Reply to: Cover stories for time out

[xchaotic]

If you are going to travel and maybe intend to blog about it, why not just put:
a) Director of MyCo LTd
b) indepentend travel reporter for myroundtheworldtravel.com?

[TopNotch]

In all honesty I suspect the vast majority of people have 'exagerated' their experiance and skills on their C.V. I have recruited a number of people over the years and as I am familiar with the industry so its not difficult for me to weed out those C.V.s which look suspect before I call them for an interview.

The current market conditions may be causing peeps to doubt their own self-worth which is understandable, and agents (the muppets that they are) saying 'your experiance is not recent' could enhance that opinion but adding expertise or experiance on a CV could leave you open to having your contract terminated if the truth ever got out. And if you only managed to secure that contract after some time on the bench then you really need to consider is it really worth it?

At the end of the day if you are able to pass a technical test of the skills you profess to have then you have no reason to 'embellish' your details with inaccuracies and falsehoods.

All IMHO

[northernrampage]

it does look like the agents have a problem with it as another agency called about the same role I applied for this morning just now but I said I have been put forward already

but he called the company to check and said that I haven't been put forward!

I went back to the first agency and they said they have put me forward

the second agency will call me back a bit later

the last thing I need is agencies messing me around!

Agencies sometimes say that they will put you forward to CV block as they have put enough candidates forward for a role, and they don't want to risk you maybe being put forward by another agency.

Re. gaps I had a big gap in my CV, some agencies cared, others didn't. Looking back on it, it's like trying to find a partner, don't take it personally, some like you, other don't, and it can be for all sorts of reasons. It's hard when you're out of work not to get hacked off though, but it's probably best to shrug it off.

I had one agency tell me it would be a "long hard, climb back up" after I'd had 18 mths off. I complained about the agent who said this as it had upset me as I thought it was an unnecessary comment (and untrue). The next day someone called me from the same agency and said "I have a great job for you". It was the same job his colleague had blown me out for. He then said "Oh, we've spoken to you already". My notes obviously said I'd been ranting at the team manager the day before about his recruitment agent's comment

It's somewhat arbitrary and not worth getting too worried about. A gap is fine as long as you can interview and keep up your confidence (I couldn't, which was my problem before I got my recent contract). Yes, there may be someone who looks more suited, but keep trying and you will get a chance. Employers do interview a few people, you will probably get there if you keep trying.

[FICO]

It's teh agents who have a problem with it.

I have only once been asked in an interview after a long gap what I was doing for that period.

it does look like the agents have a problem with it as another agency called about the same role I applied for this morning just now but I said I have been put forward already

but he called the company to check and said that I haven't been put forward!

I went back to the first agency and they said they have put me forward

the second agency will call me back a bit later

the last thing I need is agencies messing me around!

[norrahe]

It's teh agents who have a problem with it.

I have only once been asked in an interviewafter a long gap what I was doing for that period.

[FICO]

Likewise. I've taken three career breaks of 6 months to a year off.

I'm always positive about these breaks, travelling, house renovation, study, taking a break due to help someone out who is unwell have all been reasons. If I haven't worked for a while I always make it plain that I've done what I needed to do, learned some new skills and I'm now highly motivated to get back into my chosen career path.

If anyone asks about what I've been doing then I'm more than happy to discuss it with them, it gets away from the hard core techie part of the interview and let's you connect with the interviewer and find some common interests. I always steer it back to how this is going to ultimately benefit my career, like a big DIY project that taught me a lot about project management, budgeting and negotiation etc.

I've heard that some employers don't like seeing career breaks. I have been fortunate to be able to take them and I've loved it. I'm not going to work my life away until I reach 65 and then drop dead. If they can't handle that then it's their problem.

some good points in this post.

I've just been put forward for a role and the agent has asked me to put together some extra points in an email to tell him what I've done in my gap to keep my IT skills fresh

[Sockpuppet]

Why not just say you went travelling. Lots of people do it and they're not going to expect you to go all hippy mental on them.

[TheFaQQer]

I've heard that some employers don't like seeing career breaks. I have been fortunate to be able to take them and I've loved it. I'm not going to work my life away until I reach 65 and then drop dead. If they can't handle that then it's their problem.

Generally, it's the agents that don't like to see a career break - but you need them to get the CV to the client in the first place.

