Posted: Mon 12 October, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Introspective, Thoughts, Work-related |
As regular readers know, today is the start of the new ‘proper’ job.
As per usual on these things, I’ve no idea whether I’ll be able to write anything here during the day or not. Time will tell on this, as with most things. I’m given to understand that the first morning is going to be a combination of “Death by Powerpoint” and “Insanity by Paperwork”, so that should be a fun introduction to the place.
I still have my reservations about the entire thing, as my experiences with permanent roles have never been exactly positive. In fact, the one I started roughly this time last year (To be precise, a week tomorrow) was one of the most unremittingly negative experiences of recent years, for a number of reasons that I’ve never got round to writing about. Maybe one day.
So for now, I’m looking at it as being a six-month contract. That gets me through to March/April next year, and I’ll see how it goes. I think that’s the best way for me to handle it at the moment – six month chunks I can deal with, “permanent” still brings me out in the shivers. (And that’s a whole other post too, I know)
But for now, well, once more unto the breech, and all that jazz.
Posted: Sat 10 October, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Own Business, Work-related |
Sometimes it’s strange the way things work out.
After last week’s cancelled contract, as we know I’ve now got a proper job from next Monday.
As always when I get an offer, I’ve had three more requests for interviews on contracts since Wednesday. Always the way.
Combined with that, I’ve spoken to three of my other clients since Wednesday, and there’s work coming in from all three of them as well.
All told, it looks like I’m going to be pretty busy for the next month or two.
Posted: Wed 7 October, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Work-related |
Bloody hell.
2.30 pm yesterday – called about a local-ish “proper” job.
3.30pm yesterday – booked in for an interview
9.30am today – interview
11am – leave interview.
1pm – Have job offered. Accept.
That’s got to be some kind of fucking record. Within 24 hours of first hearing about the role, I’ve got it. And start on Monday!
Posted: Wed 7 October, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Business, Stupidity, Thoughts, Work-related |
Sashinka's photo of job-seeking David
Even after having been crapped on last week by the jobs market (and one company in particular) I still find I have a problem with the kind of story and image posted by sashinka.
Now fair enough, I understand that David feels he can’t get a job. But really, is anyone going to stop him in the street to interview him? And offering to work for free for the first month – well that just smacks of desperation.
I understand, I’m not someone who wants to work “In The City” (ever noticed how City workers always capitalise it, even in spoken conversation?) so I don’t get some of it. But if you’re dedicated enough to want to work there that you’ll sack around in a Sandwich board for a while, you should be prepared to walk your arse into every single job agency going.
Equally, if you’re desperate to work, you’ll take on anything. I’ve been there and done that – worked in some of the shittiest jobs known to man in order to make ends meet. If I’m that hard-up, I’ll do it again. OK, I might aim to not work on the bins again (did that one summer in Oxford for a month. *shudder*) but if that’s all that’s going, I will.
I have a related problem with the people who whine that they’ve sent off “hundreds” or even “thousands” of CVs and never got a response from an agency or company. Now I’m sorry, but if I’ve sent off even twenty CVs and not had a single response, I know I’m doing something wrong. If I send out ten CVs, I’ll normally get at least five responses from agencies. It’s usually higher than that, but I’m trying to be equable here. (For once) My CV is good enough that it gets a response. It’s simple to read, lists my skills and experience, and that’s it. It breaks lots of the ‘rules’ that CV-advisors give out (I’ve never yet bothered with wasting space on a paragraph describing myself, for instance) and yet it gets responses – and, by extension, jobs.
Yesterday was a perfect example of that. I sent in my CV to an agency for a role they advertised, they called me back, and I’ve got an interview for it this morning. The company involved took less than an hour to come back from seeing the CV with an interview request. I’m in there today, and we’ll see how it goes.
The same happened with the one that fell through – CV to agency, from agency to company, and a phone interview on the same day. Two days later I had the interview, and had an answer by the end of that day. Sure it fell through, but that was a funding/project thing rather than a “me” thing. I can’t do anything about that.
