The Careers/Jobs thread

[Dodgyknees]

Currently looking to move. It looks likely to be Exeter - but I am open to other areas. Actually looked towards Birmingham at one point. 

It's so hard trying to convince employers you are serious. 

Annoyingly, I would have moved around 3 months ago but that fell through, was gutted (although it was only to Portsmouth!).

[A'Villan]

My professional basketball career is back on track and moving in a good direction. Some may remember that I missed out on signing for a club this season.

While I was not worried about my ability dwindling just yet, at 29, my days playing at professional levels are limited, missing out on a year of competition was not preferable.

However, I have been selected to play in a new association, the competition being created in 2018 and specifically setup to get Australian players professional contracts in Asia.

We are not paid to play in this competition, however it has attracted the top scorers from Australia's top tiers, as the competition is a platform to impress the Asian scouts.

I know it is run by Asians and every game is streamed live. Each team has a cheerleader squad. They obviously have in depth statistical records for players and teams.

They have managed to secure many players who are already playing professionally in Australia, so they obviously have some credibility in regard to the contracts in Asia.

Pre-season has started and I have established myself as a starter and someone who will put good numbers on the board. It's a good thing to have the confidence of your team.

I've been playing for 24 years now, if I've learned anything it's that you can't walk into a new setup and expect it to be the same as the last.

Despite the goal being to put leather ball in round ring, everyone brings a different outlook, experience, attitude etc. Some guys just want to hype themselves and forget the team.

Some guys are so selfless their talent goes unnoticed by onlookers who are looking for that 'superstar'.

I've been chatting with basketball heads since I found out about the league and people are telling me you can make a good living off basketball in Asia.

Sorry to bore you all with that haha but I'm excited for a new challenge.

And finally a quick update on the tournament I played in earlier this year, we didn't win the $10,000 prize money but it was a great day and we certainly made the highlights reel.

 

[Dodgyknees]

I've applied for a few jobs in/around Birmingham, wish me luck. 

[Tayls]

Hey folks

Does anybody know anything about eCommerce/SEO/google analytics/search console etc? 

 

[Seat68]

There is a company here in Stafford, realistically the only one that could employ me in my home town and my CV is very strong, lots of experience in their niche field. We are essentially perfect for each other. The **** haven't even granted me an interview on 2 occasions and yesterday I applied yet again and think what the hell is wrong with my CV if it happens again. 

[mikeyp102]

2 hours ago, Seat68 said:

There is a company here in Stafford, realistically the only one that could employ me in my home town and my CV is very strong, lots of experience in their niche field. We are essentially perfect for each other. The **** haven't even granted me an interview on 2 occasions and yesterday I applied yet again and think what the hell is wrong with my CV if it happens again. 

Do you send a cover letter with the cv? You should it’s a really big selling point. Are you just sending in your cv, or is there a vacancy? Try finding a manager at the company on LinkedIn, again use it to sell yourself

[Xela]

On 31/03/2019 at 17:38, Dr_Pangloss said:

Has anyone ever opted for compressed/ condensed hours before? If so any thoughts?

I literally have no interest in work anymore, I do my hours, do a good job, but really just long for more free time for me to do the things I actually enjoy, I feel like I'm wasting too much time in work. Condensed hours (i.e. doing 5 days worth of hours in 4 days) seems to be a good step as it'd give me a 3 day weekend and more time to indulge in various hobbies of mine. Keen to hear people's experiences, are they all that's cracked up to be?

 

I haven't but a number of colleagues at my workplace in non frontline jobs have and they love it. 3 day weekends actually feel like a proper break, I know when I book a Friday off it really makes a difference.

It is definitely something I will look into when I move out of sales and account management. 

Go for it mate! 

[Seat68]

24 minutes ago, mikeyp102 said:

Do you send a cover letter with the cv? You should it’s a really big selling point. Are you just sending in your cv, or is there a vacancy? Try finding a manager at the company on LinkedIn, again use it to sell yourself

Actually I never send a cover letter. Never thought about it. Thanks. 

[choffer]

On 12/04/2019 at 23:23, Tayls said:

Hey folks

Does anybody know anything about eCommerce/SEO/google analytics/search console etc? 

 

What's the question?

[Tayls]

6 hours ago, choffer said:

What's the question?

I’m taking on some responsibilities that would normally perhaps sit with an eComm manager, but have landed with me as I have a technical background. Essentially I will be managing our UK site, driving sales on it. I’m very new to SEO/Analytics etc and just wanted to get some advice on best approaches, tips, all that kind of stuff - how to get people to stay on the site itself. 

to put it another way, I need to look the absolute nuts... 

