The Careers/Jobs thread

[dubbs]

2 hours ago, Genie said:

Was it formally extended in writing? Sounds like they’ve cut corners. 

I'll have to check back and see if I had it in writing,  I can remember a conversation but no sure if a letter followed. 

[dubbs]

13 hours ago, bielesibub said:

What are your skills? Would a skill thread be good to set up?

I've got over 20 years experience in sheet metal component profiling roles - specifically sales and previous to that CAD.  Producing quotations, working with customers to ensure what they want is feasible, raw material purchasing, account management and new business development. 

 

Maybe a separate thread would be good? One for the mods to decide!

[Genie]

11 hours ago, dubbs said:

I'll have to check back and see if I had it in writing,  I can remember a conversation but no sure if a letter followed. 

I’m wondering if they didn’t formally state your probation was being extended then it is assumed to be passed... someone else will know better than me.

If you’re a fully fledged employee then things change with regards to redundancy, they have to offer any other available jobs, training, period of consultation etc. 
 

Edited July 30, 2020 by Genie

[bielesibub]

4 hours ago, dubbs said:

I've got over 20 years experience in sheet metal component profiling roles - specifically sales and previous to that CAD.  Producing quotations, working with customers to ensure what they want is feasible, raw material purchasing, account management and new business development. 

 

Maybe a separate thread would be good? One for the mods to decide!

Sorry dubbs, thought I might be able to help when you spoke about updating your LinkedIn profile (big assumption of mine that you might be in IT ), sorry. Before I had to retire I was in IT.

[dubbs]

38 minutes ago, bielesibub said:

Sorry dubbs, thought I might be able to help when you spoke about updating your LinkedIn profile (big assumption of mine that you might be in IT ), sorry. Before I had to retire I was in IT.

No problem bielesibub, sometimes wish my skills were more in line with an IT career; certainly more prospects at the moment!

,

[HanoiVillan]

20 hours ago, dubbs said:

Today I found out I'll be unemployed at the end of August.  My extended probationary period has been reviewed and its been decided I won't be given a full time contract.   The initial period ended in March but due to being on furlough it was extended.  I've not been at work since, apart from 4 split days when I was needed at customer sites.  Don't know how I feel at the moment.   It wasn't a job I particularly enjoyed, but at least it was a job. Doesn't seem fair that I've not been able to use the probation extention to get a better feel for the role and its like this is an excuse the company can use to get rid without any redundancy (if I was due any).  

I've updated my LinkedIn profile today so my connections can see im available, and I've been looking for a while as I anticipated this outcome.  

Is there a way I can see what positions match my skill set - not just jobs with similar titles but also ones I've not thought of previously?

Solidarity at a difficult time. Good luck, and I hope you find something you like soon.

[dubbs]

Had an email from my boss today.  In it she states the reason for my employment being terminated is because my performance hasn't improved since the end of March to date.  I responded stating I was concerned about the stated reason as I'd been on furlough since the start of April and so I failed to see how I'd been given an opportunity to prove myself.   At the end of my email I asked her to confirm receipt of my email and that she'd understood it.   I've not received a response yet.

[Stevo985]

10 hours ago, dubbs said:

Had an email from my boss today.  In it she states the reason for my employment being terminated is because my performance hasn't improved since the end of March to date.  I responded stating I was concerned about the stated reason as I'd been on furlough since the start of April and so I failed to see how I'd been given an opportunity to prove myself.   At the end of my email I asked her to confirm receipt of my email and that she'd understood it.   I've not received a response yet.

To be honest it sounds like a cop out. There's probably certain reasons they can choose to terminate your employment after a probationary period and performance is probably one of them. Had you been given any indication before April that your performance needed to improve?

Pure guess, but wouldn't surprise me if they have to get rid of some people and they're using this as an excuse

[HanoiVillan]

40 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

To be honest it sounds like a cop out. There's probably certain reasons they can choose to terminate your employment after a probationary period and performance is probably one of them. Had you been given any indication before April that your performance needed to improve?

Pure guess, but wouldn't surprise me if they have to get rid of some people and they're using this as an excuse

I mean, I'm sure you're right that they have to get rid of people, but why use this 'as an excuse' when there's literally a global pandemic? It's obviously absurd to let someone go for 'failing to improve their performance' over a period of time when they were on furlough and forbidden from working. It's even more concerning since this sounds like it could affect his reference. It almost sounds daft enough that she might have selected the wrong option from a drop-down menu or something.

[dubbs]

46 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

To be honest it sounds like a cop out. There's probably certain reasons they can choose to terminate your employment after a probationary period and performance is probably one of them. Had you been given any indication before April that your performance needed to improve?

Pure guess, but wouldn't surprise me if they have to get rid of some people and they're using this as an excuse

They did say they wanted me to improve in some areas during a conversation in March but then the pandemic hit and I've not worked since start of April.  

