Re: contract length

[James Barrow <vrfour -at- earthlink -dot- net>]

Hmmm...I don't think my coffee has kicked in as I'm not understanding 
what you mean by 'If you haven't had the prerequisite job for the 
required amount of time, you cannot get the job.'

But, in answer to your first question, calls from contract firms always 
amaze me.  I either receive dozens of calls, or none at all.  Consider 
these polar-opposite examples:

Two months ago I allowed one of nine recruiters to submit me to 
Motorola for a contract position.  While I was waiting to hear from the 
recruiter, at least six agencies called me per day.  I eventually got 
an interview and did very well (I also met all of the necessary 
requirements.)  I assume that Motorola passed on me as I never heard 
from them or the recruiter that submitted me.  But to this day I still 
receive one to two phone calls per week for this position, and it's 
still active on Dice and Monster.

Last month I saw a position for a tech writer in a city that is 
approximately 60 miles from my home.  The Dice description was far too 
brief, so I passed.  As the weeks went by, I noticed that that job 
posting remained active (continually renewed), so I sent my resume to a 
recruiter.  She called me almost immediately and sounded as relieved as 
if she had found the cure for cancer.  She said that she had been 
searching desperately for a tech writer to fill that position for eight 
weeks.  I mentioned that the required tasks were very basic 
(understanding of Word and good communication skills.)  Still, she 
insisted that no one in their database met those requirements, and no 
one seemed interested in the position.  It turns out that the client 
was Sony.

I couldn't believe that a company that large, who had sent the job 
request to a a dozen recruiters, couldn't get a response.