[choffer]

3 hours ago, Tayls said:

I’m taking on some responsibilities that would normally perhaps sit with an eComm manager, but have landed with me as I have a technical background. Essentially I will be managing our UK site, driving sales on it. I’m very new to SEO/Analytics etc and just wanted to get some advice on best approaches, tips, all that kind of stuff - how to get people to stay on the site itself. 

to put it another way, I need to look the absolute nuts... 

Ah, I know this one. the answer is content. That gets you off the hook. OK, so it's not that simple but generally people visit websites to get something be it info or purchase or use a service (I appreciate I'm stating the bleeding obvious here).. The site needs to be intuitively laid out and engaging and if transactional, the process needs to be as simple as possible. You can use the analytics to see where your attrition is happening and see what needs improved. Basically, you need to see how they arrive at your site, what they're looking for and where they stop. Google analytics should be able to give you everything you need in that regard but there are countless other options. We also use CrownPeak to add to this and if set up well, it can be really powerful. 

SEO is the darkest of arts as far as I'm concerned. The big search engines change the rules so often that it's almost impossible to keep up if you're in a competitive marketplace. It's a bit dated but this is a good place to start SEO101

Ultimately there are a million tools you can use for both analytics and SEO but depending on how much has been done in the past on your site, you should be able to make some good headway for very little outlay.

DM me if you want more suggestions. 

[choffer]

Just been offered a job. Almost exactly the same as the job I have now. Was thinking I needed a bit of a change after 7 years in my current role so I threw in for it and after 5 interviews and a load of psychometric tests, they've told me they want me.

I suspect the new job won't make any discernible difference to my earnings but it would mean less travelling and an easier commute. I'm currently seeing if I can play hardball on the package but I doubt they'll move much, if at all.

I don't think there's much of a dilemma to be had as I don't need to change jobs and if I did, it'd be for something that significantly improved my earnings (I've a medium term plan to jack in my career after 25 years and go back to school so this would bring forward the date at which I'm able to do this). I'm just kinda basking in the knowledge that another company wants me (while secretly hoping they're going to come back with a salary offer that I would have to consider seriously).

[Stevo985]

On 28/01/2019 at 20:32, Stevo985 said:

I'm about to make a big play at work.

I'm stagnating it. I agreed to a move to another team but because of headcount issues it's not happened. And I'm sick of waiting.

 

So I'm going to try and convince people to create an entire new team, hire additional heads, and let me lead it. 
I may very well flop, and I'll need a big dog or two on side. But **** it. May as well try. Worst they can do is laugh me out of the room.

Update: this didn't work.

I didn't get laughed out of the room though, just told there was no way it could happen because of headcount.

But it DID get me a new role. Now leading a whole new team doing something totally different. No **** idea what I'm doing so it's a baptism of fire, but I'll get there.

Edited April 23, 2019 by Stevo985

[lapal_fan]

17 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

Update: this didn't work.

I didn't get laughed out of the room though, just told there was no way it could happen because of headcount.

But it DID get me a new role. Now leading a whole new team doing something totally different. No **** idea what I'm doing so it's a baptism of fire, but I'll get there.

Nice one mate, well done.

I find many managers don't tend to have a clue, but I think you've shown enough entrepreneurialism to get given the shot at it.  It'll probably mean that there are few expectations for results, but the company are seeing how you set things up and if it is successful, they may model change around it. 

I'm in a bit of a funny place.  I work as an Energy & Sustainability manager for a private company who provide hard services for an NHS Trust.  I am not part of the site team, so to speak, I report to the Senior E&S Manager, but am paid by the Facilities Account manager on site.  The issue is, there is a variation agreement between us and the Trust, to provide them a lovely, holistic package on Energy Management (me), but that deed hasn't been signed for 18 months and has basically been used as leverage on a multitude of different things.  Which means at months end, my role is basically a cost for the Facilities Account manager..   When she should be getting paid for me, adding to her revenue streams. 

It doesn't make much of a difference, but occasionally, am made to feel not needed/wanted.  Me being me, I couldn't give a shit really - but if the variation is never signed, then essentially I won't be needed, meaning a 4th redundancy in 11 years! 

I'm sure actually, I would be allowed to move contracts, from this contract to another, but this Trust is my bread and butter, and I'd be "siteless" without it, meaning working from home everyday, which I wouldn't want.