But if I’d sent a hundred CVs and not got a response at all? You can bet that I’d be doing a few things including:
- Rewriting the damn CV – big-time
- Calling agencies, if only to use the “checking it got through to you as I hadn’t heard anything” line
- Asking those agencies for feedback, why the initial CV didn’t get a response
- Reconsidering how I was doing things.
Ah well, rant over with for now. There’s more I was thinking about, but I haven’t quite got it strung together in my head yet.
Posted: Mon 5 October, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Health, Thoughts, Work-related |
Because of the changes from last week, today I’ve been at home – and will be for at least a couple of days more. I can’t deny, it’s been much needed as I’m still getting over this manky cold, which has really hit me hard, and also to have a day out of the usual run of things.
The weekend wasn’t really a weekend – Herself had to do some work-related stuff early on Saturday, and also work on Sunday, so she took today off instead. While I didn’t have to work during the weekend itself, it did mean I didn’t really relax either.
So all told, today’s been quite peaceful. I’ve sent out several CVs and spoken to a couple of agencies, as well as getting some other stuff sorted. Tomorrow I get more seriously started on some other work.
For today though, it’s been a much needed down-day.
Posted: Sat 3 October, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Thoughts, Work-related |
In direct contrast (Ha, just typed that as contract – Freudian Slop or what?) to the work-related events of my week, it’s interesting to see the way Apple handle job offers and contracts in the US.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to work for Apple – and I still have real issues with the ‘Apple are great. Full Stop.” evangelism that comes through in that post too – but it’s still an interesting thing to see.
Posted: Thu 1 October, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: 1BEM, Business, Depression, Introspective, Own Business, Thoughts, Work-related |
Now here’s something I don’t do often – respond in a proper piece to a comment on another piece.
In this case, in yesterday’s “Changing Plans” post, Andy commented…
I have to say, following your blog & Twitter, that your contracting seems like a monumental effort/nightmare/arsepain. There’s a lot to be said for a regular job, not least: a) a bit of security (so you’re not always worrying about what next week brings) and b) the luxury of a bit of time to think and plan your next big move (i.e. away from what you’re currently doing).
You don’t strike me as someone who’d be content/comfortable with a regular job, no matter how short term – but it seems to me like you’re in a cycle that you need/want to get out of as it’s causing you grief.
And I couldn’t agree more, to be honest. Maybe I do need to bite the bullet and look at a “proper job”. I don’t know. This year has been utter shit when it comes to contracts, and work in general. In fact I’d go so far as to say it’s been the worst work year I’ve had.
You’re right, there is a lot to be said for that “proper job”. I get that totally. It just doesn’t (for whatever reason) chime with me at all. I don’t know why – and I’ve looked into it a lot – but it just doesn’t. Maybe I’ve just never had a positive experience of that regular job, but maybe my mindset won’t let me have a positive experience of that regular job. Either way, I’ve never been happy in a regular job.
I’m not happy with what I’m currently doing. I’m good at it, but I’m no longer happy with it. However, I know I need to keep on doing it (whether as contracts or regular work) until I get things sorted for doing Something Else. That doesn’t help. Getting fucked over and treated like crap also doesn’t help. (Although in my experience that’s something that happens regardless of a job being proper or not)
This week, I also feel like crap anyway. I’ve picked up a cold from a friend (who will be receiving a snot-filled slap when I next see him) and honestly, I’d rather be at home.
The change of plans, when everything was ready and in place, has added to that, and knocked my confidence a bit too. That’s down to being a control-freak, and not liking it when I get stuffed over with nothing I can do about it.
I’ve got three or four ideas about what I want to do instead of this, which have been chatted about a few times with friends over the last couple of days. It’ll take time – unless I get incredibly lucky – to sort them out and decide what to do, as well as to implement the ideas, make the changes, and get those things off the ground.
It’ll take time – but the last week has illustrated pretty perfectly why I need to do it, and make the changes. And if nothing else, it should make for some more fun on D4D.