BITE's blog UK Contract Jobs and Career Transition

Using Social networking to find a contract job in the UK...

smart phones... the best social networking sites... networking not broadcasting

Social networking has established itself in modern society as a valuable and fun communication tool whereby many people remain in touch or network with each other.

Over 80% of professionals between the ages of 18 and 40 now use Social networking tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Plus 3-4 times per week. However very few people have been able to leverage Social Networking in order to enhance their career opportunities.

At BITE since December 7th 2009 Social Networking has been established as a fundamental tool of each candidates job search, with each candidate developing their Social Network Marketing plan.

The Standard for professionals in the UK is LinkedIn and the use of a well defined complete profile. 80% of your Social network work should go into working with your personal branding on this site. However it is also vital to harness the benefits of Facebook currently the biggest website in the world and maximise the benefits of Google cost effectively.

Many candidates see a real conflict of interest between Social Networking and Professional networking with the former only offering to damage their chances of attaining employment. In fact used correctly Social networking can massively enhance each individual’s chances of finding work.

Professional networking has long been established as a useful tool to enhance your career with and this can now be developed within the context of Social Media into an incredibly powerful tool to access the hidden job market with. Over 50% of all contract work is now attained through networking and with Social networking each contractor can quickly see the benefits of their work and access work within the hidden job market that is not advertised.

At BITE we offer free Social Networking evening seminars to help established contractors enhance their position and offer social networking training sessions for all candidates looking for a contract role.

SMART PHONES

• 35% of UK adults own a smartphone (Source: YouGov – July 2011)

• 14% of 55 years + have a smartphone (Source: YouGov – July 2011)
• 13% of smartphones are Android (Source: ICM Research – June 2011)
• 10% of smartphones are Blackberry (Source: ICM Research – June 2011)
• 9% of smartphones are iPhone (Source: ICM Research – June 2011)

Smart phones are used in UK society instead of or as a compliment to laptops and PCs. Integrating your smartphone into your social networking is a smart move. Smart phones help you monitor your social networking on the move. You to take your professional network with you wherever you go. You will have immediate access to your contacts and important updates, such as newly posted positions.

Most smart phones have apps to the best social networking websites

 

BEST SITES

• LinkedIn – The professional social network
• Facebook – The largest social network
• Twitter – The easiest and quickest social network to use
• Google Plus – The most optimised social network, helping you be found

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the professional choice for networking. Your profile on LinkedIn is like a C.V. and you should be prepared to “work” LinkedIn to gain the additional benefits from this social networking site. Our free seminars will tell you what you need to be doing to help enhance your personal brandning on this site, and show you how to engage and network with potential employers and contractors.

Facebook

Facebook is the largest social networking site and should therefore not be dismissed as just a place to chat with your friends. Most employers will look at facebook to see what you are really like. At BITE we will edicate you on how you can use this tool to enhance your personal branding, and gain leverage with prospective employers.

 

 

Twitter

Twitter is quick and easy to use, and is also fast becoming a search engine in its own right. Searching for jobs and prospective employees is easy, and because it uses quick fire information in under 140 characters it is also very easy to get wrong! Our free evening seminars help you understand how you can search for prospects and jobs, how you can enhance your personal branding, and how you can integrate this with your professional LinkedIn account for maximum exposure.

Google Plus

New to the social scene, and not yet routinely used by the average man on the street, Google Plus will become one of the best places to be found. Your personal competition may not be using Google Plus effectively yet, and so you can shine here. In addition, Google recently made changes to its algorithm which actively promotes the use of Googles’ plus 1 buttons, a part of the Google Plus social network. BITE can help you understand how to shine on this newest of social networks.

NETWORKING NOT BROADCASTING

Social Networking is just that… networking! The only difference is that you are networking online, with people you cannot see.

