Reply to: Best strategy for getting a contract?

[SussexSeagull]

I think a lot of people think there is a silver bullet for getting a new contract but I tend to find making sure the CV is a fair representation of yourself (although the days of a killer CV getting you in the door have long gone, hitting the job sites, dealing with (mostly) time wasting phone calls, tapping any contacts and working LinkedIn eventually pays dividends if rinsed and repeated enough times.

Market conditions and the need for your skillset are the main factors, IMHO.

[gabox01]

If you don't get a gig before the warchest runs out you might be thankful for them for sending permie roles.....

Thanks, my warchest is in good condition.
I have received at leat 50 permie offers so far, so i think it's more than enough.

[eek]

Yes, just wanted to get rid of permie calls.



It's a good idea, but then it looks like i'm chasing something, and I don't really want to chase, but want to be chased by recruiters.

No it doesn't it by ringing an agent it means that you confirm you CV will have been seen by the agent. It means that you are no longer bottom of the pile and also shows that you are proactive which is what agents want contractors to be.... Then make sure you know why

And if you want an excuse just say that you believe Jobserve is playing up and want to ensure they have received it.

[northernladuk]

If you don't get a gig before the warchest runs out you might be thankful for them for sending permie roles.....

[TheFaQQer]

Yes, just wanted to get rid of permie calls.

You'd be better off just handling the calls by explaining politely that you are looking for contract work - they may cover both areas and bear you in mind if something suitable comes up.

It's a good idea, but then it looks like i'm chasing something, and I don't really want to chase, but want to be chased by recruiters.

If you don't want to chase, then don't chase. But don't moan that you aren't getting anywhere if you are expecting agents to chase you when they have plenty of other fish in the sea to haul in.

[TheFaQQer]

Yeah, it's not the content i'm primarily interested in, but rather the structure, and general presentation of the CV. Could be that something is wrong here as mine looks pretty much like a permie CV minus the hobbies section.

Some posters here have offered in the past to have a look at CVs and see what they think of them. DodgyAgent offered to do it at one stage, but if you aren't in his recruitment area then you probably won't get a response back.

There are professional CV review services available, but I'd steer well clear of them. If you have been claiming JSA for a while, then some Job Centres will provide CV writing help - RichardCranium had a good workshop that helped him out, but you'd need to make sure that the person you are dealing with understands the work that you do.

Some friendly agents might do a review - I've had a couple pass comment on mine and I've made some minor tweaks based on that.

Ask some successful contractors that you know if they wouldn't mind having a look over your CV - one project I did a few years back three of us swapped CVs and reviewed wording, style and content (or lack) between us to see how that helped.

There are ways of finding out if you are on the right track, you just have to see which one works best for you.

[gabox01]

If your CV states you are looking for contract work then it IS bad.

Your CV should be about what you can offer, not what you want.

If you're applying for a contract role, then that in itself is notification that you're looking for contract work. If you're contacting agents about potential roles, then that's when you have an introductory splurb in your email or via initial telephone conversation that will inform them that you're looking for contract work.

Yes, just wanted to get rid of permie calls.

If I see a role on a jobsite that, on the face of it, looks a good match for me and I hear nothing about my application, then I follow it up with a phone call. Always get a role id if there is one and the name of the recruiter in the ad. Find out from them why they haven't contacted you. You'll soon work out what the score is.

It's a good idea, but then it looks like i'm chasing something, and I don't really want to chase, but want to be chased by recruiters.

[gabox01]

I think its a descendant of Oak but I'm showing my age and initial background there (interactive consoles and set-top boxes).

As for the requests to see my CV, sorry but it won't help you so there is little point. My career has been backwards because I like to code, so while I've been a PM and an architect and can do either jobs I prefer to be a code monkey. It also means its heavily business focussed with stock phrases like ensuring £xm project was delivered on time or saved £ym a year by identifying and automating additional processes.

Yeah, it's not the content i'm primarily interested in, but rather the structure, and general presentation of the CV. Could be that something is wrong here as mine looks pretty much like a permie CV minus the hobbies section.

As I've just learned, agents don't have the mental capacity to parse the content of a CV, but they are might be aware of presentation

[TheFaQQer]

I'm being facetious, because writing Java as all-uppercase - JAVA - implies it's an acronym, and is generally done by recruiters.

Just Another Vacuous Agent

[JRCT]

Hmm, I would be curious to take a look at your CV.
I thought mine is not so bad, but who knows...

If your CV states you are looking for contract work then it IS bad.

Your CV should be about what you can offer, not what you want.

If you're applying for a contract role, then that in itself is notification that you're looking for contract work. If you're contacting agents about potential roles, then that's when you have an introductory splurb in your email or via initial telephone conversation that will inform them that you're looking for contract work.

If I see a role on a jobsite that, on the face of it, looks a good match for me and I hear nothing about my application, then I follow it up with a phone call. Always get a role id if there is one and the name of the recruiter in the ad. Find out from them why they haven't contacted you. You'll soon work out what the score is.

[riffpie]

I think its a descendant of Oak but I'm showing my age and initial background there (interactive consoles and set-top boxes).

I'm being facetious, because writing Java as all-uppercase - JAVA - implies it's an acronym, and is generally done by recruiters.

[eek]

What's JAVA? Is it related to Java?

I think its a descendant of Oak but I'm showing my age and initial background there (interactive consoles and set-top boxes).

As for the requests to see my CV, sorry but it won't help you so there is little point. My career has been backwards because I like to code, so while I've been a PM and an architect and can do either jobs I prefer to be a code monkey. It also means its heavily business focussed with stock phrases like ensuring £xm project was delivered on time or saved £ym a year by identifying and automating additional processes.

[riffpie]

If I could do 600 from 633, you could call me God

I'm only competent in the JAVA field, so let's say that's about 15% of the daily 600.
Also, not every JAVA job matches my skills, only about 10% of all the JAVA jobs, because JAVA is a huge topic.

What's JAVA? Is it related to Java?

[DigitalUser]

I'm having the impression that you a have a pretty low opinion of agents...

Be in the contracting game long enough, and your opinion of them will drop too.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[gabox01]

Unless things have changed in the past year I don't think the letter makes any difference. I send my CV with stock letter and get a phone call within 30 minutes.

It may be that my CV is very good but I always get past the first stage...

Hmm, I would be curious to take a look at your CV.
I thought mine is not so bad, but who knows...