Reply to: What's happening?

[Wanderer]

Contractors don't apply for jobs.

Eh? How do they find jobs then?

[CheeseSlice]

Contractors don't apply for jobs.

I apply for jobs that happen to be contracts rather than permanent employment.

[SueEllen]

There is something very disingenuous about your posts.

Not everyone on here is an experienced contractor, or has other contractors as family and friends to talk to. This means they get worried about things that don't bother other people.

Oh and if you want a long thread about looking for roles there is one by Richard Cranium......

[helpFul]

Dear all,
I've been applying for jobs for 2 weeks now. I got a few calls on day1 and day 2. Sent my cv and have confirmation that it's sent to the client(s). It's with 4 clients now and it's been sitting there for about 8 working days with no feedback.... This is quite unusual for me since my last 2 roles happened within a few days of applying and I had feedback and interviews in 48 hrs. I was always told things happen fast in contracting world...

Can I pls ask you to share your experiences? How long did you wait to hear back from the client? Am I missing something here?

You say you have been "applying for jobs"? You "have confirmation" that your cv has been sent to clients?

This is a contractors' forum. Contractors don't apply for jobs. Who exactly confirmed that your c.v. has been sent to clients? An agent?

Yes, you are missing something: you are assuming that because you have submitted your c.v. - presumably to an agency - it has concomitantly been submitted to a client.

There is something very disingenuous about your posts.

[SuPaStA]

My main skill-set is network/security and I have to say the market seems good. I accepted one role about 3 weeks back and since then I have turned down 3 interviews, plus rejected numerous perm calls (as per usual).

Good Luck to everyone looking for their next contract.

[nomadd]

One of the callers asked me how do I see the market. I told her that I have an interview coming up, and that I am getting more calls now in October. MISTAKE, she cut the call short and told me she will call next week.

Always give a generic reply: "Oh, the market's ticking along, you know.."

And if asked if you have any interviews lined-up, always a firm: "No, not yet. Waiting to see what comes along, you know..."

[istvan]

I enjoy reading this thread as well. It helps to hear from others how they see the market. This is why I am adding my 2 cents here (ok that might be a US euphemism).

I kept aplying on jobserve and three other sites every day for two months. At times I had 20 applications pending; on average always had 5-10. Some good matches, some not so good. August was dead. September: one call, agent misunderstood a keyword. The company name is not equivalent to a skill. So that was a short call.

Then came October. Last week I had a call and I am going to an interview today. Yesterday I got two more calls. Wow!

One of the callers asked me how do I see the market. I told her that I have an interview coming up, and that I am getting more calls now in October. MISTAKE, she cut the call short and told me she will call next week. Bummer! If I get the contract then fine. If I do not, that is not a good start with her. I learned something yesterday.

One of the positions is outside of the UK. One of them is near London. Actually I would prefer the later. I reside in the EU, but not in UK. I am not a "bob", so I am not taking cut rate, I will wait for the right opportunity.

Anyways, this is how market is treating me....

[bluedrop]

This thread has been very very helpful. Thanks everyone for the inputs. Much appreciated. Keep them coming !

[lukemg]

Fire and forget, get interested when you get a call back.

[GillsMan]

That the client has your CV but in reality, you have not yet gone past the agent's boundaries.

Remember to always ask for confirmation that you CV has indeed been sent over. In most cases, you will surprised to not get any reply which should make you believe that your CV has still not been forward to the client and you could happily have talks with other agents for the same role and the client.

Cheers

That is very good advice. In fact, when an agency asks me to email them to confirm they have exclusivity on my CV for this role (i.e. I won't apply for the same role via another agency), I always make it conditional upon them confirming that the CV has been received by the client.

[skipjack]

Please remember that if an agency tells you that your CV has been sent over, doesn't necessarily mean true.
I always believe that if an agent seeks consent for representation from 10 candidates. Then s/he only sends the best 3 from the 10. If an interview request is made from the 3, the application progresses and may result in an offer for the lucky one from the 3. ROLE FILLED without your CV been looked into by the client.

However, if the client wants more CVs to look, the agent then sends a further list of 3 candidates to the client from his/her list of 10.
Just image if you are at the 7th position in the list of 10? You will happily assume that the client has your CV but in reality, you have not yet gone past the agent's boundaries.

Remember to always ask for confirmation that you CV has indeed been sent over. In most cases, you will surprised to not get any reply which should make you believe that your CV has still not been forward to the client and you could happily have talks with other agents for the same role and the client.

Cheers

[alreadypacked]

Thank you Im doing it.

It also depends on the time of year, in the UK busy time is when projects usualy kick off in April.
Hope you have a warchest, because if you don't get something soon, you may not get anything until mid January.

[bluedrop]

Keep applying for roles, nothing is concrete til the contract is signed, and even then........

oh yeah and did I say, keep applying for other roles.

Thank you Im doing it.

[Scrag Meister]

Its not unusual for most of us for it to be a couple of weeks or more. Took a month from offer to starting for my current role and that was a return to a previous client co.

Nothing wrong with a quick call to check with the agent what the state of play is, nice to have it clear in your mind or forgotten if necessary.

Keep applying for roles, nothing is concrete til the contract is signed, and even then........

oh yeah and did I say, keep applying for other roles.

[northernladuk]

What happened at your last 2 clients isn't enough to be basing what 'should' be happening.

However long your CV has been at a client you should have forgotten it by now and continued to apply. You would be a fool to stop and wait just for one client.

There are no hard and fast rules here, you are going to have to apply a bit of common sense and deal with each situation individually. Some cases you will be interviwed and on site in 3 days, in others the client may be having problems and could be waiting weeks. There is always the situation where your client has rejected you and no one has told you which is also pretty common.

Don't put any weight on the fact your client has your CV. Until you sign a contract you have absolutely nothing. Keep appyling.

When you have had 20+ agents say client has your CV and you still haven't had an interview then and only then do you need to start worrying. It's no easy ride contracting.