BITE encourage you not to broadcast about yourself, but to engage with others in the same way as you would in a room full of people. Each of the different social networks can be viewed in a different way. For example, LinkedIn is like a business networking meeting where you discuss business and listen to what others have to say, offering advice and asking questions where appropriate, whereas Twitter is more akin to a cocktail networking event, where you wander around and listen to snippets of conversation and engage if your find it interesting.

Our free evening seminars show you how you can engage with your audience rather than just shout about who you are and what you do.

What next?

If you’d like to know more about the job market in the UK, and wish to contract via BITE, send in your CV and come and meet us at our London offices. Have any questions; want to know more about contracting? Check the FAQ's.

 

http://www.biteconsulting.co.uk

The hidden IT Contractor job market in the UKThe hidden job market in the UK

Lots of jobs are unadvertised or “hidden”, particularly during a credit crunch.

Many companies don’t like to advertise and agents do not like dealing with lots of new candidates. The contracting market often relies on word of mouth and recommendations. Having the support of BITE and our existing contractors allows you to access the hidden job market in a whole new way. It’s not unusual for an existing BITE contractor to recommend you to an agent, and of course we do so to. Because of the unique way in which we operate you’ll soon discover just how large and lucrative unadvertised jobs can be.

This blog shows you how you can tap into the hidden job market in the UK.

What is an unadvertised job?

Like the name suggests, these jobs are not advertised but are actual vacancies that clients have informed agents about. In some cases a client may well be looking to fill a position directly (without using any agencies) but these jobs are almost always advertised.

Between 40-60% of all contract jobs are unadvertised!! 

Recruitment agents regularly get requirements and job specifications but will find the right person for the job without even advertising it! These unadvertised jobs can be filled by agents who can use existing databases which store a number of CV’s for 100’s or even 1000’s of candidates. An agent can simply search through their in-house databases and find the right candidate to approach for the role.

However the obvious flaw with this approach is that the CV’s of candidates on the agencies database could be out of date. Many of the people listed might not be looking for a contract job! So a large number of poor quality CV’s from candidates not looking for a job, combined with no new CV’s (since the job in unadvertised) creates the hidden job market.

 

Why aren’t they advertised?

There are many reasons; the most common are costs & speed. Particularly in the current financial climate many agencies will be looking to reduce costs – one method it to limit the number of job adverts being placed. But fewer adverts will mean less CV’s and candidates for agents to consider. The credit crunch is actually causing this “hidden job market” to grow rapidly. Over the last few months many of BITE’s contractors are securing unadvertised jobs, substantially more than a year earlier.

 

 

Save time & money

Not placing adverts and then not having to go through 100’s of applications saves a lot of time. In the UK contracting market speed is essential. Contract positions come about quickly and clients want the right candidate fast. (This is also why contract jobs pay a lot more). A lot of agents will prefer checking their existing databases before spending the time and effort in actually placing the advert and then filtering through 100’s of applications.

What can BITE help me with?

One of the first steps will be to create a CV that can function efficiently and as universally as possible on agency CV databases. To have any chance to access these unadvertised jobs, a well-structured and readable CV is a must (readable to automated electronic scanners). Experts at BITE will help you create the winning formula based on your individual skills, experience and achievements.

It’s easy ... when you know how

Understanding the current market conditions and establishing your rates, along with interview training and guidance will provide you the necessary expertise when dealing with agents. More information on all these elements can be found in the Job Search section of our website.

Our CV Marketing service and mailing list, sent out to agents every week, will include your latest CV and be delivered each week to agents (who all request the list). This CV distribution service is like no other! It’s free for agents to use and over the years the reputation it has built up ensures your CV is sent to the right agents who are then able to get in touch with you directly about job, even the unadvertised ones!

 

What next?

If you’d like to know more about the unadvertised job market in the UK, and wish to contract via BITE, send in your CV and come and meet us at our London offices. Have any questions; want to know more about contracting? Check the FAQ's.

 

New Year, New IT Contract Job

New Year, New Job

• Do you find yourself looking at your manager and thinking you could do better?
• Does the thought of spending the rest of your working life at the beck and call of others make you sigh?

