The Careers/Jobs thread

[dubbs]

On 30/10/2020 at 21:05, dubbs said:

Ok so they gave it to the other candidate.  Gutted,  never been out of work this long before. 

So a little update on this.   I had a call from the agency who set up the interview earlier this week.   The guy who got the job turned out to be completely unreliable so they've given him the push.  The company asked the agency to find out my current situation.  I'm still unemployed so of course I'm interested.   Went in this morning for a chat and they've offered me the job, which of course I'm going to accept.

 

It's a Christmas miracle - McGrath bless us, everyone!

[HanoiVillan]

Out of reactions, but congratulations @dubbs that's great news!

[StefanAVFC]

Where to start..

My job is fine, the company isn't perfect and my team can be a pain in the arse but whatever. I get decent money and it's not too bad.

Whereas my Mrs's company...

I just went up to her to give her a cup of tea and she's in tears. She isn't a crier usually, but the last 5/6 times I've seen her cry has been during work time.

Big American corpo who sell a wide range of things. She is the team leader for the customer service team supporting all UK products. When she took over, she was told she'd also be managing another team, but only for HR purposes as the actual manager sits in the country of the market.

UK is a big place, and she's overwhelmed as it is. There's global freezes for everything meaning good employees can't be rewarded and are leaving. If employees want to progress they are allowed to by switching teams but not in the same team, so she had 2 go just to get more money, rather than because they didn't like their job. Now, new year, she's told she needs own this other country as well as the UK, even though she was told it was only ever HR matters. She says she is so busy with UK that she does OT every day so she isn't sure how she can do another country; 'learn to delegate'. She says that her entire team is quitting because they can't get promoted internally 'we need to think of ways to make you less busy'. Scolded for not proactively (ergo, without knowing she should) doing certain reports for this other country.

'I was never told this was in my scope' 'well, everyone is doing things not in their scope so I don't know why you're saying such things'. For me, as a manager in corpo, this is textbook bullying/mobbing.

Add Brexit to the conversation (they manufacture and ship products from the EU to the UK) as well as them moving their entire warehouse this month, the whole situation is complete insanity. She works 10-12 hour days almost daily, mentions it to her manager 'well i do the same'. She spoke to one of the senior managers as she's rightfully concerned that she could lose her entire team due to regulations above her head. He said he'd try and get a pay rise (well earned) for one of her key members of staff. Went to the US, was a big fat nope. And there's more I'm forgetting. Her backup for when she's off is her most junior member of staff because her boss knows nothing about her role because 'she's too busy'. Every requisition has to go through US HR leading to huge delays as they don't expedite anything. The US decides who keeps and loses their jobs based solely on numbers. They got rid of a very experienced guy in the UK warehouse, replaced him with a new joiner from Poland, who my partner had recruited for her team. Suddenly she lost a brilliant new joiner and the UK lost an experienced, knowledgeable guy.

It's the textbook toxic corporation and I want her out, and she wants out too.

Issue is, we're trapped because we're building a house and she needs her permanent contract she has to get the mortgage (i can't get a mortgage for a house by Polish law)

Edited January 5, 2021 by StefanAVFC

[villakram]

1 hour ago, StefanAVFC said:

Where to start..

My job is fine, the company isn't perfect and my team can be a pain in the arse but whatever. I get decent money and it's not too bad.

Whereas my Mrs's company...

I just went up to her to give her a cup of tea and she's in tears. She isn't a crier usually, but the last 5/6 times I've seen her cry has been during work time.

Big American corpo who sell a wide range of things. She is the team leader for the customer service team supporting all UK products. When she took over, she was told she'd also be managing another team, but only for HR purposes as the actual manager sits in the country of the market.

UK is a big place, and she's overwhelmed as it is. There's global freezes for everything meaning good employees can't be rewarded and are leaving. If employees want to progress they are allowed to by switching teams but not in the same team, so she had 2 go just to get more money, rather than because they didn't like their job. Now, new year, she's told she needs own this other country as well as the UK, even though she was told it was only ever HR matters. She says she is so busy with UK that she does OT every day so she isn't sure how she can do another country; 'learn to delegate'. She says that her entire team is quitting because they can't get promoted internally 'we need to think of ways to make you less busy'. Scolded for not proactively (ergo, without knowing she should) doing certain reports for this other country.

'I was never told this was in my scope' 'well, everyone is doing things not in their scope so I don't know why you're saying such things'. For me, as a manager in corpo, this is textbook bullying/mobbing.

