Reply to: Need a job...

[expat]

Good luck Expat.


Milan.

Hmm, know of any Siebel contracts in the Czech Republic?

[milanbenes]

Good luck Expat.


Milan.

[OwlHoot]

.. If your CV says working knowledge of PHP you will come up in a pimps search for PHP. ClientCo will know you are not an expert, but can talk around the subject pretty well. If the gig needs someone with solid c sharp and any php a bonus, your cv is nearer the top of the pile..

But the piles these days must be pretty high. I'd say if your CV doesn't show that you've recently ate slept and breathed every one of the essential skills *and* (at some time in the last year or two) all the desirable skills, you'll have no chance.

[EternalOptimist]

The good thing about going permie is, if you use an agent, they will try to get you as much as possible. As a contractor, they try to get you as little as possible. It would be so nice to like the b@stards for a change

[expat]

Check the job ads, take a sample of say 20 and list all of the buzzwords. Then make darn sure your CV lists them. If your CV says working knowledge of PHP you will come up in a pimps search for PHP. ClientCo will know you are not an expert, but can talk around the subject pretty well. If the gig needs someone with solid c sharp and any php a bonus, your cv is nearer the top of the pile.

Thanks for all the effort and thought.

That is a great point that you have there. There are contracts out there, getting past the gatekeepers is the big problem ISTM. I have to confess that my CV is a bit of a hangover from the good times, when I trimmed it a bit to avoid too many calls for non-core skills. Now the point is to avoid falling at the first hurdle: as you say, not to blag a core skill that I don't have, but to come up on the searches so that I at least get to the people who are able to decide whether what I have is good enough.

As I said, that's what I'm concentrating on: reading up on the peripheral skills linked to my core skills, that may be in the "nice to have" list that will decide who goes through.

[suityou01]

Don't want to be a pessimist but I don't think you can train yourself in SAP at home and then get contracts in it. I am doing what I can, reading up on related areas to my existing skill area, so as not to get tripped up by "must also have xxxxx" that know I can do but don't have on my squeaky-clean 100% honest (even self-deprecating) CV.

A squeaky clean CV ... you are one of the few. I do respect that. My CV is virtually fact as well.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/saptraining/videos/2/

SAPCOOKBOOK

For example. If you are a code monkey, do some of the free brainbench tests. When you pass you can put them on your CV as industry recognised qualifications.

Check the job ads, take a sample of say 20 and list all of the buzzwords. Then make darn sure your CV lists them. If your CV says working knowledge of PHP you will come up in a pimps search for PHP. ClientCo will know you are not an expert, but can talk around the subject pretty well. If the gig needs someone with solid c sharp and any php a bonus, your cv is nearer the top of the pile.

Also, make a list of everyone you ever worked or contracted for. Then expand this list to everyone they know. Then call them up. This is a good couple of weeks work that could yield something.

Are there any networking breakfasts in your area. Get a suit on and go to one and do a powerpoint presentation of you companies skills and offerings. A few local gigs tinkering with firewalls could provide some much needed cash.

Contact the local college to see if you can teach, or assist in teaching. Marking homework for example, lending a hand in workshops.

Bung an ad in the local rag offering IT Training, in your field of expertise.

Just a few of the many things you could do to survive the downturn.

Good luck mate. All the best.

[suityou01]

You may have missed your calling as an agent.

Utter bastard!

[expat]

...
FFS reskill on the bench and get a gig that pays if you can sit on your arse for 6 months. Get into SAP, Cloud computing,BPM,MS Dynamics, whatever.
Get some bar work to prevent warchest depletion. Train train train. Now!

Don't want to be a pessimist but I don't think you can train yourself in SAP at home and then get contracts in it. I am doing what I can, reading up on related areas to my existing skill area, so as not to get tripped up by "must also have xxxxx" that know I can do but don't have on my squeaky-clean 100% honest (even self-deprecating) CV.

[cupidstunt]

Plunder the available job ads to find out what is in vogue that most closely matches your skills, then post a bogus job ad on jobserve or linked in and get some cvs to see what the competition is doing. Then create a masterpiece of bulltulip cv and send it into the job ads.

You may have missed your calling as an agent.

[suityou01]

Nice try... but how many people would send out their CVs not knowing what agency is yours and who the hell are you if you don't send websites and company references ...

A lot. People are getting desperate.

HTH

[Francko]

...then post a bogus job ad on jobserve ...

Nice try... but how many people would send out their CVs not knowing what agency is yours and who the hell are you if you don't send websites and company references ...

[suityou01]

Can you feed the other 49 999?

Do I have to answer this?

[suityou01]

Very flexible. Will work anywhere in Europe and a few places outside it. Will even take contract that won't quite pay the bills, because (low rate) + (slow warchest depletion) will last a lot longer than (fast warchest depletion).

Thanks for the concern, but I believe that there must be plenty of contractors worse off. I can hold out till the end of the year (only this year unfortunately).

OK. Typical CUK response would be far to predictable. If Sasguru spots this thread then all hell will break loose.

<Toned down response>
FFS reskill on the bench and get a gig that pays if you can sit on your arse for 6 months. Get into SAP, Cloud computing,BPM,MS Dynamics, whatever.
Get some bar work to prevent warchest depletion. Train train train. Now!
</Toned down response>

A good arse kicking is sometimes what is needed. Plunder the available job ads to find out what is in vogue that most closely matches your skills, then post a bogus job ad on jobserve or linked in and get some cvs to see what the competition is doing. Then create a masterpiece of bulltulip cv and send it into the job ads. This combined with your rapid training curve.

Raise your game Expat, and survive. You can do this mate.

Truly HTH

[cupidstunt]

Not for you. You can starve. HTH.

Can you feed the other 49 999?

[OwlHoot]

Very flexible. Will work anywhere in Europe and a few places outside it. Will even take contract that won't quite pay the bills, because (low rate) + (slow warchest depletion) will last a lot longer than (fast warchest depletion).

Thanks for the concern, but I believe that there must be plenty of contractors worse off. I can hold out till the end of the year (only this year unfortunately).

The whole year?! Some of us could barely hold out for a couple of months, without giving up booze and fags.