more than three months with a small war chest has to decide when they try 'out of industry', eg a delivery job etc.. thats a very hard pill to swallow and most wont do it except as a very last resort, when things get desperate..

[CheeseSlice]

Irrespective of whether you use LinkedIn as a job board or not, I’d definitely maintain a LinkedIn profile as (imho) that’s the first place people go to to ‘check someone out’ professionally that they don’t know otherwise. At least that’s what I do when I’m involved in any kind of recruitment.

Don't forget to keep connected to previous clients and hirers and anybody else controls budgets. Congratulate them or hit the like button when they post a job update, new achievement or something self-infatuating*.

*except for virtue signalling and other cringe posting of course.

[sreed]

I am surprised to read this, as I never found LinkedIn was good for contract work. I actually deleted my LinkedIn profile earlier this year, as I got fed up maintaining it when it gave me no benefit I could see. I think this may have been a mistake, although I can always create a new one and try and reconnect with some of my old contacts. In fact, that sounds like a good idea, since it will give me an excuse to catch up with some great folk I have not heard from in too long!

LinkedIn is now a better place to find contracts?

Irrespective of whether you use LinkedIn as a job board or not, I’d definitely maintain a LinkedIn profile as (imho) that’s the first place people go to to ‘check someone out’ professionally that they don’t know otherwise. At least that’s what I do when I’m involved in any kind of recruitment.

[OzzieExpat]

Read back a couple of pages. We've been going on about htis for awhile now. It's a nightmare.

Sh*t, just read a few back. Seems like it's a least as bad as you say. Rates seem to have rolled back 10 - 20 years in to the past. I've only been out for a month, but something this time feels very different.

[northernladuk]

Just started looking for a new contract. I've been working down under for a couple of years. I started looking for new work about a month ago. Is it just me or are things absolutely dead? Normally I'd expect to be getting calls and interviews at this point. Is something bad going on with the market?

Read back a couple of pages. We've been going on about htis for awhile now. It's a nightmare.

[OzzieExpat]

Just started looking for a new contract. I've been working down under for a couple of years. I started looking for new work about a month ago. Is it just me or are things absolutely dead? Normally I'd expect to be getting calls and interviews at this point. Is something bad going on with the market?

[TheDude]

I used to go out drinking with had a mate who was a C++ developer in London, Canary Wharf I think so he must have been one of the early ones down there. That guy's philosophy was 'dress like a professional and get paid like one'.

Sounds like the sort of life coaching idiot that dispenses advice on LinkedIn and spends their days cold calling people.

[willendure]

For those holding their breath for an interest rate cut... you really don't understand how this works. There won't be a cut until the economy cracks, possibly not even until we are in the midst of a full blown crash like 2008 or 2001. An interest rate rise takes maybe 18 months to bring the economy to its knees, and a cut takes maybe 18 months to bring it back again - its called the lag effect. So buckle in kittens!

On the other hand, if there is a stock market crash and interest rate cut, and you happen to have built a cash position to prepare there will be good pickings to be had at around that time.

Sorry to hear the hard luck stories of some on here. We are highly skilled and talented people working in a dynamic sector of the economy and don't deserve this kind of siutation. But we are also contractors and must expect it as its all part of the contracting game. I agree with others that if you are not getting anywhere, keep trying new approaches until you succeed - rewrite your CV, learn new skills, try and make new contacts, and so on. Each time I get work, I find that the contracting landscape has changed and it takes something different to find a way in.

[willendure]

Jobserve down to 16K vacancies now. The biggest surprise is that Jobserve still exists, given most recruiting has moved to LinkedIn.

I am surprised to read this, as I never found LinkedIn was good for contract work. I actually deleted my LinkedIn profile earlier this year, as I got fed up maintaining it when it gave me no benefit I could see. I think this may have been a mistake, although I can always create a new one and try and reconnect with some of my old contacts. In fact, that sounds like a good idea, since it will give me an excuse to catch up with some great folk I have not heard from in too long!

LinkedIn is now a better place to find contracts?

[Paintpot]

3000 sounds like a lot, but its only 12 per day. Could do that in just one hour a day or even less.

At the end of the day sending 1000s of applications costs zero out of pocket. Luckily we don't have to post CVs anymore, 3000 stamps aren't cheap. The last time i posted my CV by snail mail was in 1996

It's not the stamps that costing them but the 10 months on the bench eating into the warchest