While its specialist engineering division has been working to promote the benefits of permanent work to a hardened contract workforce during the recession, the IT specialists have had to adapt to a switch in the opposite direction.

With a former preference for permanent employees, IT continues to see a growing preference for temporary workers, who can be appointed or released with ease according to project demands.

Alongside this shift in preference from perm to contract, there are notably fewer opportunities for contract extensions as budget restrictions are rigidly adhered to and contracts are terminated as initially agreed.

What this means is that permanent and contract IT professionals have had to adapt considerably to the demands that the global recession has placed upon them, becoming more flexible in their approach to finding work and more proactive about securing new job vacancies as projects near completion.

So, NES has encountered an influx of jobseekers looking to establish or renew relationships with their recruitment agencies: likely to require their services more often; likely to be working on some of the newest technologies; and likely to appreciate someone acting on their behalf to identify the right kinds of career opportunities.

The advice? Keep in touch! That frequency of contact has been welcomed. Recruiters like to know about the projects you’ve been working on most recently and the new skills you’ve acquired as a result of it. They might not have exactly what you’re after right there and then, and that can be frustrating after a while, but if that role comes up tomorrow, you can bet you’ll be the first person they think about!

Keep in touch. Be flexible. Be realistic. Be patient.