I had 7 months out last year / this year - some voluntary, some not. By the end, some agents were saying that this long time off would be a problem to some people (but obviously not to them, or they wouldn't have mentioned it )

[norrahe]

Some of us take time off for valid reasons as mentioned by several posters.

As long as you are open and honest about it and put a positive spin it works to your advantage.

[Wanderer]

Longest break I took was 4 months 1.5 years ago and when asked I simply said, "I went on a trip and travelled cross-country". When clients and agencies alike ask me about this we get into great conversations about where it is I went and what I did. No need to lie.

Likewise. I've taken three career breaks of 6 months to a year off.

I'm always positive about these breaks, travelling, house renovation, study, taking a break due to help someone out who is unwell have all been reasons. If I haven't worked for a while I always make it plain that I've done what I needed to do, learned some new skills and I'm now highly motivated to get back into my chosen career path.

If anyone asks about what I've been doing then I'm more than happy to discuss it with them, it gets away from the hard core techie part of the interview and let's you connect with the interviewer and find some common interests. I always steer it back to how this is going to ultimately benefit my career, like a big DIY project that taught me a lot about project management, budgeting and negotiation etc.

I've heard that some employers don't like seeing career breaks. I have been fortunate to be able to take them and I've loved it. I'm not going to work my life away until I reach 65 and then drop dead. If they can't handle that then it's their problem.

[HairyArsedBloke]

How about:

Interviewer: I see from your CV that you have not worked in a while. In fact there is a patchy history of working. How do you explain that?


Interviewee: I have no need to work continuously. I have a modest lifestyle that is easily funded by only working a proportion of the time. This allows me to devote a greater proportion of my time attending to my family and social responsibilities. It also allows me time to engage in my personal spiritual development and to enhance my technical skills even further.

[Peter Loew]

This is insane.

Longest break I took was 4 months 1.5 years ago and when asked I simply said, "I went on a trip and travelled cross-country". When clients and agencies alike ask me about this we get into great conversations about where it is I went and what I did. No need to lie.

I got into this contracting business so I COULD take such trips with a pocketful of cash.. work-life balance. I'll be damned if I let some pimps or idiotic clients take that away from me as well.

One year off does seem a bit excessive, but same principal applies if you don't work.

[shoes]

The company exists, will give you that. Did you work for them?? Come on.. mucking about on laptops, getting certs. No way on gods earth is that you working for a company. You delivered nothing to the company, you were not asked to do anything

........

How you can compare that to an actual gig leaves me lost for words.

Most of my gigs have been like that. A consultant keeping their skills up to date whilst not racking up the billable hours is working for their company just as much as a consultant on a client site with the meter running. It's not a lie to regard this period on a consultants profile as continuing to work for the company. You have quite the permie mindset, it's quite sweet really.

[SuperZ]

Tell clients/pimps to stop being stupid, we're self-employed contractors not permies and periods without work or of extended holidays is the norm.

What a world we live in where we fear being judged suitable for contract work on whether gaps exist in a CV or not.

[northernladuk]

It's not lying and frankly I'm a little bit hurt by that.

The company exists, I worked for them for a year, I worked on projects on technologies X,Y and Z and now I have moved on and am looking for other work.

Now I don't reveal that the company is just a shell that I own or that the projects were just me mucking about on a laptop and getting the certs while on a beach but the company has a strict privacy policy (I decided) so would be unlikely to reveal that.

How is that different from an IT services company hiring me, sticking me on some training classes and in a lab with a book for 3 months then pimping me out as an expert on technology X for large amounts of money to end clients? That happens a lot in business I've done it personally myself and as long as you can deliver it works well.

I'm not saying I'd ever neccesarily do anything like this but I'd rather get a bit unconventional with the truth then never have the freedom to take some time off and still earn money on my return.

My god. I am probably being trolled now so won't rise to it but your tenuous grasp on what is mildly truthful and an outright lie are staggering. I am glad you are not one of my friends with that spin on everything.

The company exists, will give you that. Did you work for them?? Come on.. mucking about on laptops, getting certs. No way on gods earth is that you working for a company. You delivered nothing to the company, you were not asked to do anything, there is no formal contract. Nothing. It is a lie. You did not ever work for this fake company.

How you can compare that to an actual gig leaves me lost for words. IMO you really need to sit down and have a think about what you are doing. You say you won't do this but you have put an awful lot of time and effort in to convincing yourself it will work. Are you really prepared to go to these levels and put your contracting career at risk when other options are available?