Recruiters not responding

[northernladuk]

It appears this isn't the first time you've complained about this.

https://forums.contractoruk.com/busi...ml#post1943332

With the first problem being quite awhile ago I'd say the state of the market isn't the issue. Maybe look at what other common factors are still in play between the two dates if you get where I'm going

[GhostofTarbera]

Try NPSO

Is the PM market in IT that bad.

I've made my CV searchable on Jobserve and posted at least 30-40 what I believe relevant jobs.
And not a single call ..



even tied calling a few agents only to be told they either busy or on holiday and will call me if I'm suitable.

I must be doing something wrong ;-(

Try NPSO (taken over control of FPS/CHAPS/C&CCC/BACS) and are currently recruiting for 12 payment workstreams to use the NPA - Could last for years

and could be the last payments project in town !!!!

[LondonManc]

The banking market is bad in London; Brexit round the corner, interest rates pretty flat and very low are leading to cost-cutting. Good luck.

[radish2008]

You're not doing anything wrong. Relax and keep banging away.

The hardest thing I think about being on the bench is when you start to doubt yourself. It's an easy cycle to get in. Best of luck.

[HugeWhale]

If it’s any consolation, many of us have been in the same situation (and don’t you just hate those pompous contractors who earn 2 grand a day and have not had any time on the bench in a decade? Do you bask in their magnificence as they give their tips on what you’re doing wrong and how playing golf with the head of the CBI was their breakthrough move? Or do you think a spot of bench-time would prick their pompous balloons?)

I’ve come to realise that there are only two types of contractor: those on contract and those not on contract. When you’re on contract it all seems so easy; opportunities abound and your confidence is sky high. When you’re not on contract you enter the seventh circle of hell that is CVs, agents, the black hole of application disappearance and the inevitable warchest depletion. A few months of this and you start to doubt yourself. Even if you have a large warchest, just a few months of absolutely zero coming in has a psychological effect as you see your bank balance stepping down.

Not sure if you’re here for advice or to vent.
If you’re here to vent then go ahead. It can be cathartic. If you’re here for advice then the only advice I can give you is to keep plugging away. It’s almost certainly nothing to do with your CV or your skills: there are just too many wannabe contractors applying for every single role, clogging up the pipeline. Odds are your CV isn’t even being looked at.

[uk contractor]

yeah I work in banking and based in London

more of a technical PM

PM in London is your biggest issue. Agencies get up to 750 CV's within a few hours. London is swamped with high quality candidates & few roles.

End clients all know this so do agencies & agents so your facing an extreme numbers game before you even get someone who matters (not the ex-supermarket workers or ex-commission sales people who are tasked with filtering the CV's they do not want to the agency account managers who decide which CV's to send) to even notice your CV.

...also forgot to add Banking in London especially is going through a major restructuring exercise. RBS have shed 1000s of contractors in the last few months so have several other major Inv Banks. They are nearly all outsourcing, offshoring, near shoring or simply cutting excess staff. PM is one such excess staff cost many PM's I know from Inv Banking are perms who were told to deliver major projects so they step away from their day to day role (which is backfilled by existing perm resource). Banks are also becoming highly risk averse & many compliance heads will only sign off on someone perm managing projects.

More than ever the Banks are shedding a LOT of people. Some deadwood who were lucky to keep their high paid jobs as long as they did but a lot of good people with impressive resumes are being dumped onto the already overcrowded London job market.

The more I see & hear from people I know the more I believe the last contractor boom wave from the software & hardware upgrades the banks did for Windows 7, Office 365, Cloud Services & newer software has now long finished & going forward most of the work will be real niche cutting edge stuff they cannot retrain or cross train their existing staff to do.

Unless your on the cutting edge if you previously did any PM, BA, Support or mainstream Dev work I think your chances of getting another contract are getting remoter by the day as there has been a massive shift in the supply & demand.

[Old Greg]

I believe so been refined but never had an issue in the past 20 years

Maybe it needs fresh eyes. Others have used an agency before. May be worth considering.

[BiggieBig]

And is your CV well enough presented?

I believe so been refined but never had an issue in the past 20 years

[BiggieBig]

yeah I work in banking and based in London

more of a technical PM

[Old Greg]

And is your CV well enough presented?

[northernladuk]

You believe they are relevant? They either are or they aren't. It's in black and white in front of you.
Do you really have exactly the skills they are looking for and delivered a number of similar if not the same projects before? In the same industry I.e. Retail, pharma, banking? If you haven't matched all those exactly then you weren't relevant. There are a hell of a lot of good PMs out there and you can bet there is one on the bench that fits the criteria exactly...

[fatJock]

Is the PM market in IT that bad.

I've made my CV searchable on Jobserve and posted at least 30-40 what I believe relevant jobs.
And not a single call ..



even tied calling a few agents only to be told they either busy or on holiday and will call me if I'm suitable.

I must be doing something wrong ;-(

My experience is that the PM market is buoyant at least in my area (midlands) and sector (logistics in general, niche in defence).

Been in contract for 15 months and still getting unsolicited calls from agents who, admittedly I have prior knowledge of. Grow your network and get on LinkedIn connecting to all your past contacts.

In my experience, the market is good but you have to put some more work in than previously.

[cojak]

And get onto LinkedIn and stress your availability there.

[Old Greg]

Is the PM market in IT that bad.

I've made my CV searchable on Jobserve and posted at least 30-40 what I believe relevant jobs.
And not a single call ..



even tied calling a few agents only to be told they either busy or on holiday and will call me if I'm suitable.

I must be doing something wrong ;-(

I've only ever got one contract via ads / job boards. Work your network, particularly previous clients.

[BiggieBig]

Is the PM market in IT that bad.

I've made my CV searchable on Jobserve and posted at least 30-40 what I believe relevant jobs.
And not a single call ..



even tied calling a few agents only to be told they either busy or on holiday and will call me if I'm suitable.

I must be doing something wrong ;-(