An Agency's View

[jamesbrown]

No thanks. I always take slightly less money for more interesting work and to ensure I have somewhere else to move on to....

As for effort - you mean you want me to actually do some work - next....

Slightly less. Indeed. Now to your PM....

[MrMarkyMark]

It's not really down to the applications, it's understanding the client, their business and their market. I've worked on a global deployment for a massive pharma, went PS for a gig and back on a global deployment. The PS gig has added very little to me to help me get the global gig. No way would someone that's only got years of small gov work be able to jump in to a large complex business model. In one gig I own it all, the next each element has dedicated teams. That is why they want the experience.

There is also the business culture. A pure PS contractor simply will not understand an investment banking culture where every pound spent most return 1.50 or it gets canned. Your bum on seat permatractor will not be able to deliver.

Widely held incorrect view, especially in past years gone.

Agreed it is getting more the case now, still the amount of wastage and idiocy I have seen in IB, in the past, is really quite staggering.
And I'm talking about 100's of millions.

[northernladuk]

Widely held incorrect view, especially in past years gone.

Agreed it is getting more the case now, still the amount of wastage and idiocy I have seen in IB, in the past, is really quite staggering.
And I'm talking about 100's of millions.

Indeed and am sure there are plenty of people that have made the transition. It's a generalisation to try make the point why clients look for previous experience and why it's important to them.

[Agent]

In answer to your question, yes we're avoiding hiring from the PS. But this has always been the case (for our private sector clients), it's not new.

There is the perception that a career PS contractor won't transition well into private sector and with the market as it is, clients don't need to risk it so why would they.

[MrMarkyMark]

Indeed and am sure there are plenty of people that have made the transition. It's a generalisation to try make the point why clients look for previous experience and why it's important to them.

As far as working on something Global, large scale, where you own and run the show and I have done just the same, is the energy and balls required for such roles.

Sometimes, in my line, the roles also don't pay much more.
Still, might take one again next time around, as if you can show past experience and success you can jump back in, as you have.

[NotAllThere]

Didn't realise that different business areas are using some special versions of hardware and software, making your experience irrelevant to other business areas...

Gotta love the "Financial services experience is a must" at the bottom of the ads, they love to think they are special, while actually running one of the sh&%iest IT infrastructures out there.

To get into one my current clients it's almost essential that you've already worked for them.

The only generalisation I'd make about contractors who have been around for a while is that they're all pretty thick skinned and mercenary buggers. They do what pays the most, for the least effort Enjoying the work is a bonus.

[SueEllen]

Yep...current gig (finishes next week thankfully) is at a University and I only realised this week that it's considered PS. That's two PS gigs I have on my CV now, the last one being in 2005. Does that make me a PS contractor?

Yeah a career one.

I've done 3 PS gigs.

[malvolio]

Widely held incorrect view, especially in past years gone.

Agreed it is getting more the case now, still the amount of wastage and idiocy I have seen in IB, in the past, is really quite staggering.
And I'm talking about 100's of millions.

The natural consequence of only hiring fro a small gene pool, and so recycling old ideas rather than seeing new ones.

Exact same issue with SC-cleared contracts, come to that. With much the same results

[MrMarkyMark]

The natural consequence of only hiring fro a small gene pool, and so recycling old ideas rather than seeing new ones.

Exact same issue with SC-cleared contracts, come to that. With much the same results

Yep, they wouldn't even look at me until I was recommended into an IB, just for 3 monther.

Once I was, in a large percentage of previous no gos, the doors were suddenly wide open

[bobspud]

In answer to your question, yes we're avoiding hiring from the PS. But this has always been the case (for our private sector clients), it's not new.

There is the perception that a career PS contractor won't transition well into private sector and with the market as it is, clients don't need to risk it so why would they.

It works both ways. Ex bankers never do well in public contracts. They are far too desperate to JFDI rather than take their time to understand matters and work through the process.

I bounce in and out of Public Sector roles as I see fit and I would say that the PS guys are far better at architecture than most of the private sector clients these days.