Reply to: Tips on being one step ahead of agencies

[malvolio]

I think it's because I work in very niche markets with agents that spend most, if not all, of their time in that market. It's also very much reputation based, it's a rare company that I go to that I don't have at least a couple of second degree LinkedIn contacts either working with or for me. If you're a known-good contractor then the agencies love you as you're an easy sell.

...and it helps to work in a small corner. I know a few people with fairly niche skills (obscure languages, complex areas of derivatives trading, proper capacity management and planning, whatever), and they are always the ones who never have a problem getting work, pick and choose their agents, always have people on the phone asking them if they're free, can dictate rates and terms and locations and can afford to turn work away if they don't fancy it all that much. Oddly enough they're the same ones that can't understand that 98% of contractors don't have that freedom.

[craig1]

I've never had more than one contract from an agent and I've wondered why that is as I generally get extensions on contracts. Just the way of the world I guess...

I think it's because I work in very niche markets with agents that spend most, if not all, of their time in that market. It's also very much reputation based, it's a rare company that I go to that I don't have at least a couple of second degree LinkedIn contacts either working with or for me. If you're a known-good contractor then the agencies love you as you're an easy sell.

[cojak]

Good contractors build relationships with good agents. This is much like the old-boys network that others rely on. If an agent knows that you're very reliable, never walk mid-contract, don't mess them around and have a sellable CV then you'll be quite high up their contact list when a suitable role comes in. If you have the best CV on the market with the best skills and experience but are a complete pain for the agency to work with then you're quite likely to be on their last resort, desperation list, if not on their "do not contact" list.

I have four agents that I have great relationships with, one in particular has been a great source of work for over a decade now. I regularly get calls from them about roles as soon as they know and long before anything has been formalised, no rate, no details beyond a headline role, to see if I'm free, interested and what rate I think the job is worth. That way they can go into meetings with the client, show them my anonymised CV and say "for £x p/d you can get someone like this" then show them others across a band of experience. Some contractors shy away from that sort of thing but it's got me nice work at some impressive rates because I'm essentially in the first meeting with agency and client, setting my rate before they've even thought about it rather than having to fit into pre-defined rate bands.

I've never had more than one contract from an agent and I've wondered why that is as I generally get extensions on contracts. Just the way of the world I guess...

[bless 'em all]

• what your daily rate is, state a number 25%-33% higher than you'd accept.

Cooo I dint fink a dat!

Do you really expect you could EVER get enough contractors to agree to an approach where agents have to beg to represent us? Even if you thought you had, I can promise you the first call from a agent to someone on the bench would have your plan in tatters.

There's no 'us' in 'contractor'

[Runs With Scissors]

Erm ... me! Why wouldn't I?

+1 Guilty as charged yer honour

[MyUserName]

Who is stupid enough to put their current contract on LinkedIn, even if you don't friend any agencies on there, whats to say they don't sell on their information to other companies ?

Erm ... me! Why wouldn't I?

[amcdonald]

Can be made null and void if you have sent them a linkedin (public) profile which shows current gig (if not on bench).

qh

Who is stupid enough to put their current contract on LinkedIn, even if you don't friend any agencies on there, whats to say they don't sell on their information to other companies ?

[evilagent]

I would like to discuss ways to deal with agencies when they call you about contract jobs.

When they ask you:

• what your daily rate is, state a number 25%-33% higher than you'd accept.
• what your daily rate was at your last gig, inflate it by 25-33% to match the above.
• for your CV, refuse until you get to know where the job is and job spec. Then post your CV to them directly.
• where you are currently working, refuse to answer
• whether you are currently working, refuse to answer except to say there is a 2 week notice period
• if you've been put forward anywhere else, refuse to specify
• whether you know anyone else, refuse to help

Gunning for a high rate is your prerogative.

Perfectly acceptable for you to refuse to send a CV. Chances are, unless you have a good relationship with the agent, they are not going to trust you to tell you the clientco. Your manner would indicate you come across a tad angry to any agent on the phone.

You are entirely within your rights not to say where you currently are.
Actually, you shouldn't tell any agent where else you are interviewing.

The one most important tip to remove agents from the picture is to keep networking whilst working.
By the time a gig is advertised, chances are several weeks, if not a few months may have gone whilst talking to a clientco about requirements, etc.
Waiting until a contract as ended is too late to start looking.

You should effectively be looking all the time.

