Reply to: Getting past time off

[Clever Hans]

Ha, i assume you are a skier?

No, but I bow to no man or woman on Tiddlywinks.

[JoJoGabor]

I agree with almost all that and other earlier points, I get irritated when people imply there are 'legitimate' reasons for time off as well.

If you are paying your way when you are off and can do the job when you are working, who gives a stuff whether you sit on your arse for 6 months or 'renovate property'?

Just one point though, you are deluding yourself - most nerds I know go snowboarding, its difficult to think of a more nerdy sport.

Ha, i assume you are a skier?

[badger7579]

I once had to interview a guy (when I was permie) regarding a permie role for 1st/2nd line support.

On his CV he had a gap of about 2 years and I asked why there was a gap and what he had been doing.

His answer was "I was trying to become a rock star" He had a band and they had been trying to make it big. When it eventually didn’t he decided to pursue an IT career.

He was hired.

[Clever Hans]

Here here, Time off is the main reason I contract and I aim to take a total of 3 months off every year and still earn more than i ever did as a permie.

When kids come along I hope to actually see them grow up. I have had several gaps on my cv due to travelling and never had a problem with it, and know for a fact i have secured at leats one contract, because i had done a snowboarding season, and the hiring manager didnt want another nerd!

If a hiring manager had a problem with my gaps, I doubt i would want to work with him anyway

I agree with almost all that and other earlier points, I get irritated when people imply there are 'legitimate' reasons for time off as well.

If you are paying your way when you are off and can do the job when you are working, who gives a stuff whether you sit on your arse for 6 months or 'renovate property'?

Just one point though, you are deluding yourself - most nerds I know go snowboarding, its difficult to think of a more nerdy sport.

[JoJoGabor]

I wouldn't bother meeting her again, she's talking crap.

I take 6 months out every few years and have no problems getting back into the swing of things. In fact, I've had interviewers telling me how lucky I am and how they wish they could do it. I've never lied or made things up on my CV to cover the gap.

To the OP, you should go back to all your previous contacts and see if they have a need for contractors...

Here here, Time off is the main reason I contract and I aim to take a total of 3 months off every year and still earn more than i ever did as a permie.

When kids come along I hope to actually see them grow up. I have had several gaps on my cv due to travelling and never had a problem with it, and know for a fact i have secured at leats one contract, because i had done a snowboarding season, and the hiring manager didnt want another nerd!

If a hiring manager had a problem with my gaps, I doubt i would want to work with him anyway

[ratewhore]

She advised that anything over three months is difficult for her to argue or get past her clients.

I wouldn't bother meeting her again, she's talking crap.

I take 6 months out every few years and have no problems getting back into the swing of things. In fact, I've had interviewers telling me how lucky I am and how they wish they could do it. I've never lied or made things up on my CV to cover the gap.

To the OP, you should go back to all your previous contacts and see if they have a need for contractors...

[nomadd]

..he had:

-contract (month year - month year)
-unemployed (month year - month year)
-contract
-unemployed

and so on for nearly 15 years worth of contracts. First thing that draws the agent's attention is the "unemployed" and duration.

And as we all know, a contractor is never unemployed.

As you say, crazy thing to put on a c.v.

[craig1]

Agents that do this piss me off and I give them a sharp shrift if they question the gaps in my CV (and there are many). Mostly I'm just taking time off, sometimes I'm unemployed and doing a bit of travel, study, DIY or to help out at home when my kids were young and my wife was unwell.

Usually when they ask about them in a negative way they are testing you to see what your reaction is (I always joke that, no I wasn't in jail). Really the only problem is envy in my opinion. Many fathers would love to have the opportunity that you have had but they are stuck in the grind of not seeing their kids from 8am to 7:00pm every day (or worse).

You just need to have a spiel to cover for what you've been doing. Alternatively you can write up the gap as director of "Beep Consulting Limited", even if you weren't doing any work for end clients during that time. Spin it to sound like you are a business person rather than a permietractor.

I know one very well regarded female project manager who does a similar thing. She's had four kids over the last decade but you'd never know from her CV. Her CV simply lists her current role as "Director, (Her Ltd Co)" with a list of contracts done underneath. The CV looks good with impressive niche projects that gets her snapped up very quickly and she's never been questioned once about the four years in total she's taken off for maternity.

The CV is your first-up sales pitch, you'd never see any other business putting negative items on sales pitches so why do some contractors? I had to recruit a bunch of developers a few years ago and one very good candidate struggled to get through the agency because he had:

-contract (month year - month year)
-unemployed (month year - month year)
-contract
-unemployed

and so on for nearly 15 years worth of contracts. First thing that draws the agent's attention is the "unemployed" and duration.

