Reply to: 2.5 year career gap.. thinking of contracting.. any tips

[NickFitz]

interview went very well in the end. I swotted up a bit (although it was mostly unnecessary) I think the experience I talked to the interviewer about impressed him enough and matched what he was looking for that he didn't feel it necessary to give me a real grilling aside from a fairly tame VBA 'quiz' and (embarrasingly for me) asking me to integrate something very simple.. frankly it was a-level stuff almost but I froze up completely, mainly since I'd been focussing on stochastic calculus which I don't really have a clue on so I stupidly told him I couldn't do it off the top of my head.. I think given the 2+ year gap and this being my first interview he let me off.

Anyway.. feedback from the agent is that the only candidates where myself and 1 other that he also put forward, the interviewer wants to hire us both but needs to get approval from finance to hire 2 rather than 1.. So fingers crossed that I don't need to go back for a 2nd interview to compete with the other guy.

Other news is that one of the traders I used to work with has moved to another fund and wants to hire me to work for him again. I'm tempted except that basically I'd be back working on exactly the same things and not learning much new stuff so I'm leaving that as something to fall back on..

A few other agents have called me with stuff and put my cv forward to some companies but none have got back to me with interviews yet.. In any case I should hopefully be employed one way or the other within a week or 2 touch wood.. And if I'm bored in 6 to 12 months time I'll be looking at contracts

Congratulations!

[tommyc]

interview went very well in the end. I swotted up a bit (although it was mostly unnecessary) I think the experience I talked to the interviewer about impressed him enough and matched what he was looking for that he didn't feel it necessary to give me a real grilling aside from a fairly tame VBA 'quiz' and (embarrasingly for me) asking me to integrate something very simple.. frankly it was a-level stuff almost but I froze up completely, mainly since I'd been focussing on stochastic calculus which I don't really have a clue on so I stupidly told him I couldn't do it off the top of my head.. I think given the 2+ year gap and this being my first interview he let me off.

Anyway.. feedback from the agent is that the only candidates where myself and 1 other that he also put forward, the interviewer wants to hire us both but needs to get approval from finance to hire 2 rather than 1.. So fingers crossed that I don't need to go back for a 2nd interview to compete with the other guy.

Other news is that one of the traders I used to work with has moved to another fund and wants to hire me to work for him again. I'm tempted except that basically I'd be back working on exactly the same things and not learning much new stuff so I'm leaving that as something to fall back on..

A few other agents have called me with stuff and put my cv forward to some companies but none have got back to me with interviews yet.. In any case I should hopefully be employed one way or the other within a week or 2 touch wood.. And if I'm bored in 6 to 12 months time I'll be looking at contracts

[tommyc]

Cheers guys

[nomadd]

Now just reading up and desperately trying to remember more details of the projects I worked on.. which is tricky considering some of them were 3+ yrs ago!

You'd be surprised how quickly it comes back. Even if you blow this interview, it'll be good experience for the next one. And they will come. After a 7 month break, I was pretty poor at the first interview I attended - even though I'd boned-up a bit - but the next two went much better. Still, fingers crossed for you and wish you all the best in this one.

[RichardCranium]

Well, I have a job interview for a permie job in the bag at least. Agent called me after finding my CV on jobsite.

You jammy bugger! Well done!

[tommyc]

Well, I have a job interview for a permie job in the bag at least. Agent called me after finding my CV on jobsite.

From the sounds of it its a junior level vba developer position so the agent is pitching me as a better value for money hire than a graduate, sounds like a decent company though.. If it doesn't work out I think those are the sorts of roles I'm going to have to go for..

Now just reading up and desperately trying to remember more details of the projects I worked on.. which is tricky considering some of them were 3+ yrs ago!

[tommyc]

I most definitely concur......although it would have been better if you had started the beach life in 2009, and finished it around the middle of 2012 if you know what i mean....crystal ball and all that

Definitely, in mid 2008 just as I'm starting to think I've been bumming around for too long and ought to come home and get a job the finance world goes tits up, so staying away for another year isn't really a hard decision.
Oh and I dumped a bunch of savings into a stocks and shares ISA when I left thinking it'd be a nice little nest egg for when I return, of course it dropped to about 60% of my initial investment and its only now nearly 3 years since I invested that its at around 90% of what I started with.. A return of -10% over 3 years, maybe I shouldn't go back to finance! Well I guess I was clever enough to leave most of my backup money in cash accounts at least.

