Finding a new contract challenge

[simes]

pretty much this

Exactly this.

I use a Jobserve search within 0 days, and refresh hourly throughout the day.

That's the game. Enjoy it.

[tranceporter]

I simply mark my LinkedIn availability as "looking actively" when my contract is coming to an end. Maybe a post announcing my availability to go with that. Most of the times that's sufficient to get calls and e-mails. And as you said, sometimes my friends pass along opportunities that they are not interested in due to extensions etc. I have not uploaded my latest CV to job sites for nearly 6 years now.

[GreenMirror]

The whole Jobsite / Agency model is now so completely broken it's hardly worth bothering with.

So, I'm sticking to my model of using my network of ex-colleagues and contacts and the agencies can just dumb down to invoice factoring shops with a few niche quality services around for those clients smart enough to use them. Bodyshop recruitment has had its day.

This.

[Alf W]

The whole Jobsite / Agency model is now so completely broken it's hardly worth bothering with.

I've been contracting for over 15 years and I've never even come close to securing a contract role advertised on a Jobsite. However, in previous years these were a source of which agency were representing particular clients and could then be used to contact agents direct, get your CV to them and have a bit of a chat. When something suitable came up they could call you and away we went.

Current trend is for agents to hide completely from contractors by not posting email or phone details because they are FAR too busy to actually talk to contractors (note to agents - who do you think has the best inside knowledge of your prospective clients?). In a race to the bottom it becomes a game of who can submit some CVs the fastest. Job ads have become so generic and vague and with no indication of rate is it any wonder they swamped with unsuitable applicants which is why they haven't got time to understand their clients or 'product'.

So, what happens? Contractors resort to their own contacts, arrange gigs directly and the agents get little more than 'put throughs' that they earn bugger all commission on. Less income needs higher volume and so the whole thing spirals down the drain.

I also see lots of examples of agencies who's name I've never heard before advertising roles for clients where I know they are not on the PSL which is a further waste of time.

There are still a few quality agencies out there who practise getting to know contractors and clients and making quality placements for a decent commission but they largely forego the whole Jobsite route and even they are telling me that some major clients are favouring the cheap bucketshop approach over them. In one example of this where I know a lot of permy hiring managers there is a perception of a skills shortage as they "can't seem to find the right quality of candidate"

So, I'm sticking to my model of using my network of ex-colleagues and contacts and the agencies can just dumb down to invoice factoring shops with a few niche quality services around for those clients smart enough to use them. Bodyshop recruitment has had its day.

[filthy1980]

Search for Jobserve for contracts posted within a day. Check a couple of times a day and bobs your Uncle.

Walk in the park.

pretty much this

plenty of agents will search through existing CV databases first before even posting an ad on jobserve as they get flooded with applications

make contact with agents too, if there's an old ad that fits your skillset but is no longer available, find the agents contact details and email your CV over, you'll hit plenty of brick walls but you're just giving yourself a better chance and more often than not, it's a numbers game

[northernladuk]

Search for Jobserve for contracts posted within a day. Check a couple of times a day and bobs your Uncle.

Walk in the park.

[NoNo]

Is it only me who has a terrible experience with job portals? That is to say I am looking for a new contract.

Using the various sites and applying the filters results in a rubbish answer set. I now have written my own site queries to enable better quality answer set. The web site results are a joke! Shockingly bad quality - they cannot get a basic query right. On top of this they cannot get the alerts right as well. Even after I edit the alerts I still get permanent offers.

It seems they all use the same software deployed/configured badly/slight variations.

Also I find the alerts are all the "old" contract jobs (that are about to expire)! No point.

My other bug bear is that I search the sites every day for "new" jobs and when I apply I find often the job had been released several days before. You only get to see that when you review contract jobs applied for - then you see this not "new" advert date. So no chance of getting the opportunity. As one agent stated to me - we have to respond within 24 hours otherwise no chance of getting the client. So it is a waste of time.

Have others had the same experience?

Also looking at icontract and similar - it seems to be a racket. I do not like that my info becomes their data for ever (in T&Cs). Any opinions on this?

What are other contractors experience?