Trying to find a new contract!

[nomadd]

[I] paid £300 to get my CV done professionally and not got a single interview to show for it.

You, sir, are the richest - or daftest - contractor I have ever met. I would have done you cv "professionally" for £200. Next time, phone me.

EDIT: The last time I needed to re-vamp my cv was a year ago, as I hadn't given it a "doing over" in 10 years. I simply posted a request on here about how other people had gone about it and got back a stack of brilliant replies within 24 hours. CV revamped and contract landed within a month. Grand total: £0.00. There are people around here who are prepared to help, but you do have to ask first.

[Mr.Whippy]

Unfortunately there is no notice period in my contract which means I am locked in for another 3 months.

Substitution clause.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

The market is excellent at the moment.

Did you manage to get any interviews?

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Ah so the rose tinted spectacles you had one when first asking us for advice are not looking so rosey anymore hey. Fancy that! Welcome to the real world we tried so hard to make you see.

Maybe you didn't read my post properly, I am very happy with the decision I made to move into contracting. It has meant financial security that a permie job would never give as well as meeting other contractors and learning a lot about contracting itself.

Accept the extension and keep looking.

Unfortunately there is no notice period in my contract which means I am locked in for another 3 months. By that time it will be November and I don't think it will be any easier finding a contract then.

[swamp]

The market is excellent at the moment.

[northernladuk]

Ah so the rose tinted spectacles you had one when first asking us for advice are not looking so rosey anymore hey. Fancy that! Welcome to the real world we tried so hard to make you see.

[Fred Bloggs]

WHS

And remember, only permies get deskilled 'cos they never go back to their technical role in the company. Your next contract will put you back in the tecnical driving seat

WSS!

[SueEllen]

.

I have applied to 100 roles, paid £300 to get my CV done professionally and not got a single interview to show for it.

You do realise people can tell when you haven't done your CV yourself?

[Support Monkey]

BolshieBastard;1176520]What a piece of condescending tulipe. And only 70 posts, too!

so explain to me why as a contractor would i be concerned about people in a company backstabbing, the role is singular to me i have been taken on to deliver a peice of work\project, i turn up do said peice of work and go home, might get in a few heated meetings but again as long as i do my bit and stand my corner why am i going to get concerned about it, same with the nature of the organisation, big company little company again i am not sure how this impacts on my doing the job i have been brought in to do

No they aren't actually. In 13 years of contracting, I've only ever had one job where the PM expected 70+ hours a week out of you. I politely declined. Being a contractor isnt synonomous with working tulip long hours. That's what permie's do to crawl up the career ladder. Perhaps more contractors need to start time managing themselves better?

so we all clock in at 9 and clock off at 5 do we, as a business we generally do what it takes and ok I am not going to do 70 hours a week either but if the job requires it i will turn up early or finish late, your right contractors need to manage themselves better and as a business it up to us to negotiate the terms of the contract and if its going over what is reasonably expected i would be looking to renegotiate for the extra time not start griping about it on some forum because i had to finish at 8 instead of 6, and in my lowly 5 years i have never come across a company that would not come to some arrangement over extra hours worked.

Again, condescendingly written although I agree with the general point. But hey, how many companies engage an advertising agency to 'sell' them? Not much difference in reality, is it?

if i was Coca Cola i would get an advertising agency in as well but it just me, if you cannot write down on a peice of paper who you are and what you do how are you going to talk to them when your face to face in an interview, perhaps you could pay your CV writer to come into the interview with you to come up with some witty remark or comment about the contract you had 3 years ago or infact just send the CV writer into the interview (check the substitution clause in the contract)

There is enough free material and advise out there without having to part with a days wages for some one to write it down neatly for you

Thats 71

[cojak]

Stop moaning and accept the extension would be my advice. Then if anything comes up just bin the current gig, nothing to lose if you really don't like it and a better job comes along. In the meantime, you're working and thousands out there aren't so lucky.

WHS

And remember, only permies get deskilled 'cos they never go back to their technical role in the company. Your next contract will put you back in the tecnical driving seat

[Fred Bloggs]

Stop moaning and accept the extension would be my advice. Then if anything comes up just bin the current gig, nothing to lose if you really don't like it and a better job comes along. In the meantime, you're working and thousands out there aren't so lucky.

[BolshieBastard]

sorry i thought this site was for contractors?? if your a contractor what have the people and nature of the organisation got to do with you, your being paid to do a job, go in and do it and leave the rest for the permies to worry about.

What a piece of condescending tulipe. And only 70 posts, too!

They normally are, if you want 9 to 5 you need to look at your carear choice

No they aren't actually. In 13 years of contracting, I've only ever had one job where the PM expected 70+ hours a week out of you. I politely declined.

Being a contractor isnt synonomous with working tulip long hours. That's what permie's do to crawl up the career ladder. Perhaps more contractors need to start time managing themselves better?

so lets just get this straight you paid money to someone you did not know to write a document explaining who you are and what you do, the only person who can sell you is you, so what makes you think somone else can put that into writing better than you can.

Again, condescendingly written although I agree with the general point. But hey, how many companies engage an advertising agency to 'sell' them? Not much difference in reality, is it?

yes the market is that bad, so again take the extension and keep looking

About the only sensibly part of your reply to the OP. Yes the market is tight but it depends where you are prepared to work and an individual's specialism.

The OP is going to be hard pushed to find and secure a new role in 10 days time so his best bet is to sign up and take the extension.

[Support Monkey]

QUOTE=NorthWestPerm2Contr;1176509 The hours are long, the people are backstabbers and the work is awful. I am effectively being de-skilled because of the backwards nature of this organisation

sorry i thought this site was for contractors?? if your a contractor what have the people and nature of the organisation got to do with you, your being paid to do a job, go in and do it and leave the rest for the permies to worry about.

The hours are long

They normally are, if you want 9 to 5 you need to look at your carear choice

paid £300 to get my CV done professionally

so lets just get this straight you paid money to someone you did not know to write a document explaining who you are and what you do, the only person who can sell you is you, so what makes you think somone else can put that into writing better than you can.

yes the market is that bad, so again take the extension and keep looking

[SofaKingdom]

The hours are long, the people are backstabbers and the work is awful. I am effectively being de-skilled because of the backwards nature of this organisation.

You didn't think contractors got all the cushy interesting stuff did you?

Any advice on what to do here?

Accept the extension and keep looking.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Ok guys started my first contract in Feb, really happy I went into contracting, now done 6 months and been offered another 3 months. However I am dying to get out of this place. The hours are long, the people are backstabbers and the work is awful. I am effectively being de-skilled because of the backwards nature of this organisation.

I have applied to 100 roles, paid £300 to get my CV done professionally and not got a single interview to show for it. Got 10 days before I have to click accept on the contract. I am applying everywhere and anywhere, from Scotland to Ireland to London. Is the market that bad? Any advice on what to do here?