Training whilst on the bench

[BrowneIssue]

- only apply for gigs you are likely to get otherwise you are wasting your time.

- if you are not getting interviews, you are not being shortlisted and there is something wrong with your CV.

Or there is just no work. Read the papers!

Then what were the applications for? Ignore the scare-mongering in the papers and read the job ads.

[cojak]

Or there is just no work. Read the papers!

Not true.
HTH.

[NickNick]

Or there is just no work. Read the papers!

See, no matter what the papers say, I've found that there is indeed a lot of work out there for my skillset (BA) and as we BAs seem to be somewhat in demand at the moment, rates are better too. Just secrured myself a 15% rate hike.

[suityou01]

I keep writing the same advice; one day I should collate it all and stick it on my web site.

Condensed version:

- only apply for gigs you are likely to get otherwise you are wasting your time.

- treat seeking work as a full time job. Start by 08:00 and spend no less than 5 hours at it. Do not spend more than 8 hours at it.

- ALWAYS follow up an application with a phone call. ALWAYS. Jobserve applications do not all get through.

- do not rely on just one job web site; use a selection. You will learn which are the duplicates.

- keep a record of the gigs you go for. Statistics make you feel better.

- before firing off your CV for a gig, check that everything they ask for is mentioned on your CV. This is a tedious pain in the arse but necessary to be shortlisted.

- try not to apply for the same gig twice through different agents.

- a gig on £50 per day less than what you want is worth more than being on the bench. You can always lie about the rate later.

- attend every interview you can. They are good practice.

- if you are not getting interviews, you are not being shortlisted and there is something wrong with your CV.
- if you are getting interviews but not gigs, there is something wrong with your interview technique

- do not stop applying for gigs just because you have an interview lined up or have had an interview.

- always ask for feedback from interviews. Occasionally you actually get some. Even more rarely, it is useful and true! Normally, though, it is bollocks. Get a friend to interpret it for you.

- do not pay anyone to bugger with your CV; they just rip you off. There is free and good advice on the agency web sites on tailoring CVs. I think ContractorUK may have some too.


BTW, you did the right thing doing training. Any grown-up interviewer will understand when you say: "I actually did my PRINCE2 about a month ago, now I'm looking for a gig where I can use it."

Or there is just no work. Read the papers!

[BrowneIssue]

You should become a life coach,

So why is mine a shambling mess, no house, no pension, no savings and a shedload of debt?

I suspect it's 'cos I can organise a piss-up in a brewery with ease. Sadly, little else!

[chris79]

Excellent advice BrownIssue. You should become a life coach, I think you would make good money!

[BrowneIssue]

I keep writing the same advice; one day I should collate it all and stick it on my web site.

Condensed version:

- only apply for gigs you are likely to get otherwise you are wasting your time.

- treat seeking work as a full time job. Start by 08:00 and spend no less than 5 hours at it. Do not spend more than 8 hours at it.

- ALWAYS follow up an application with a phone call. ALWAYS. Jobserve applications do not all get through.

- do not rely on just one job web site; use a selection. You will learn which are the duplicates.

- keep a record of the gigs you go for. Statistics make you feel better.

- before firing off your CV for a gig, check that everything they ask for is mentioned on your CV. This is a tedious pain in the arse but necessary to be shortlisted.

- try not to apply for the same gig twice through different agents.

- a gig on £50 per day less than what you want is worth more than being on the bench. You can always lie about the rate later.

- attend every interview you can. They are good practice.

- if you are not getting interviews, you are not being shortlisted and there is something wrong with your CV.

- if you are getting interviews but not gigs, there is something wrong with your interview technique

- do not stop applying for gigs just because you have an interview lined up or have had an interview.

- always ask for feedback from interviews. Occasionally you actually get some. Even more rarely, it is useful and true! Normally, though, it is bollocks. Get a friend to interpret it for you.

- do not pay anyone to bugger with your CV; they just rip you off. There is free and good advice on the agency web sites on tailoring CVs. I think ContractorUK may have some too.


