Having trouble getting a contract.....what am i doing wrong?

[Allanv]

MadDad said:

Allanv said:

I picked one up in December but it was not as billed and changed constantly, great company but I didn't feel comfortable.

Left it on Tuesday and landed another today.

Bristol seems to be vibrant at the moment and also Swindon / Reading. actually Gloucester and any MOD site.

What line of business are you in? I am not far from Reading and aside from some quite specialist roles (finance, pharma) things seem quite slow. I am beginning to wonder if it's the way I am using the job boards as I am really not throwing up many new jobs each day!

Global Infrastructure Engineer, one of the last places was Pharma. Original contract 3 months and stayed for 2.9 years.
The last was Service provider and the new is marketing.

Run around the world doing what I do best. What is your field?

Forgot to add this is in my home town well 16 miles from my home but a welcome desk job, the contract is 8 weeks and is the first time I have been grounded.

It works for me nicely and I will give the client what they want in time and on time.

Edited by Allanv on Friday 16th January 20:49

[MadDad]

IT based/related (generic) project management encompassing business change, service delivery and interim team management (sometimes off-shoring, development, deployment, or re-structuring). Through the recession I had no issue finding work with a generic skills and experience portfolio, now I am finding that companies want a PM who can also act as a technical architect, business analyst, and who have a deep specialist technical knowledge in XYZ technology!

[AdamR]

I'm due to leave the military shortly and certainly considering trying my hand at Contracting within Cyber/Info Sec. My main worry is not being able to get a contract once I've left, considering I've no contracting experience!

[98elise]

AdamR said:

I'm due to leave the military shortly and certainly considering trying my hand at Contracting within Cyber/Info Sec. My main worry is not being able to get a contract once I've left, considering I've no contracting experience!

You don't need contracting experience. Contracting is just the legal relationship between you and the client. The is no real difference in the work, its just that its not a permenant job.

To be a contractor you need to be happy that you may be out of work regularly, and suddenly. It pays well, but you need to get into the mindset that you must have a financial buffer to cover holiday/sickness/being out of work etc.

You also need to be sure that you get work easily when your contract ends.

[MadDad]

98elise said:

AdamR said:

I'm due to leave the military shortly and certainly considering trying my hand at Contracting within Cyber/Info Sec. My main worry is not being able to get a contract once I've left, considering I've no contracting experience!

You don't need contracting experience. Contracting is just the legal relationship between you and the client. The is no real difference in the work, its just that its not a permenant job.

To be a contractor you need to be happy that you may be out of work regularly, and suddenly. It pays well, but you need to get into the mindset that you must have a financial buffer to cover holiday/sickness/being out of work etc.

You also need to be sure that you get work easily when your contract ends.

Totally agree with all of the above. Once you are in, generally speaking you are in - manage your network of contacts and there will usually always be able to turn something up, might not be ideal or the money you would like but generally speaking you will find work. My issue is that I took a year out (on my financial buffer) and let my network go cold, I am working on trying to find a new contract through old contacts at the moment but it is simply the wrong time of year!

[DJRC]

Cyber/Info Sec/Pen testing...you will pretty much never be out of work. Ignore what the usual IT monkeys tell you, if you do what I think you do then its a different ball game. Name your price job!

[FrankAbagnale]

DJRC said:

Cyber/Info Sec/Pen testing...you will pretty much never be out of work. Ignore what the usual IT monkeys tell you, if you do what I think you do then its a different ball game. Name your price job!

Agree with this, especially with the security clearances. Those contractors were liked gold dust on silly money when I was in the game.

[AdamR]

Thanks guys, very reassuring. I'd be quite willing to travel a little so would be happy anywhere in the South East incl London. Hopefully that'll open up a lot more to me.

[Pit Pony]

98elise said:

but you need to get into the mindset that you must have a financial buffer to cover holiday/sickness/being out of work etc.

When I started I had a buffer of 3 months pay, and I ran a spreadsheet, updated weekly as to how long my buffer would or could last. Currently it's standing at 3 years, but from the end of the last contract to when I get paid for this next one, (due to one having weekly invoicing and the other not, plus an actual work free gap of 6 weeks, making the gap about 12 weeks), that buffer will have dropped about £8K.

[supertouring]

FrankAbagnale said:

filled with white text with their skill - for example, "C++ C++ C++ C++ C++ C++" in white text so invisible to the naked eye

I used to put the text "If you find this text claim £10 from the author" in white in my technical specs.

No one ever claimed their money.

[pherlopolus]

Well, I have had an offer, but my clearance needs transferring and I don't have a start date (or contract yet).

Am I mean to keep interviewing?

[Allanv]

pherlopolus said:

Well, I have had an offer, but my clearance needs transferring and I don't have a start date (or contract yet).

Am I mean to keep interviewing?

I would say yes keep looking, without the contract nothing is set in stone.

[AndStilliRise]

Still out of work....beginning to get to me now a little.

Its been 3 mths now and although i am getting positive feedback from interviews still cannt seem to get a contract. Starting to get worried!

[AndStilliRise]

Bump

[pherlopolus]

Nov/Dec were effectively dead time for me, I've started counting from the beginning of January now....

[Allanv]

AndStilliRise said:

Still out of work....beginning to get to me now a little.

Its been 3 mths now and although i am getting positive feedback from interviews still cannt seem to get a contract. Starting to get worried!

I couldn't see if you posted what field you are in?

[zippy3x]

AndStilliRise said:

Still out of work....beginning to get to me now a little.

Its been 3 mths now and although i am getting positive feedback from interviews still cannt seem to get a contract. Starting to get worried!

Where are you based, and how far are you prepared to travel?

I also do WPF and outside of banking, there's definitely less contracts kicking about.

[AndStilliRise]

Allanv said:

AndStilliRise said:

Still out of work....beginning to get to me now a little.

Its been 3 mths now and although i am getting positive feedback from interviews still cannt seem to get a contract. Starting to get worried!

I couldn't see if you posted what field you are in?

I am a developer working with Microsoft Tech.

EPIServer
C#
SQL
WPF/WCF
Agile

12 yrs experience

[pherlopolus]

I had an interview today for an SA role (I do Infrastructure/EUC amongst other things), it was painfully obvious during the first 5 mins that they were looking for an SA who could deal with SQL/Data warehousing/data assurance - I have zero experience, not even enough to bluff. I explained the issue had a bit of a laugh, and was out the door within 10 mins with them promising to be in touch if they needed an infrastructure guy in the future.

Never a dull moment!

[AndStilliRise]

pherlopolus said:

I had an interview today for an SA role (I do Infrastructure/EUC amongst other things), it was painfully obvious during the first 5 mins that they were looking for an SA who could deal with SQL/Data warehousing/data assurance - I have zero experience, not even enough to bluff. I explained the issue had a bit of a laugh, and was out the door within 10 mins with them promising to be in touch if they needed an infrastructure guy in the future.

Never a dull moment!

Yep had one of those before. What gave it away was the interviewer was doodling on my cv.