[Green Mango]

The presumption there is that not taking a break would have somehow improved his skills? Often I find the opposite; by sitting on the same client site, day in, day out, you get stuck in a skillset rut. I've seen that happen to so many people over the years.

Most - all? - of what I've learnt over my contracting career has been self-taught. And most of that training has been done between contracts; I simply don't get the time to study to the detailed level I like to study to whilst I'm on a job. Sure, if you sit on your backside for 6 months between contracts then you deserve all you get, but if you mix a little learning in with that - say 2-3 months, then I've found it all works out fine. In interviews, I've always found the feedback to be very positive from the people I've explained my learning approach to. I can't say a break from work has ever done me any harm, and in fact has done me a lot of good. I just have to remember to not nag myself about the "lost income".

Yes spending a lot of time in the same contract is a real risk of you skills getting into a rut.

I've got nothing against taking a break and all well and good if you improve your skills set.

However, this chap who worked 6 months and took six months off, was spending all his cash reserves and not retraining, so great fun while it lasts, but then maybe you're in a bit of a fix financially at the end of it.

I've been on the odd training course, but I have mostly learn't on the job and tried to be more flexible in roles taken to keep in work.

[PropertyCrashUK]

I got back into contracting after having a near 2 year break no problem. OK I had to lower my rate expectations a little but so what, 80% of something is better than 100% of nothing.

But, it does piss me off all this break nonsense. If I want to take time out, I do. I dont see any reason why I should explain this to anyone, clients, agents or whoever.

Well said.

[nomadd]

I think it all depends on your skill set. I remember on one contract I worked with a chap who'd work six month and take six months off.

A great life style, but what happens when your skill set gets out of date as his had.

The presumption there is that not taking a break would have somehow improved his skills? Often I find the opposite; by sitting on the same client site, day in, day out, you get stuck in a skillset rut. I've seen that happen to so many people over the years.

Most - all? - of what I've learnt over my contracting career has been self-taught. And most of that training has been done between contracts; I simply don't get the time to study to the detailed level I like to study to whilst I'm on a job. Sure, if you sit on your backside for 6 months between contracts then you deserve all you get, but if you mix a little learning in with that - say 2-3 months, then I've found it all works out fine. In interviews, I've always found the feedback to be very positive from the people I've explained my learning approach to. I can't say a break from work has ever done me any harm, and in fact has done me a lot of good. I just have to remember to not nag myself about the "lost income".

[Green Mango]

I got back into contracting after having a near 2 year break no problem. OK I had to lower my rate expectations a little but so what, 80% of something is better than 100% of nothing.

But, it does piss me off all this break nonsense. If I want to take time out, I do. I dont see any reason why I should explain this to anyone, clients, agents or whoever.

I think it all depends on your skill set. I remember on one contract I worked with a chap who'd work six month and take six months off.

A great life style, but what happens when your skill set gets out of date as his had.

I knew one guy who got a contract after 3 years on the bench. He pissed off HR on the areospace site he was working on and it took him a long time to get back.

Agree a break should not put of clients or agents nor should your age, but they sometimes do.

[BolshieBastard]

I got back into contracting after having a near 2 year break no problem. OK I had to lower my rate expectations a little but so what, 80% of something is better than 100% of nothing.

But, it does piss me off all this break nonsense. If I want to take time out, I do. I dont see any reason why I should explain this to anyone, clients, agents or whoever.

[Wanderer]

Now we'd like to switch roles but agents don't want to know. A guy from Harvey Nash was very keen on me this morning for a BP role (where I've worked before), but upon seeing my time off he suddenly decides he's filled his allocation and just wanted to chat in case another role comes up......

Agents that do this piss me off and I give them a sharp shrift if they question the gaps in my CV (and there are many). Mostly I'm just taking time off, sometimes I'm unemployed and doing a bit of travel, study, DIY or to help out at home when my kids were young and my wife was unwell.

Usually when they ask about them in a negative way they are testing you to see what your reaction is (I always joke that, no I wasn't in jail). Really the only problem is envy in my opinion. Many fathers would love to have the opportunity that you have had but they are stuck in the grind of not seeing their kids from 8am to 7:00pm every day (or worse).

You just need to have a spiel to cover for what you've been doing. Alternatively you can write up the gap as director of "Beep Consulting Limited", even if you weren't doing any work for end clients during that time. Spin it to sound like you are a business person rather than a permietractor.

[TestMangler]

WHS except make it Project Managing a refurb... Still includes many of the fundamentals if you word it right and an interview will likely touch on it and move onto more relevant info.

I would use a bit of caution with that approach. I did a PM role for a boatbuilder for 6 months and it caused me no end of trouble when going back to banking. Had to take it off CV and put a 6 month gap in there instead ! Seriously !