BTW, you did the right thing doing training. Any grown-up interviewer will understand when you say: "I actually did my PRINCE2 about a month ago, now I'm looking for a gig where I can use it."

[zara_backdog]

Waste of time and money - you would have been better of going on holiday.
Get with your strengths. If there is nothing out there for you, then look again - there always is.
If you've been out for 4 months and you've been trying all that time - Start applying for permie jobs.

Eek!

[reddog]

Certification is important, but more for the agent sifting doing a CV than the end client.

As a veteran of many permie training courses I would say that expensive tutor lead training is a waste of money. They always start at 9:30am end at 4:30pm with loads of breaks, and the tutor says we'll finish at 12pm on Friday 'cos everyones got a long drive home'. Much better to do it out of a book, that is how I have done various certifications and I always got the bit of paper!

[deckster]

Waste of time and money - you would have been better of going on holiday.
Get with your strengths. If there is nothing out there for you, then look again - there always is.
If you've been out for 4 months and you've been trying all that time - Start applying for permie jobs.

What makes you think I haven't, but anyway that's not the point of the thread.

I'd always thought much the same as you but as the weeks ticked on I wondered if having a shiny bit of paper would help at all. Certainly I don't think that anybody's going to give out jobs based on exams without experience, but assuming that you actually have the experience in the first place, surely having the qualification on your CV can only be a good thing? As has been said - the main thing is to get the agents to read more than the first few lines of the CV; I'm happy enough if I don't get a job after interview as that's obviously my fault, but it really gets on my tits when agents don't put you forward because you don't have the relevant buzzwords.

[Ivor Bigun]

Does anybody else bother with things like this? Is it a waste of time? Should I have spent the money on something more productive like strippers and drugs?

Waste of time and money - you would have been better of going on holiday.
Get with your strengths. If there is nothing out there for you, then look again - there always is.
If you've been out for 4 months and you've been trying all that time - Start applying for permie jobs.

[chris79]

So I've now been on the bench for coming up 4 months, a situation entirely unknown to me as I haven't been out of contract since I started in 1999. To keep myself from going mad and to make it look like I've been doing something, I've spent a couple of grand getting PRINCE2 and ITIL qualified - both of which are often mentioned on the kind of roles I'm looking for. I can't say the courses will be any practical use and didn't really teach me anything I didn't already know. I also can't say that they have made much difference with my CV hit rate.

Does anybody else bother with things like this? Is it a waste of time? Should I have spent the money on something more productive like strippers and drugs?

I did the same thing back in November, PRINCE2 practitioner.. since then I've been getting shortlisted and interviewed for project jobs... although every interview I've had they've pointed out they only use 'elements' of PRINCE2, or not even at all. It's just a tickbox more than anything.

[BrowneIssue]

To keep myself from going mad and to make it look like I've been doing something, I've spent a couple of grand getting PRINCE2 and ITIL qualified - both of which are often mentioned on the kind of roles I'm looking for.

The reason you did them is valid.
It will make a difference to your being shortlisted - they are on your CV, aren't they?

[MPwannadecentincome]

Does anybody else bother with things like this? Is it a waste of time? Should I have spent the money on something more productive like strippers and drugs?

Strippers - yes you could have had the wallpaper off and replaced by now.

Drugs - yes to cure the hangovers from staying up late drinking as you don't have to get up early anymore!

[deckster]

So I've now been on the bench for coming up 4 months, a situation entirely unknown to me as I haven't been out of contract since I started in 1999. To keep myself from going mad and to make it look like I've been doing something, I've spent a couple of grand getting PRINCE2 and ITIL qualified - both of which are often mentioned on the kind of roles I'm looking for. I can't say the courses will be any practical use and didn't really teach me anything I didn't already know. I also can't say that they have made much difference with my CV hit rate.

Does anybody else bother with things like this? Is it a waste of time? Should I have spent the money on something more productive like strippers and drugs?