Add Brexit to the conversation (they manufacture and ship products from the EU to the UK) as well as them moving their entire warehouse this month, the whole situation is complete insanity. She works 10-12 hour days almost daily, mentions it to her manager 'well i do the same'. She spoke to one of the senior managers as she's rightfully concerned that she could lose her entire team due to regulations above her head. He said he'd try and get a pay rise (well earned) for one of her key members of staff. Went to the US, was a big fat nope. And there's more I'm forgetting. Her backup for when she's off is her most junior member of staff because her boss knows nothing about her role because 'she's too busy'. Every requisition has to go through US HR leading to huge delays as they don't expedite anything. The US decides who keeps and loses their jobs based solely on numbers. They got rid of a very experienced guy in the UK warehouse, replaced him with a new joiner from Poland, who my partner had recruited for her team. Suddenly she lost a brilliant new joiner and the UK lost an experienced, knowledgeable guy.

It's the textbook toxic corporation and I want her out, and she wants out too.

Issue is, we're trapped because we're building a house and she needs her permanent contract she has to get the mortgage (i can't get a mortgage for a house by Polish law)

Errr. what? Haven't you been over there ages now? Some detail would be great, I hope this is Polish and not Brexit bs.

I assume she can move when the mortgage comes through and given covid, maybe it's some solace that all of the rubbish times are happening together. Tough it out and hope fully something better next year (edit: errr, this year, but after the covid thing). The one thing to remember about corporate America is to never, ever give a single fook about the corporation and always keep your CV up to date, sad. 

 

Edited January 5, 2021 by villakram

[StefanAVFC]

11 minutes ago, villakram said:

Errr. what? Haven't you been over there ages now? Some detail would be great, I hope this is Polish and not Brexit bs.

I assume she can move when the mortgage comes through and given covid, maybe it's some solace that all of the rubbish times are happening together. Tough it out and hope fully something better next year (edit: errr, this year, but after the covid thing). The one thing to remember about corporate America is to never, ever give a single fook about the corporation and always keep your CV up to date, sad. 

 

Polish yeah. I'm legally allowed a mortgage for a flat but not for a house as I can't legally own land! Madness really. I said this to her, and to stop caring so much about things above her control. But she's too proud and cares about the quality of her work.

[villakram]

5 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

Polish yeah. I'm legally allowed a mortgage for a flat but not for a house as I can't legally own land! Madness really. I said this to her, and to stop caring so much about things above her control. But she's too proud and cares about the quality of her work.

Wtf. How is that allowed in the EU, mental. Though this has me wondering if there are similar laws elsewhere, ignoring the standard bugbear countries of Saudi, Israel, NK etc. 

Give her another hug, they don't really fix things, but they usually help a little. 

[Guest av1]

One of my fecking idiot engineers today decided that he didn't need to wait for the kerb barrier. 

No wonder I'm grey at 40.

Edited January 15, 2021 by av1

[Xela]

37 minutes ago, av1 said:

One of my fecking idiot engineers today decided that he didn't need to wait for the kerb barrier. 

No wonder I'm grey at 40.

It'll buff out

[Nicho]

Anyone retrained to go self employed?

I never envied my friends who are chippys, carpenters ect when I was at uni or getting pissed and working in an office in my 20s.

Most of them are now self employed having benefitted from working for some one else and then doing their own graft to under quote for jobs, quote jobs at 8 at night to then not get the work ect. They are reaping the benefits of it.

Now I did work hard in my 20s and I’m early 30s now but at a point where I’m struggling to motivate myself to work for someone else. I currently work in software project work for a global company.

Something as simple as an independent mortgage adviser is currently attractive (sounds boring I know) to me but in reality I have no idea what I want other than to work for myself.

[A'Villan]

Basketball career update:

• Pro-Am: MBL player for last season's top team after regular season, in which I was starting shooting guard, one game into the new season, I'm still starting SG.
• Semi-Pro: Big V player for a club I have joined for the first time, season starts in March. This division has seen many players with NCAA careers and a few with NBA.

If there's anything I feel worth sharing, I'll post my highlight reels come season's end. Not that any of you would be interested, but games are streamed live for both leagues.

Edited January 26, 2021 by A'Villan

[Guest av1]

I bought my first house 3 weeks ago and today I've decided to leave my role as regional supervisor at the 2nd biggest construction company in the world to join a company formed 6yrs ago.

The missues thinks I've gone mad. Shit I hope I've done the right thing.

[Genie]

6 minutes ago, av1 said:

I bought my first house 3 weeks ago and today I've decided to leave my role as regional supervisor at the 2nd biggest construction company in the world to join a company formed 6yrs ago.

The missues thinks I've gone mad. Shit I hope I've done the right thing.

That’s brave!

[Guest av1]

3 minutes ago, Genie said:

That’s brave!

Or stupid.

