Reply to: Do Long-Term contracts look good on your CV?

[northernladuk]

I've had repeated business from some of my old clients.
With gaps, but it spans 6 years now, I dare say it only says good things about how they value my business, it also forms a very nice B2B relationship.

but this is a wholly different situation as you have gaps.

[yasockie]

I've had repeated business from some of my old clients.
With gaps, but it spans 6 years now, I dare say it only says good things about how they value my business, it also forms a very nice B2B relationship.

[chineseJohn]

I would be very worried about long term assignments with a client that has a headcount freeze on. They can't take on permies so they take on contractors to fill the spots permies would be in if they can recruit..... Doesn't look good at all that.

It was a strange place but I agree not great on the IR35 front. They sort of became dependant on contractors. They tried to convert a load of them over to permie, some declined but a few did go for it. I declined on the attempt to convert me, they said they would recruit a permie to fill my position, I was fine with it. 3 years later I was still there. I think my position is now a permie.

[northernladuk]

Yeap it was 6 years. Couldn't complain I managed to get about 5 business trips abroad with the place

I think I had 3 months initial, 6 months, then a load of 12 month extensions ending in a 3 month one. Then I left on my own accord.

Though mine wasn't very long at this place. One colleague clocked up 19 years before going perm. he would have gone perm 2-3 years sooner but there was a headcount freeze, so he continued contracting.

I would be very worried about long term assignments with a client that has a headcount freeze on. They can't take on permies so they take on contractors to fill the spots permies would be in if they can recruit..... Doesn't look good at all that.

I struggle to be treated like and act like a business after 3 years let alone 6. Have to be pretty exceptional set of contracts and evidence to argue against disguised permie with those numbers IMO. Possible but the longer the time the harder it becomes.

[chineseJohn]

6YEARS contracting with a Single gig?hmmmmmmmm

Yeap it was 6 years. Couldn't complain I managed to get about 5 business trips abroad with the place

I think I had 3 months initial, 6 months, then a load of 12 month extensions ending in a 3 month one. Then I left on my own accord.

Though mine wasn't very long at this place. One colleague clocked up 19 years before going perm. he would have gone perm 2-3 years sooner but there was a headcount freeze, so he continued contracting.

[d000hg]

Extensions/renewals would suggest to any client that you were delivering. So I'd focus on that rather than the duration aspect, and especially on times you returned to a former client.

[Troll]

"What happens if it fails?"

• Throw more tin at it
• Beat the DBA up
• Blame it on transient network slowdowns

Seem to be the stock answers - any more?

[AnthonyQuinn]

Just completed a year at good old radders (I think a congrats is in order NLUK).

I have another 6 months which will take me up to December.

Is this something that future clientcos will see as a good thing and will it help me get future gigs?

More often than not, yes. It looks good to have long contracts. Whether that's what the clients SHOULD BE looking at I don't know. But they do consider it favorably in my experience.

[rurffy]

I've been fortunate to have had some very good runs of contracts since I started in 2000.

I've had 1yr, 1m, 6.5yrs, 2.5yrs contracts with a 3yr perm in between one of those stints.

Some agents will say
- oh you've had some good contracts
- I see you've had a few permanent jobs

Some I swear don't believe I've been a contractor at all ...


you just can't win to be honest.

6YEARS contracting with a Single gig?hmmmmmmmm

[chineseJohn]

You're damn if you do and damned if you're not

I've been fortunate to have had some very good runs of contracts since I started in 2000.

I've had 1yr, 1m, 6.5yrs, 2.5yrs contracts with a 3yr perm in between one of those stints.

Some agents will say
- oh you've had some good contracts
- I see you've had a few permanent jobs

Some I swear don't believe I've been a contractor at all ...

you just can't win to be honest.

[TheFaQQer]

What happens if performance sucks?

You stop testing, then nothing has failed.

At least that's how a number of large government project I know of did it

[GB9]

I am not likely to bother interviewing someone that is in a trade that should be full of 12 month roles when they keep leaving in the first three months....

I tend to agree, although it does depend upon the skill set. A couple of 3 monthers here and there isn't an issue, but if there were to be few / no longer termers I would be wary. Even on contracts I have hated I have managed to last at least 6 months before moving on.

And as for performance testing, a week at the end should be adequate for a standalone task because PT is something that should be on-going throughout the development process. You can't just do it for 3 months at the end. What happens if performance sucks? You would need to rebuild from scratch. PT should be something that happens by default on all products, from the design onwards.

[bobspud]

This kind of mind-set is just how permanent minded people think in my opinion.

You tend to judge on personal experiences, and I know software is different to infrastructure in some ways. My personal mode of operation is one man land and expand. That means I get in the door, do the job they have asked me to do. With that role underway and mostly complete I find a dozen or more other issues that they also need to solve. Then I offer to help them with their pain. As a result I tend to get blocks of one year or two years at the same client but that time is actually split into several different renewals for many different projects. So when I am building a team and I see someone with a related core skill that went to a client and for instance designed an ESX environment then left three months later. I think "Wow. This guy missed a whole stream of how can I help you optimise your environment or plan your migration or rationalise your licensing issues... " That generally means two things either the candidate does not think about joining up the dots of their skills to help the wider client or The client didn't like the contractor enough to offer the extra juicy stuff around the edges... And having seen plenty of guys not get a renewal at 3 months for exactly both of those reasons, I am not likely to bother interviewing someone that is in a trade that should be full of 12 month roles when they keep leaving in the first three months....

[bobspud]

How long does performance testing take?

That answer really depends how bad the code and offshore mob are thats making the changes. in 2007 I took on a short "design some Solaris systems for me please" gig at a client that was using Cap to write their java app to sit on top of it. Long story short the design work took 3 months including implementation. then I spent a whole year trying miserably contain Cap Gemini while they did their level best to destroy the environment security so that their off shore team did not have to learn how to programme properly...

I think you have espoused the benefits of short contracts before and from a troubleshooting high day rate low utilisation model, I agree. But I think in that situation your CV needs to shine out as a different service offering rather than looking like you get a 3 month gig then move on. Because that is the CV that rings alarm bells like Tranceporter has said.

[curtis]

Completely agree with NLUK. We are contractors at the end of the day we are a flexible workforce, we are brought in to do some work for a certain time whether that be a year, 3 months or 2 days.

Only having short contracts on your CV does not show 'a problem' and agents and clients and even (strangely) some contractors that have this mind-set should really understand why we are here and what we are used for. This kind of mind-set is just how permanent minded people think in my opinion.