Reply to: Got an interview tomorrow

[Ardesco]

If it is on the contract just sign it an accept it. I have profited from this in the past. One the contract is signed it is legally binding and you can expect to be paid it.

assuming an 8 hour day and a 20% commision from the agent they may well have whacked the rate up to earn an extra £11 a day as agencies on PSL will be on a fixed percentage so the only way to increase thier take home is increase your rate.

[MPwannadecentincome]

Well the interview was after all an informal chat with not much structure, however I did try to bring real world examples of what I had done in that past and this went down well.

I got offered this afternoon and have accepted, contract to follow in the post. I am new to this forum, and didn't know whether to post that I got the job or not, but I figured from other posts that this indicates that if I got off the bench then other contractors see that things are picking up. I have been benched for a fair while, and am quite relieved.

Good one - hope it all works out!

[Fred Bloggs]

Wel done, it is ususal for bolkes sat next to each other to be on different rates. I sometimes judge how far to push a rate negotiation by arguing until the agent/client says "OK then but keep that to yourself". ofcourse, they could be double bluffing when they say that, but it's all part of the game. Sometimes I find I am really on a higher rate than others, sometimes not.

[suityou01]

In these days of fixed margins and procurement policies there could be all sorts of reasons for the £7 difference.

One of course is that it's an accident, and you won't get it after all.

Others are that the agent is on a fixed percentage and has argued your rate up so that he gets an extra 70p; or that the client has decided to adopt a policy of paying £X+7 for whatever it is you do, and are too lethargic to change it.

anyway, good on you,

tl

Thunderlizard

thanks, thunderlizard good advice.

Bogeyman

I just googled what a troll is. I am not. Although I just learned a forum slang term, so that's a plus. If you post something like "I don't think you'd like my advice" to someone who is looking for advice, is that not inflammatory? That according to wikipaedia is the definition of a troll from what I read.

[bogeyman]

In these days of fixed margins and procurement policies there could be all sorts of reasons for the £7 difference.

One of course is that it's an accident, and you won't get it after all.

Others are that the agent is on a fixed percentage and has argued your rate up so that he gets an extra 70p; or that the client has decided to adopt a policy of paying £X+7 for whatever it is you do, and are too lethargic to change it.

anyway, good on you,

tl

Don't. It's a troll.

[thunderlizard]

Rates mixup

In these days of fixed margins and procurement policies there could be all sorts of reasons for the £7 difference.

One of course is that it's an accident, and you won't get it after all.

Others are that the agent is on a fixed percentage and has argued your rate up so that he gets an extra 70p; or that the client has decided to adopt a policy of paying £X+7 for whatever it is you do, and are too lethargic to change it.

anyway, good on you,

tl

[suityou01]

I don't think you would like my advice.

Thanks for your help. All the best.

[bogeyman]

Cool, did you get a chance to read the part about the rates mixup? Any advice?

I don't think you would like my advice.

[suityou01]

Oh fine will re-read previous post

Cool, did you get a chance to read the part about the rates mixup? Any advice?

[bogeyman]

Thanks dude. Already been offered. Please re-read previous post.

Oh fine will re-read previous post

[suityou01]

Good luck.

Let us know how you got on.

Thanks dude. Already been offered. Please re-read previous post.

[bogeyman]

Good luck.

Let us know how you got on.

[suityou01]

Well the interview was after all an informal chat with not much structure, however I did try to bring real world examples of what I had done in that past and this went down well.

I got offered this afternoon and have accepted, contract to follow in the post. I am new to this forum, and didn't know whether to post that I got the job or not, but I figured from other posts that this indicates that if I got off the bench then other contractors see that things are picking up. I have been benched for a fair while, and am quite relieved.

I agreed a rate of X with the agency in principal before the interview, and then when I rang him after the interview to give feedback he mentioned the rate, and I said we should finalise details IF I got offered. He agreed and that was that.

When he rang this afternoon with the offer, soon after the congratulatory comments had died down, he pitched straight in with the aforementioned rate, which I ok'd.

He said he would email through the details, and he has, but the rate in his email is X+£7 /hr more. Clearly a mistake, and as one other contractor got hired today to do the same job my guess is he is on £7 more an hour than me. That's business I guess.

I replied to his email saying this was more than we discussed, but was happy to accept the new higher rate.

This is rather an interesting situation about to play out on Monday. Has anyone else had this?

Also, one of my other contractor friends who has also been benched since November also found her way back in this week, so I really think the trend is things are picking up, despite what the BBC say.

[Liability]

I can tell you now the questions will be

"describe to me when you have...."

It will be around how you have dealt with things in the past, how you can demonstrate your tranferable skills, and basically putting you in a position where you have to reel out examples of the said key words in their questions.

HR may be in on the interview and they will be ticking or crossing the check boxes.

Good luck!

[suityou01]

Seems to me that this has been the best week for CUK'ers getting off the bench for quite a few weeks - maybe a couple of months.

Interesting...

Oh, and good luck. Knock 'em dead!

Thanks. Yes I think things will look up. As a wise forum member stated the other day, there are far more companies using IT than in the last recession. There is only so long industry can dwindle their resources down, then they will need to make things happen in 09, and that means IT. I do hope this week is the start of an improvement.