But I've felt they've took the piss through covid, and I know it's a fault of mine but I only allow a company to take the piss once.

I'm moving for a promotion, from a mobile electrician to a office based electrical QS, so definitely a step up in my career. It's half hour from home so I know exactly when I leave for, and return home, rather than coving the country and finishing work at 18:00 somewhere 3hrs from home. And it's more money.

If not just bought a house it's a no brainer. Sadly it makes more sense to me than my missues..

[Genie]

12 minutes ago, av1 said:

Or stupid.

But I've felt they've took the piss through covid, and I know it's a fault of mine but I only allow a company to take the piss once.

I'm moving for a promotion, from a mobile electrician to a office based electrical QS, so definitely a step up in my career. It's half hour from home so I know exactly when I leave for, and return home, rather than coving the country and finishing work at 18:00 somewhere 3hrs from home. And it's more money.

If not just bought a house it's a no brainer. Sadly it makes more sense to me than my missues..

Fortune favours the brave!

Do you have children? I often think “f**k it I’m gonna do something I enjoy” but as main bread winner, my wife does 16 hours and 2 children I just couldn’t cope with it failing.

[Guest av1]

6 minutes ago, Genie said:

Fortune favours the brave!

Do you have children? I often think “f**k it I’m gonna do something I enjoy” but as main bread winner, my wife does 16 hours and 2 children I just couldn’t cope with it failing.

Yes 3. It's a bold fecking move but it makes sense to me. Though I enjoy what I do at the minute, I don't want to be doing it at 50. 

[Genie]

3 minutes ago, av1 said:

Yes 3. It's a bold fecking move but it makes sense to me. Though I enjoy what I do at the minute, I don't want to be doing it at 50. 

Go for it, and you’ll have the drive to make it work!

[V01]

I'm a security officer in a hospital, A duty manager role was advertised a few weeks ago which I applied for along with four acting duty managers. I have an interview next week in which I will need to give a presentation on managing and leading a new team. 

I've had a mooney and have some content to cover management and leadership over the first few slides before doing a swot analysis on the team I would be managing if I'm successful (one of the other candidates is nailed on). I'm struggling with the threats part of the analysis and what to end the presentation with.

Interview will have behavioural and scenario based questions. Behavioural I have some examples to draw from depending what is asked, but with the scenario based ones I only have the knowledge I have gained from asking other people in the role and reading up on company policies without the opportunity to put it into practice. Every other candidate has experience performing the role.

Does anyone have any advice for how I can bridge the gap in the interview?

[blandy]

23 minutes ago, V01 said:

doing a swot analysis on the team I would be managing if I'm successful (one of the other candidates is nailed on). I'm struggling with the threats part of the analysis

If the SWOT is on your prospective team, then surely there are generic threats - the potential for people to leave, meaning you'd be short handed. Ditto illness. Then there's the potential (when anyone gets promoted) for people to feel they've been overlooked or to be resentful of the one who's just been promoted - so there's be dealing with that - what would you do - how would you deal with it and so on. You'll surely know other problems or potential problems in the team, or similar teams you've worked with - giving details of what you've experienced would be a plus in an interview - even if it's just about how different styles of "leadership" have motivated/de-motivated you, or others in teams you've worked with/in - stress from the Covid situation must be a thing?...etc.  - for example "i've noticed this...and I'd be mindful of not doing that, instead doing such and such ...in similar situations...."Good luck

[V01]

I did put staff turnover and covid isolations down as placeholders while I tried to come up with something else, maybe I'm not as dumb as I look. 

 

Thinking of putting something in about being the manager I wish I had, trying to build a positive culture and looking for ways to inspire/motivate staff to improve their performance rather than resort to punitive actions when they make mistakes.

[blandy]

14 minutes ago, V01 said:

I did put staff turnover and covid isolations down as placeholders while I tried to come up with something else, maybe I'm not as dumb as I look. 

Thinking of putting something in about being the manager I wish I had, trying to build a positive culture and looking for ways to inspire/motivate staff to improve their performance rather than resort to punitive actions when they make mistakes.

That's good. Something to think about would be [if I were your interviewer, I'd want to hear something on the lines of]: If you say you would try to build a positive culture and looking for ways to inspire/motivate staff to improve their performance rather than resort to punitive actions when they make mistakes., then that's great, But I'd think to myself "is this person a pushover for sloppy staff?" so I'd want to hear what underlines that approach - for example "I (you) would try to understand what had led to the mistake being made, and then determine a course of action based around that - the person making the mistake may have been let down/not trained in [whatever]/a repeat mistake maker/having trouble at home/tired due to long shifts... - address the underlying cause not the react only on the effect (mistake) type of thing, to prevent future instances....