Then moving towards a career in IT Contract work could be just what the Doctor ordered.

It may sound a little scary at first, leaving the security of a fully paid job, but let’s be honest in times of economic strife is any job really secure? Perhaps now is the time to make that break away from the routine of corporate work and into the world of Contracting.

 

What are the advantages?

Remuneration: It is a fact that IT Contractors can make significantly more money doing the same work if they are contracted rather than employed.  30% higher rates than the equivalent permanent positions (Note – If you work full-time for one employer, then the IR35 tax regulations may in the UK.)

Flexibility: You choose the hours you work, you choose what IT Contract jobs you want to do, and you choose how much you are going to be paid. If you wish to take a break between contracts, you have that choice, if you want to take 3 weeks holiday in the spring, again the choice is yours.

Variety: The flexibility of IT Contract work means you can work wherever you want, for whomever you want. This can lead to meeting some very interesting companies, meeting lots of new people and contacts, and the work will be very different and varied too.

Skills: When you work as an employee, your job is your job and you often do not get the opportunity to enhance your IT skills and learn new things. As an IT Contractor you can set aside some time to go on courses and learn new things.

There are many more advantages of being your own boss.

 

How much would I get paid?

Of course payment varies according to your skills and experience, and who is paying you and what you negotiate, but we have pulled together some interesting facts from various trusted resources to help you decide if IT Contract work is right for you.

 

Role / Job Type	Average daily rates (*varies on skills and experience)
Networker's, Administrators & Support	£280
Database Administrators & Systems Administrators	£330
Analyst Programmers & Developers (General)	£350
Specialists: ERP, Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft etc	£390
Programme Managers, Project Managers, IT Managers	£410
New Media (Web) & E-Commerce Developers	£370
Testers, IBM Mainframe & Others	£250
Business Analysts, Data Analysts, Business Intelligence	£430
Infrastructure, Windows, Security Specialists	£320
Graphic Designers	£240

Source: BITE Statistics

 

How easy would it be to find work?

Of course as an IT Contractor you would need to ensure you have the work to maintain your lifestyle. Here in the UK 50% of the job market is contracting! It’s normally around 30%, but due to the current economic environment there are more contract jobs available in place of permanent jobs.

Most IT contractors will look for contracting positions through an on or offline recruitment agency. There are 1000's of agencies in the UK. Some specialise in only IT contracts and others are more general, covering all sectors of employment.

Agencies are not only for contractors, and most agencies will have jobs for: permanent, contract, temporary and part-time employment. The agency will put you in touch with the client but to get paid you need to have a limited company - either an Umbrella Company or your own limited company of your own.

Before you sign up with any agency ask yourself and them a few questions:

• Is the agency you are going through credit worthy?
• If they cannot pay you how will you recover your earnings?

 

Which agency do I choose?

The IT contracting market in the UK makes up 50% of the total IT job market, substantially more than in most other countries.

No recruitment agency or software house in the UK has more than 3% market share. It's therefore important to work with several agencies. The size of the recruitment agency is not important, often a smaller one will work in a specialised sector within IT and will have clients that other agencies do not.

But with so many agencies it’s vital to ensure they are credit checked before contracting with them. If working through BITE, we'll guarantee you are paid even if the agency is late or unable to pay.

 

What about the legal requirements?

When working as an IT contractor, it is really important to ensure you are keeping within the law to ensure you are protected, and to ensure you get the best deal.

BITE Consulting have detailed a few laws that you should take note of:

2007: Managed Service Company

This law introduced in April 2007 which made it illegal for contractors to operate through a limited company that was “managed” by a third party. A contractor can only legally work via an Umbrella Company or their own limited company, known as a Personal Service Company.

2000: IR35

Legislation introduced in 2000 that's used by the Inland Revenue to determine whether or not a contractor meets the definition of being self-employed or a freelancer. Contractors who do not fall under this category are said to be caught by IR35 or said to be inside of IR35 legislation and are therefore liable to pay full tax and national insurance.

