The C++ market (my software engineering niche) hasn’t declined as much as I’d been expecting. I’m getting occasional contacts from across Europe following previous job hunts; there’s still an active market.

 

But one has to be cautious. Every agent is seeking someone exactly matching a skillset, and that exact match was rare. Now there’s more people chasing somewhat fewer jobs, that match is more likely. Clients will hold out for it. That means a contract is going to be more difficult to find. That’s why I expect a break before one turns up. Still, I don’t think my market is as badly hit now as following the dot com bust. Then, everything dried up.

 

The average client has always applied some tough tests to ensure people have the skills they claim, but such tests seem to be getting more common. This suggests to me more people are ... erm ... being overly inventive? ... on their CVs. This in turn suggests that other areas of the industry are suffering more than mine. Whether that’s significant, or simply the C++ market taking its time to decline, I’ve no idea.

 

I don’t lie on my CV, which probably costs me some interviews, but I’m not sure such interviews would be worthwhile. Either the client will be competent, in which case I’d be found out, or they’d be incompetent, in which case they’ll likely be a nasty place to work. Still, I can see why the lie; if you’re the property of your possessions, you’ll be desperate to maintain them.

 

 

I’ll see.