Today i received the exact same letter delivered by DPD with a photo taken of it in my doorway.  I don't know if this is a "response" to my reply or if they are just ensuring they have proof I've seen their original letter. I'm thinking of waiting until tomorrow to see if they reply to me and if not, I'll drive to the office and hand deliver my a copy of my reply with photographic evidence of it being delivered. 

[dubbs]

7 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

t's even more concerning since this sounds like it could affect his reference.

This is my concern too.  I've heard you can't be given a bad reference but they can decline to give you one which looks bad. 

[Dom_Wren]

22 years of youth soccer coaching comes to an end due to a baby boy coming .

 

Robbie Robinson-inter Miami (1st pick)

Tomas Hilliard arce- la galaxy (2nd pick)

Enzo Martinez-Real salt lake (19th pick)

Alex Martinez-sporting Kansas City

Sebastian Velasquez-Real salt lake

Jaylin Lindsay-sporting Kansas City

Brendan McDonough-Vancouver whitecaps

 

Shawn Ferguson-Charleston battery (usl)

Ricardo garbanzo-Charleston battery (usl)

 

4x high school state champs

1 x high school national champs

4 x club state champs

1 x club national champs

1 x national coach of the year

 

but the most rewarding ting is the relationships with the lads!

 

 

 

 

[Mandy Lifeboats]

I've just been given an informal telling off for slipping this small passage of text into a much larger document reviewing my team's activity in the last 3 months.

"We decided to use a few hours to ensure our safety and get a COVID test.  We all crammed into John's Fiat 500 and set off.  We found a packet of extra strong mints in the glove compartment but alas there was only one left.  We rationed ourselves to five sucks before passing it onto the next team member.  On the way back from the testing centre we popped into KFC and shared a half price cardboard bucket of chicken grease which helped save the economy.  It was a fantastic day and enjoyed by all.  Next month we are planning to get tested for chlamydia.  I just hope my cough has gone by then."

I'm very impressed that anyone actually read the very dull document and spotted it.  

Work is so much more enjoyable when you're nearing retirement and no longer care.   

 

Edited August 6, 2020 by Mandy Lifeboats
Speeling mishsteaks

[Davkaus]

I'm in the position of having 3 different paths ahead of me, which is nice.

One of our sister companies is hiring for someone in my current role, but it's different tech, a smaller team, a good chance to learn some new stuff and potentially in the future build out the rest of the team.

So I applied, I was offered an interview after having a good hour long "screening" call with them, and as a courtesy told my current line manager and project manager. Who absolutely panicked. And spent the next 3 days pulling me in to meetings to get my thoughts of new roles they could make to keep me happy. They got my interest in some new internal opportunities, and even though it's a company in our "alliance", the other role is still a new contract, and new length of service which is pretty scary in these uncertain times. So I sent the sister company an email withdrawing from the interview, which should have been yesterday.

Today they emailed me again asking if they could possibly have half an hour of my time tomorrow to discuss the position further. Basically, I think they interviewed the other candidates, they were dire, and now it's "name your price" time.

I can:

• Jump ship to that company, I think I could haggle a decent pay increase due to them reaching out like this. And they're rapidly expanding and doing cracking business at the moment, so  it's a risk, but doesn't feel like a huge one. Potentially I'll be able to build a team in my own image at some point, but for now I'll be a one man band without much support - bright side is there are no legacy poor decisions for me to have to live with, I can just start putting my own processes in place.
• Stay where I am, but I've been offered some minions to take some of my dull and frustrating tasks away, and been told I can restructure things a bit. Same money. Less stress, zero risk. Potentially a bit dull and not much opportunity to learn. It feels like the "I've decided to stay comfortable and count down the days to retirement" option.  
• Potentially move to another internal role, that they're making for me, which is a cross-team "lead" position, letting me focus on the bits of my current job I'm interested in, for a couple of different teams, while offloading a lot of the stuff I find dull. I suspect no current salary increase, but it'd define my future progression a lot more, put some new stuff on the CV, and get my name a lot well known across the business as the expert in what I do.

It's a very fortunate position to be in, but I'm torn. I'm going to have the chat with the other company tomorrow and see what they're putting on the table so I at least know what I'm deciding between.

Edited August 18, 2020 by Davkaus

[cheltenham_villa]

On 03/08/2020 at 22:51, dubbs said:

Had an email from my boss today.  In it she states the reason for my employment being terminated is because my performance hasn't improved since the end of March to date.  I responded stating I was concerned about the stated reason as I'd been on furlough since the start of April and so I failed to see how I'd been given an opportunity to prove myself.   At the end of my email I asked her to confirm receipt of my email and that she'd understood it.   I've not received a response yet.

I feel for your situation, ive seen lots of people go through this but fortunately havent experienced it myself.

From working closely with all those people, the advice i would give is to accept it and move on quickly with minimum fuss. This might feel like a difficul thing to do if you've been wrongly treated but its highly unlikely you will change someones mind its also feels like you havent been with the company for a long period so its unfortunately unlikely that you would benefit from any increased protection. The stress that comes with fighting these things is rarely worth it and your efforts are best spent finding your next role.