You want to make sure you're operating outside of IR35 (safe from the legislation). If you're on a visa there may be further implications for you. You can find out more by visiting our website below:

http://www.biteconsulting.co.uk/uk-contracting/ir35.html

 

2011: The AWR Legislation

On the 1st October 2011 the UK implemented the EU legislation for agency workers.

This means in practise two key stages;

Day one right for workers and equal treatment after 12 weeks. Some examples of day one rights include the staff canteen, car parking and child care facilities and it is the end client who has the responsibility for ensuring agency workers are provided access to these facilities. This includes access and information to job vacancies that permanent staff would also have access to. In the event of a dispute there is no liability on the recruitment company.

After 12 weeks the agency worker acquires additional equal treatment rights provided they remain in the same job role. This includes pay and bonuses, duration of working time and annual leave. The requirement is simply to treat the worker as if he or she had been recruited directly to do the same job. In the event of a dispute it is the recruitment agency that is initially held responsible but will have a defence if they requested the info and failed to receive it from the client/hirer. End clients can include indemnity clauses in their contracts to pass liability to the recruitment company .Equally recruitment companies supplying contractors through another organisation will need to request the required information just as they would do in dealing with the end client directly and checks will need making on the contract.

Where possible workers/contractors should always be advised on any pay/rate comparator data and asked to confirm if they operate through a limited company that they are in business of their own account. For more information, please click the link below:

http://www.biteconsulting.co.uk/uk-contracting/awr-legislation.html

Request an appointment to discuss your individual circumstances with BITE.

 

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http://www.biteconsulting.co.uk/special-offer.html

 

Thank you - Keith Boatman

Smart Job Search Tactics- be clever access the hidden job market!

The Easter and Royal Wedding holiday is a time when many people are off on the 11 day break and this will include the majority of decision makers.

As a result interviews are hard to arrange and most people stop looking for a job effectively. However using your time effectively could put your name at the top of the list when recruitment resumes.So try these ten smart suggestions.

1. Update your LinkedIn profile- ensure it is 100% complete and use the new features  recently made available.You are 40 times more likely to gain a job with a complete profile.

2. Set up a twitter account and use it to update your status and job search on a daily basis. Google will find you and so will other recruiters soon after the holiday.This activity will increase awareness of your availability tenfold.

3.Network with people who interest you and can help develop your contacts on LinkedIn and search and join relevant groups to you, your industry/profession , H.R. and recruitment prou.This takes time but people may have a little more time currently.

4.Set up a facebookpage as your professional page keep it wide open as a chatty informative page on you and the services you provide.Lock down your personal page so only friends and family see everything.

5.Use RSS feeds effectively- set up google reader to search for and pull down the RSS feeds you want and configure it to search for relevant jobs using aggregators.Thus the best jobs will come to you in real time with no delay.

6. Buy yourself a smart phone and learn to use it. Configer  the app for My6sense to receive your RSS feeds and relevant information from LinkedIn straight to your phone. Down load an app that allows you to upload your  cover letters and send them from your phone to interested parties.

7. Use the phone and ring your contacts that appear to be the most promising. Speak to people ask for help and advise (not a job) and you'll we surprised how helpful people can be.Ask them to comment on your CV don't be defensive and demonstrate to them you have taken on board their advise.

8. Relax don't panic let people know how well your job search is going and how your new initiatives are bearing fruit! No one wants a stressed out desperate candidate.

9. Be prepared to find and apply or send your CV to 155 people in 3 weeks.Get on their databases and again the jobs willl start coming to you.Be smart!

10. Always renew yourself-we've mentioned updating your LinkedIn status but also renew your profile on the job boards every Sunday evening ready for the next week. This will position you near the top of any candidate search list in your skill set .This week do it on Monday night remember the long weekend.... and relax!

