I am a contractor and take on assignments for periods of three or six months, and sometimes for a year.
I have 15 years of experience in the technical field I work in and many references, but for the first time ever I am having trouble finding a new contract.
I’ve been hunting since October and I know this is the quietest time to find a new job, but I’ve gotten a job this time of year before – and it seems like hundreds of us now go for the same job.
I’m starting to panic slightly. My resume is pretty simple, in that it does everything a conventional resume does, but does that leave me behind? Should I do anything to spruce it up for 2024 and beyond?
What can I do to stand out from the crowd and get an interview in what appears to be a very competitive market?
The labor market in the technology sector is very competitive. How can I increase my chances? Dave Fishwick answers
Dave Fishwick, This Is Money’s business doctor, responds: I have employed many people over the years in many of my businesses ranging from real estate, vehicles, investments, banking and much more.
But the people who especially stand out are the ones who knock on my office door asking for a job. They then tell me what they can bring to the party and how they can help my company improve sales, efficiency and productivity.
Over the years I have often given them a chance. There is no substitute for knocking on the door.
I am not an expert in the IT industry. But I do speak to people who are. The past two years have been exceptional for many professions, including the IT sector. The legacy of shutting down the economy during the pandemic meant there was still a lot of catching up to do.
A colossal stimulus campaign with borrowed money from the government flooded the economy. As a result of clearing supply chain delays, a large backlog of overdue goods arrived in the country during a hectic year.
All these goods had to be sold, and companies had to increase advertising expenditures to deal with the large inventories.
All of these things stimulated a boom in many sectors, including retail, manufacturing, and transportation.
Since IT provides services for all these sectors, it is no surprise that it followed the same trend. What you see now can be seen as a hangover from this.
Hopefully, things will level out over the next year or so. The question for you is how you can best survive this dry period.
You might consider becoming formally self-employed and bidding for work directly from the end customer, rather than contracting for companies that sell their services to those customers.
I recommend reaching a wider audience and sending your details to as many potential employers or clients as possible. There will be plenty of work for you somewhere, but finding it may take more time, effort and a lot of knocking.
I’m not sure what area of IT you specialize in, but as I’m sure you know, there are websites that match people who need technical services with IT professionals.
This type of ‘gig work’ can be a temporary solution, even if it’s not the longer-term route you’d like to take.
It can be a good idea to use this silent spell to update and expand your skills, and I know cybersecurity is a growing area with a lot of work to do. Someone I know just started a great new job in cybersecurity sales.
It may be necessary to adjust expectations for the time being if the sector is going through a difficult period.
An important point to make here is that it is much easier to find a better job while you are employed than it is to find one when you are unemployed.
I think a CV will always be an essential tool in finding permanent work or contracts, but with gig work I am told that recent experiences and examples of work recently completed are great to include.
I also recommend that you talk to colleagues and friends in the industry, show them your resume and ask for their feedback.
Most importantly, knock on some doors and tell them: Dave sent you! Good luck.