And don't forget - it's still a dull as fook industry...

Agreed, but as was stated in another thread about interesting science / R&D / coding work the pay is double other industries almost. And some of the quant stuff I was working on was kind of interesting.. at least when I was developing it..

[wantacontract]

Best bet is to go for a permie job. Possibly a low pay junior role. Then ride it for all it's worth.

After six months start applying for contracts every evening and you'll probably get something sorted over the next year or so.

But yeah, try applying for contracts straight away. Nothing to lose.

Congrats on 2.5 years on the beach by the way! That's the way life should be lived.

I most definitely concur......although it would have been better if you had started the beach life in 2009, and finished it around the middle of 2012 if you know what i mean....crystal ball and all that

[DieScum]

Best bet is to go for a permie job. Possibly a low pay junior role. Then ride it for all it's worth.

After six months start applying for contracts every evening and you'll probably get something sorted over the next year or so.

But yeah, try applying for contracts straight away. Nothing to lose.

Congrats on 2.5 years on the beach by the way! That's the way life should be lived.

[BolshieBastard]

Hey there,

I left uni with an undergrad in maths + computing and then a masters in applied maths in 2003. (Plus 1 years experience in 2000 in a placement doing VBA and C/C++ work in finance)
Then I landed a job at a hedge fund as a developer / code monkey in their quant team in november 2003.
Worked mostly in VBA / Excel, Matalb, and S-Plus but I also have some experience in C++ and OO coding, plus vbscript and asp from setting up an intranet site at the firm.
Quit in march 2007 since I was bored there but wasn't sure what to do instead so I went travelling.
Spent 2.5 years bumming around on beaches and so on.. did manage a 3 month contract in australia working with VBA (in late 07 early 08) but other work was just bar work and sales stuff. Basically I did sod all to keep my skills up to date, I was too busy having fun.

Now I'm back in the UK. I'm tempted to go into contracting, I like the idea of the variety that can be offered since I got bored in my old role having to work on the same projects all the time and looking at the job websites there seem to be roles being offered relevant to my experience and skill set.

But is it worth me trying since my experience is 2 years old?? Or will I stand a chance if I offer myself up at a lower rate?
At least as a contractor my long term commitment and motivation is not going to be called into question like it would be in a permanent role, or is it?
Should I be looking for a contract now or trying to give myself some experience by finding some sort of project to work on (I don't have Office or VBA on my system though, but I guess I could try and do something in C# or java I guess)..

I've still got left over savings, plus some inheritance money, but obviously I'd rather not fritter it away and want to get back into work ASAP, and rent in london isn't cheap.

What do you guys think?
Cheers

Well if you dont buy a ticket you'll never win the lottery. But in the current market and being out of the game for sooooo long I think your chances are somewhere south of bob hope and no hope.

[ratewhore]

And don't forget - it's still a dull as fook industry...

[Not So Wise]

Always worth "trying" but unless you get lucky doubt you will even get past the pimps in most cases

As others have said, apply for both permie (even that will be hard in current climate) and contracts, that way you cover all angles

[tommyc]

Apply for everything and anything i.e. both contracting and permie.
I think you'd be better off going permie again and spend a year or two before trying contracting.

Thanks, my worry with permie stuff is convincing interviewers of how much I especially want the job with their firm and find finance so interesting and so on.
No reason to stop me applying though. I guess after 2 or 3 failed interviews I will have had enough practice to try and blag my way through that section of questioning that I will get.

[Jeebo72]

I suspect permie is the best route. Explain that you've got the travel bug out of your system, and pretend that you are settling down (explain your "up and coming marriage and planning a family" ...well you get the idea) ... get the experience, then contract!

[tommyc]

Thanks guys,

Have you kept in touch with those you used to work with? Do they have anything?

Meeting for lunch next week. Not sure if there will be anything at my old firm, but they will possibly know of others that are recruiting. They've also given me the names of the agencies they use to find contractors.

Yeah I think I am going to have to apply for anything and everything. I want to try and do something in my spare time to improve my skills too.. I'm teaching myself c# since many of the jobs I'm looking at need it, but I feel like I need to get my teeth into something more substantial to impress recruiters.
Am also happy to work for peanuts for a bit if someone is willing to take a chance on me.

The trouble doesn't seem to be lack of jobs, there seem to be lots advertised, its the competition I'm up against for them