Successful Career Transition- 5 Simple points for contract candidates

Successful career transition is about doing the simple things well. Above all you need to be:

Flexible, not placing limits on locations within the UK- Stating you only want to work in central London will have an adverse on you while taking a wider geographical approach needs to be portrayed as flexibility rather than desperation.

Available, being easy to get hold of with a UK mobile voice mail with an excellent attractive message on it so agents and clients will feel you will attend to their message.Ensuring you are available for all interview dates and not placing restrictions on an agent- help him/her by making it easy. Also by updating your status throughout your network on a daily basis.

Organised, knowing exactly which jobs you have applied for when and what has been said to you.This is best achieved through an efficient database call logging process that ensures you know exactly where you are with your jobsearch.This protects you and ensures you are professional and look professional.

Intelligent, you need to be able to source the right opportunities in sufficient numbers to be successful.This means more that just applying for jobs through the right job boards. You need to access the hidden job market through Intelligent local job lead information and effective networking so that recruiters or clients approach you. You need to play a numbers game and ensure the rightdecision makers are aware of your skills, achievements and availability.Simply applying for a few jobs will leave you unlucky and frustrated. You should develop a network using linkedin of at least 150  suitable contacts and leverage this through your own P.R. and marketing network which will take you several evenings to set up see www.getaukjob.com for an example of such a plan in the news box on the home page.

Enthusiastic, and positive as it is amazing how many interviewers are faced by candidates who fail to indicate any emotion.This is often because the candidate fears enthusiasm will make them appear to desperate for a job, whereas the interviewer is looking for someone who indicates some interest even excitement over the job.Try to enjoy the whole experience and see it as a challenge that you can enjoy.

Career Transition how easy is it?

Career Transition Services are talked about but what do they do?

For many it is a re-branding of outplacement services where candidates or their soon to be ex-employer are charged for strategic help in re-targeting the candidate in a new career.The fee which is large is charged up front on a credit card or to the corporate body and may be as much as £10,000 per person.This support is often too academic and not direct enough

Candidates in Career Transition need direct tactical support-factualand actual help!

If you are wishing to move from the public sector to the private sector? Want to find contract work or a job quickly? How to you make use of a support package without an upfront fee? You approach an organisation that makes its money through contracting you on a margin or one that charges training fees but with a no job no fee guarantee!Or a least a  more reasonable fee below several thousand pounds.

Whether you wish to move from Permanent employment to Contract Engagement, from overseas to the UK ,from the Public Sector to the private sector  or simply change industries moving into the contract market is usually the  best way to achieve your goal! You will often receive many good reasons why you shouldn’t however, organisations such as BITE  (contract) and Career Practice (permanent) offer a range of Transition services  to help you succeed and secure  a contract quickly.

Without Industry experience most CV's are never considered, you need to maximise the opportunity of your CV being selected by clients! How?

Via Personal Branding and Clever Contract marketing gaining access to the hidden job market!

With your chosen company you need to:

• Obtain a consultation with your chosen  career coach to establish your personal brand –who and what you are in the market
• Identify the right key words or long tail words to optimise your brand
• Produce your CV and place your details on the Contractors availability list.
• Advertise you on CV on sites like www.getitstaff.com   or www.getacontractor.co.uk
• Network your availability through our contractor work force into the unadvertised job market
• Generally advertise your services in the UK contract market place.
• Build awareness of your availability on the Internet by expressing this each day in Groups and through a Social Network  Marketing and P.R plan as well as via Mailing Lists.
• Leverage your brand in the Social and Professional networking arena via a one stop shop marketing specialist
• You need access to a exclusive specialist job search database and specialist leads client databases
• You need membership of contractors and job seeker network group with its network jobs and opportunities

Try to avoid the COSTLY INITIAL mistakes everyone makes by engaging professional help immediately and not after you have failed or had a tough time of things. Help to ensure you are successful in the UK marketplace with professional support and ask how long they have been in business.Look for a specialist that knows the UK market and helps you  quickly, ensuring clients and agents quickly start calling you with potential contracts or jobs!