Bench time

[suityou01]

Try this:

I've been masturbating like a safari park chimp has there been a recession?

[norrahe]

I didn't seem to have any problems with the 8 months bench time i had last year.
Current client never asked about it.

Though it was 3 months intentional (travel, courses etc..), then the credit crunch kicked in and contracts fell through.

[Jog On]

Then, finally, that I wasn't yet ready to go full steam ahead with Plan A but needed more ready cash, so I wanted another contract, and that was why I was there (remember: contracts are always Plan B).

YMMV

This

[RSoles]

Only ever had a problem with clearance for a bank.
Agency were looking for gaps in employment, treated bench time as such even though I was still a director of 'RSoles Ltd.'.
No such problems from MoD.

[kaiser78]

Did any of you who were on the bench for several weeks/months and successfully secured a new contract get asked about your time on the bench by agents and/or at interview?

If so, what did you say?

For example, where you questioned about why you were on the bench for so long or are agents/hirers being 'sympathetic' due to the fact we are in a recession.

My concern, in the first instance, is if agents are using the bench time as an initial filter to reject CV's for roles or if hirers are doing so if the CV does eventually get submitted by the agent.

Just be honest - there is / has been a recession on - roles are hard to come by.

[OwlHoot]

Had a phone interview today. They never raised the issue. Mind you, I have trimmed the benchtime down by 50% on my cv.

Nomadd

Good luck, and don't be too surprised or despondent if they ponce you around for a week or two before committing themselves.

[nomadd]

Did any of you who were on the bench for several weeks/months and successfully secured a new contract get asked about your time on the bench by agents and/or at interview?

If so, what did you say?

For example, where you questioned about why you were on the bench for so long or are agents/hirers being 'sympathetic' due to the fact we are in a recession.

My concern, in the first instance, is if agents are using the bench time as an initial filter to reject CV's for roles or if hirers are doing so if the CV does eventually get submitted by the agent.

Had a phone interview today. They never raised the issue. Mind you, I have trimmed the benchtime down by 50% on my cv.

Nomadd

[dozer]

couple of roles i went for they were very interested, said i was studying, holidays and volunteer work (all true).

the role i actually secured never even questioned it.

[gingerjedi]

Try this:

I've been out of the country building an orphanage in Cambodia for the last 18 months, has there been a recession?

[DS23]

i said i was out of contract.

[NickFitz]

I basically said that:

I'd taken a couple of months off because I just wanted some time to relax at home after spending a year staying four nights a week in a hotel.

Then I'd devoted some time to researching a load of stuff that I never had time to get into fully whilst on contract, with an eye to Plan A.

Then, finally, that I wasn't yet ready to go full steam ahead with Plan A but needed more ready cash, so I wanted another contract, and that was why I was there (remember: contracts are always Plan B).

YMMV

[Clippy]

Did any of you who were on the bench for several weeks/months and successfully secured a new contract get asked about your time on the bench by agents and/or at interview?

If so, what did you say?

For example, where you questioned about why you were on the bench for so long or are agents/hirers being 'sympathetic' due to the fact we are in a recession.

My concern, in the first instance, is if agents are using the bench time as an initial filter to reject CV's for roles or if hirers are doing so if the CV does eventually get submitted by the agent.