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Bob McIlree said it all in this BBS posting! I wanted to share some memories of the last severe downturn in our industry (late 80s/early 90s) in terms of some tips for dealing with brokers in this type of environment, particularly if you've been on the bench awhile and need to work. We've talked about various elements I touch on below on the board in the past, but I thought folks would be interested in seeing them in one place given the current economic climate. I'm not going to make a distinction between W-2 and IC status here - try to work with what is comfortable for you and your needs. 1. Obviously, the resume should be up-to-date in Word and text formats. If you've been on the bench for an extended period of time (months or more), leave off the dates of the gigs or use years only. Your goal initially is to generate responses - if they ask for specifics later, give them, but you want face-time first. 2. In times like this, the JMS resume carpet-bombing technique works well in generating interest. If you aren't getting any calls - look at that resume again, widen the geographic net, or both. 3. Qualify broker calls when they come in. Ask if they are recruiting for a specific assignment and for details right up front if they don't start the conversation in that manner. If they can't or won't give you any, they're fishing. *Politely* terminate the phone call as you never know what else they might have a few weeks or months down the road. 4. Flexibility is key. This doesn't mean getting bent over or reducing your rates by double-digit percentages. It means working in a professional manner with the bork to get assignments that you want with a reasonable market rate or better. 5. Don't bother calling borks unsolicited - it's a waste of time. If they have interest, they'll call, believe me. An exception to this is borks you've worked with in the past to follow-up or if you've been submitted but haven't heard anything. 6. Never, ever, ever appear desperate to a broker (or, for that matter, to a client). Most will feed on that to promptly give you that double-digit haircut in rates, keeping the rest for themselves. Key phrases to avoid: "I'll do anything/work anywhere," "I haven't worked for X months/weeks," "I really need a gig," etc. 7. In fact, you should indirectly allude to all callers that you are considering an number of opportunities at the moment, but have not yet made a decision, and won't for a week or so. 8. Return *all* voice mail/e-mail and messages promptly - same or next day. 9. Quote hourly rates by the individual gig, and avoid giving a generic rate at all costs. Never give a fishing bork a rate at all, move the conversation more toward your skill set. 10. Qualify out-of-town gigs by phone with the client first. If they want a face-to-face, they or the bork must pay your expenses. DO NOT pay for out-of-town interviews yourself UNLESS you have multiple client interviews lined up - even then, push to get reimbursed. 11. Qualify the client during the interview to weed-out tire kickers. Ask up front: are they funded? When is the projected start date? How long do they anticipate the gig will last? Compare their responses to what the bork told you. No or bad answers disqualify that client, at least for now. 12. Apply for some selected FTE jobs that match your skills, even if you don't want to go FTE - practicing your interviewing and networking skills never hurts if you have nothing better going on at the moment. 13. Keep multiple irons in the fire - that is, try to get acceptance on more than one gig. Funding routinely gets pulled at the last minute during downturns - along with that gig you accepted and thought you were starting. 14. Got an assignment? Congratulations! Now, when is the start date? If its more than a week away, keep looking for work. There is a high probability that the gig is not or will not be funded the longer the start date is pushed back from today, and worse, it prevents you from taking more legit opportunities if you call off the search. The search isn't over until you are in the client's cubicle billing for your time, and even then, you should keep your options open for the first 4 weeks or so regardless until you get the lay-of-the-land at that client site. 15. Finally, it is important that you be as flexible as possible without getting abused by either the bork or their clients. You might have to shave your rate down a few bucks, or provide the bork with references (after you've had a client interview, of course), or other sundry things contractors didn't have to do for the last 3-4 years. By all means, terminate inquiries and relationships that have abusive characteristics - borks who do this aren't usually going to find you work anyway. But you'll find that flexibility and a professional demeanor will go a long way in removing the splinters from your butt acquired by sitting on the bench too long. Good luck to everyone! Contributed by Bob McIlree |