[villa4europe]

started my new job in Germany 4 weeks ago and to be honest im bored **** shitless 

its construction so feast and famine as usual and I think (I hope!) I've joined during a famine, doesn't help that its the holidays and there are 4 of us in today, the task list they set me to do this week while my supervisor is off will take me around 6 hours to do maybe less, I haven't seen my boss yet, international company and he is off around Asia somewhere

I've changed from a QS to an estimator and the role doesn't come anywhere near close to using the knowledge or experience I have, I think there are a couple of estimators on here, its trained monkey stuff! no remeasures or anything, no bills, historical data and applied factors rather than enquiries and quotes, inhouse design teams who take off the quants, I just kind of collate it all and add a contingency, I've never seen anything like it in the UK (and from what I can gather already it doesn't work...lots of luck involved, they can make money but if you ask them they don't know how they've done it)

[Stevo985]

29 minutes ago, lapal_fan said:

Nice one mate, well done.

I find many managers don't tend to have a clue, but I think you've shown enough entrepreneurialism to get given the shot at it.  It'll probably mean that there are few expectations for results, but the company are seeing how you set things up and if it is successful, they may model change around it. 

I was completely open about it. The director asked me if I was interested and I openly told him I had no clue or experience about that role. He said he didn't need someone like that, the team know what they're doing, it just needs someone to manage them, take the high level bullshit away from them so they can just do their job and then implement a few new things.

Still pretty daunting trying to manage people who know 50 times more than you about everything, but it's not going badly.

31 minutes ago, lapal_fan said:

I'm in a bit of a funny place.  I work as an Energy & Sustainability manager for a private company who provide hard services for an NHS Trust.  I am not part of the site team, so to speak, I report to the Senior E&S Manager, but am paid by the Facilities Account manager on site.  The issue is, there is a variation agreement between us and the Trust, to provide them a lovely, holistic package on Energy Management (me), but that deed hasn't been signed for 18 months and has basically been used as leverage on a multitude of different things.  Which means at months end, my role is basically a cost for the Facilities Account manager..   When she should be getting paid for me, adding to her revenue streams. 

It doesn't make much of a difference, but occasionally, am made to feel not needed/wanted.  Me being me, I couldn't give a shit really - but if the variation is never signed, then essentially I won't be needed, meaning a 4th redundancy in 11 years! 

I'm sure actually, I would be allowed to move contracts, from this contract to another, but this Trust is my bread and butter, and I'd be "siteless" without it, meaning working from home everyday, which I wouldn't want.

That's not too dissimilar to the position I was in. 

The role was a valuable one, but it was one where certain people didn't see that value. It was seen as not a real job, frustratingly so, because it was all reporting and analytics rather than actually "doing stuff".
So I had this impending feeling of stagnation and not being wanted. Hence why I moved, because I was afraid they'd eventually say that position was redundant.

(as it happens they haven't backfilled it and I'm still doing half the work so it kind of proves their intentions!)

 

So I guess my advice would be if you're worried about redundancy, make that move now. To me it would be easier to negotiate it now rather than after you're redundant.

[KenjiOgiwara]

Not sure if there's a lot I admire more than people starting their own business. Impresses me a lot. 

[Stevo985]

11 minutes ago, KenjiOgiwara said:

Not sure if there's a lot I admire more than people starting their own business. Impresses me a lot. 

Same.

I'd love to do it myself I've just never found that golden idea.

[choffer]

On 23/04/2019 at 15:38, choffer said:

Just been offered a job. Almost exactly the same as the job I have now. Was thinking I needed a bit of a change after 7 years in my current role so I threw in for it and after 5 interviews and a load of psychometric tests, they've told me they want me.

I suspect the new job won't make any discernible difference to my earnings but it would mean less travelling and an easier commute. I'm currently seeing if I can play hardball on the package but I doubt they'll move much, if at all.

I don't think there's much of a dilemma to be had as I don't need to change jobs and if I did, it'd be for something that significantly improved my earnings (I've a medium term plan to jack in my career after 25 years and go back to school so this would bring forward the date at which I'm able to do this). I'm just kinda basking in the knowledge that another company wants me (while secretly hoping they're going to come back with a salary offer that I would have to consider seriously).

This company are acting like the girl who fancies you and won't take no for an answer. I'm now on to my third offer from them and the CEO came over to me to buy me coffee and see if he could get me to change my mind. It's all very bizarre* but for some reason they really want me to join them. I'm half-tempted now that they've bumped the salary. I'll be marginally better off than I am now but with a lot bigger projects to do. The upside is I can drive there in 40 minutes (instead of my 2 hour commute) and they strike me as a much more employee-focused organisation than the one I'm in. The downside is that I'm massively comfortable in my current role and I can pretty much set my own agenda, come and go as I please and just coast on through. 

 

 

(* Only because I've never been in this situation before)

[Davkaus]

More money, and 6+ hours a week being spent doing your own thing instead of sat in traffic? I'd bite their hand off.