[craig1]

(snip)
They are not your enemy, bunch of monkies, waste of space. They are part of the process we have to deal with it so instead of fighting it, appreciate how they work and just deal with it. I would hazard a guess that at least one agent has picked up on your attitude towards them which can't do any good for you.

Good contractors build relationships with good agents. This is much like the old-boys network that others rely on. If an agent knows that you're very reliable, never walk mid-contract, don't mess them around and have a sellable CV then you'll be quite high up their contact list when a suitable role comes in. If you have the best CV on the market with the best skills and experience but are a complete pain for the agency to work with then you're quite likely to be on their last resort, desperation list, if not on their "do not contact" list.

I have four agents that I have great relationships with, one in particular has been a great source of work for over a decade now. I regularly get calls from them about roles as soon as they know and long before anything has been formalised, no rate, no details beyond a headline role, to see if I'm free, interested and what rate I think the job is worth. That way they can go into meetings with the client, show them my anonymised CV and say "for £x p/d you can get someone like this" then show them others across a band of experience. Some contractors shy away from that sort of thing but it's got me nice work at some impressive rates because I'm essentially in the first meeting with agency and client, setting my rate before they've even thought about it rather than having to fit into pre-defined rate bands.

[quackhandle]

I would like to discuss ways to deal with agencies when they call you about contract jobs.

When they ask you:

• what your daily rate is, state a number 25%-33% higher than you'd accept.
• what your daily rate was at your last gig, inflate it by 25-33% to match the above.
• for your CV, refuse until you get to know where the job is and job spec. Then post your CV to them directly.
  
• where you are currently working, refuse to answer
• whether you are currently working, refuse to answer except to say there is a 2 week notice period
• if you've been put forward anywhere else, refuse to specify
• whether you know anyone else, refuse to help

Can be made null and void if you have sent them a linkedin (public) profile which shows current gig (if not on bench).

qh

[CheeseSlice]

I would like to discuss ways to deal with agencies when they call you about contract jobs.

When they ask you:

• what your daily rate is, state a number 25%-33% higher than you'd accept.
• what your daily rate was at your last gig, inflate it by 25-33% to match the above.
• for your CV, refuse until you get to know where the job is and job spec. Then post your CV to them directly.
• where you are currently working, refuse to answer
• whether you are currently working, refuse to answer except to say there is a 2 week notice period
• if you've been put forward anywhere else, refuse to specify
• whether you know anyone else, refuse to help

Nah, for a start if the agent has called you first, they probably have a copy of your CV from Jobserve or similar. I think this would only really work if you're using one of those 'candidate profiles' instead of a searchable CV. Then, assuming you're implying bypassing the agent, who are you going to send your CV to at clientco? where are you going to get the email address or telephone number? The individuals who are hiring for a role are not necessarily going through HR channels.

[northernladuk]

As Malvolio said, it's all about supply and demand. While you are mucking them about they'll come to us, negotiate as usual and strike a deal.

And you will hate them even more.

FTFY

[cojak]

Yet you can't articulate why. If contractors took that approach then agencies would have to sell themselves to us, begging us to allow them to represent us exclusively at particular clients.

As Malvolio said, it's all about supply and demand. While you are mucking them about they'll come to us, negotiate as usual and strike a deal.

And you will wonder why they don't come back to you.

[malvolio]

Yet you can't articulate why. If contractors took that approach then agencies would have to sell themselves to us, begging us to allow them to represent us exclusively at particular clients.

OK, I'll explain it in words you might understand.

In reality contractors bring nothing to the table in commercial terms, we are merely the grunts who do the job. The client has the funding and the agency has financed the effort necessary to find the requirement and supply a suitable (not the most suitable, note) candidate from a wide pool of potential suppliers. As a result the agency works exclusively for the client: the contractor is a necessary nuisance of no more real importance than the guy that services the coffee machine in the office.. From then on it's a case of maximising income from expenditure, which is how business in general works. None of which should be a surprise.

If you haven't yet figured out that you are a commodity supplier, not God's Gift to the IT industry (that's me, anyway) then you are in the wrong job. As has been said, it's the way the industry works, it is worth £27bn a year to the agencies and isn't about to change. Live with it.

[masonryan]

Because it's a bloody stupid idea?

Yet you can't articulate why. If contractors took that approach then agencies would have to sell themselves to us, begging us to allow them to represent us exclusively at particular clients.