It may be worth asking if they any job seekers support? cv writing, training, connections into other companies. Its also worth making them aware that you would consider returning, working reduced hours (if this is the case). It sounds like youre in a manufacturing/engineering environment, that can be a very small world and leaving in the best possible circumstances may help you further down the line.

Hopefully this doesnt come across as patronising, i was keen to offer a diffferent perspective. I really hope things improve for you. 

[HanoiVillan]

@dubbs what has happened since your post? How are things?

[dubbs]

11 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

@dubbs what has happened since your post? How are things?

I received a reply to my letter about a week later.  It simply stated my boss had received my letter but no other responses to the questions/points were offered.  Since then I have had no communication from the company.  I guess I'll have to go back to the office once more to return the company phone at the end of the month but otherwise I'm done there.  I had already accepted that I had to move on and have been actively looking for a new role.  It a real struggle out there tbh.  My experience is from a specialist manufacturing environment, and there are a limited number of companies who offer the same type of process that I'm used to.  This is why I am also looking at the potential of doing something completely different.  For example yesterday i visited a company who arrange car collections and deliveries.  The driver takes a car from point A to point B and then gets to the next job using public transport - rinse and repeat.  Expenses such as these are covered by the company if they agree the cost was justified (so you cant take taxis everywhere!)  All the drivers are self employed so have to take care of their own tax etc, so there is a potential for the expense of employing an accountant to help me out with that - or there are pieces of software which may do the same thing.

I'm apprehensive of taking on this type of work at the moment but I guess thats because its out of my comfort zone.  Its currently the only option I've got so it doesn't feel like I've much choice and who knows, maybe it will be a perfect change.

[HanoiVillan]

33 minutes ago, dubbs said:

I received a reply to my letter about a week later.  It simply stated my boss had received my letter but no other responses to the questions/points were offered.  Since then I have had no communication from the company.  I guess I'll have to go back to the office once more to return the company phone at the end of the month but otherwise I'm done there.  I had already accepted that I had to move on and have been actively looking for a new role.  It a real struggle out there tbh.  My experience is from a specialist manufacturing environment, and there are a limited number of companies who offer the same type of process that I'm used to.  This is why I am also looking at the potential of doing something completely different.  For example yesterday i visited a company who arrange car collections and deliveries.  The driver takes a car from point A to point B and then gets to the next job using public transport - rinse and repeat.  Expenses such as these are covered by the company if they agree the cost was justified (so you cant take taxis everywhere!)  All the drivers are self employed so have to take care of their own tax etc, so there is a potential for the expense of employing an accountant to help me out with that - or there are pieces of software which may do the same thing.

I'm apprehensive of taking on this type of work at the moment but I guess thats because its out of my comfort zone.  Its currently the only option I've got so it doesn't feel like I've much choice and who knows, maybe it will be a perfect change.

I'm happy to hear there's the possibility of something coming your way. As long as you can find something, then it is probably better not to be working for a company who treated you as badly as your former employer did at the end there. I got made redundant last year, and it ended up being an absolute blessing, but I guess last year was a different world.

[Sid4ever]

2 hours ago, dubbs said:

I received a reply to my letter about a week later.  It simply stated my boss had received my letter but no other responses to the questions/points were offered.  Since then I have had no communication from the company.  I guess I'll have to go back to the office once more to return the company phone at the end of the month but otherwise I'm done there.  I had already accepted that I had to move on and have been actively looking for a new role.  It a real struggle out there tbh.  My experience is from a specialist manufacturing environment, and there are a limited number of companies who offer the same type of process that I'm used to.  This is why I am also looking at the potential of doing something completely different.  For example yesterday i visited a company who arrange car collections and deliveries.  The driver takes a car from point A to point B and then gets to the next job using public transport - rinse and repeat.  Expenses such as these are covered by the company if they agree the cost was justified (so you cant take taxis everywhere!)  All the drivers are self employed so have to take care of their own tax etc, so there is a potential for the expense of employing an accountant to help me out with that - or there are pieces of software which may do the same thing.

I'm apprehensive of taking on this type of work at the moment but I guess thats because its out of my comfort zone.  Its currently the only option I've got so it doesn't feel like I've much choice and who knows, maybe it will be a perfect change.

Hi Dubbs, what you explain above is exactly what my brother is doing now.  He took early retirement, at 55, and now works 5 days a week delivering vehicles.  He loves it, and used to be a HR manager so quite the career change.  I think he works out of a place in Telford.

[dubbs]

1 hour ago, Sid4ever said:

Hi Dubbs, what you explain above is exactly what my brother is doing now.  He took early retirement, at 55, and now works 5 days a week delivering vehicles.  He loves it, and used to be a HR manager so quite the career change.  I think he works out of a place in Telford.

Hi @Sid4ever thanks for that.  It's definitely something I'm seriously considering.   I've previously thought about wanting to do something different so this is an ideal opportunity.   The next stage would be to spend a day with one of their drivers to make sure its something I want to do.  

Edited August 19, 2020 by dubbs