This Business and Moment...

Just had my interview with MS via Skype.

The interview began with a career history of me and then I got a lot of the standard corporation questions "What would it mean to work at a company like Microsoft?" etc - kind of questions I hate but have to be answered.

Then the technical questions began, this is where it got difficult. I answered them all the best I could. They also asked me a lot about technologies they knew I do not have direct hands on experience with so I kinda had to play it out with them anyway, but they repeated that they knew I wasn't sure...so maybe they were trying to see how I handled situations where I wasn't sure or confident with the tech involved, who knows?

It last 45 minutes in total. They said they were going to give their feedback to their manager and that I would hear back from them. They didn't say when. But then again things move slowly in Portugal, so we will see. But the next step would be an interview with another member of the team and the manager.

Overall I don't think I did well, but then the agent told me to expect that. So it's kind of mixed feelings, but hey I was a bit nervous and gave it my best, we will see!
 
skaif said:
So I'm not a big GD poster but need somewhere to vent so here goes....

I'll start with a bit of context in spoilers
Currently I am doing well for myself (at least in my eyes).

I am 28 and currently in my 3rd year of Head of Business and Computing at a local secondary. I am on course for the standard pay rise which should see me clear £40k this year.

Wife is expecting first child due in November and despite living at home (parents have pretty much said they want to retire abroad and spend many months away at the moment leaving just me, wife, older brother and younger sister) I am quite happy.
However, I know that I am not going to be in teaching forever, I have always wanted to start my own business. Be it a youth center or tuition place or whatever. I can only see myself in teaching for another few years.

Since I started teaching I contributed towards living expenses giving away half my salary on the usual bills, food etc, mortgage (which we cleared in Jan this year) and for the past 2 and a bit years have completely run the house by myself (Large 7 bed detached).

Now my parents foster care (by default myself and wife are nominated carers) and they have let the agency we are with know that after our current placement, they are out of the game and wish to retire. Current placement is due to end next summer so happy days.

Anyways, on to the business.
Keeping with the helping others and giving back to the community, my brother and I have agreed with our parents that we wish to use our house and convert it into a children's home / young adults care home. So much so that we have the business registered, business plan drawn up and are due to go through OFSTED regulations soon. Now this could prove to be a game changer for us as my brother has industry care experience, I have the education experience and our business partner has a successful business of his own. All looks good right?

This is where I need to vent. We have been given a timeline of Jan 2017 to open doors and get the business up and running. We are a loooong way from that.

That required roughly £40k worth of investment to the house and to put our family up in rented accommodation temporarily. (The plan is to run the business for a year and use the profits to buy another home that we can move into). The business plan makes sense, we stand to make some good money while helping out people in the process.

However, my wife is struggling with the pregnancy and will struggle to move unless its this month meaning we need to move out ASAP.

That means extra rent. We don't want to take any loans and want to do things ourselves (parents are willing to chip in but don't want to rely on that - they have practically given us a house) We have around 10k in savings and a further 10k from eldest sister.

Moving out, extra rent, on top of that the safeguarding and welfare of our current placement means that there are issues left and right. My brother is adamant that he wants to see it through and we should plow on, struggles at the start make it sweeter later on etc. My point is that I am fine in my current situation, should I be putting myself through all of this? I feel like he needs it more than I do but I also want to help out.

So yes, money is an issue, timing is an issue, I feel like I am choosing between this business and my family and sometimes feel like I am battling my wife and my brother. I know that a year from now if things go well I will be laughing about it all but at the moment its stressing me out :( Talk about first world problems
Click to expand...

Ain't it weird how things work out....Over the weekend we managed to secure funding from a family friend, no strings attached which takes our total savings to £50k, today we confirmed rental on our temporary accommodation (well minimum 2 years) that is an awesome house everyone is happy with!

Now the real work starts, moving house, renovating the old one, starting the business. Here's to the next 12 months!
 
skaif said:
Ain't it weird how things work out....Over the weekend we managed to secure funding from a family friend, no strings attached which takes our total savings to £50k, today we confirmed rental on our temporary accommodation (well minimum 2 years) that is an awesome house everyone is happy with!

Now the real work starts, moving house, renovating the old one, starting the business. Here's to the next 12 months!
Click to expand...

Well done! You'll no doubt find it gets more tough, as these things tend to, but hey it's worth the work for the pay off in the end!
 
Phate said:
Just had my interview with MS via Skype.

The interview began with a career history of me and then I got a lot of the standard corporation questions "What would it mean to work at a company like Microsoft?" etc - kind of questions I hate but have to be answered.

Then the technical questions began, this is where it got difficult. I answered them all the best I could. They also asked me a lot about technologies they knew I do not have direct hands on experience with so I kinda had to play it out with them anyway, but they repeated that they knew I wasn't sure...so maybe they were trying to see how I handled situations where I wasn't sure or confident with the tech involved, who knows?

It last 45 minutes in total. They said they were going to give their feedback to their manager and that I would hear back from them. They didn't say when. But then again things move slowly in Portugal, so we will see. But the next step would be an interview with another member of the team and the manager.

Overall I don't think I did well, but then the agent told me to expect that. So it's kind of mixed feelings, but hey I was a bit nervous and gave it my best, we will see!
Click to expand...

I think always with these things, it's not about trying to answer if you don't know but knowing where to go to get the answer, or what you'd do in the situation where you didn't. No one expects anyone to know everything, and if they do they're idiots. Hate going through those though! Good luck!
 
So the advert advertising my job has been edited.

It's gone from a junior position on £16k to a Degree ICT technician on £18k, £2k more than I'm on...

Time for another chat with my manager.
 
Just at the gym trying to work off massive frustration and being really ****ed off from today.

Got a phone call from the MD earlier which is normal, usually have a daily chat about how things are etc.

All was fine until he asked what was happening, what things are in the pipeline etc etc as he says what os currently on the books for April is concerning him and wondering what I am up to. Now up until today I thought everything was fine and dandy now he comes out with this crap.

I now wonder how or why he did not bring up any concerns earlier...bearing in mind this is brand new business for the company, joined them 18 months ago with £0 turnover in the UK. Last 9 months I have averaged around £60k per month with last month tipping over £80k...current book orders of around £20k and only the 5th!

I am in the process of applying for the police, and have other potential job offers in the background...i have shown nothing but loyalty and now this.

Honestly I am not pushing myself much, however I chose this job as the lowest paid by around £10k per annum basic thinking the pressure wouldn't be on me to cover costs and brimg in good profit but now I am really thinking about what's next...have they started to.show true colours? Honeymoon period over??!!
 
randomshenans said:
Well done! You'll no doubt find it gets more tough, as these things tend to, but hey it's worth the work for the pay off in the end!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words, we are getting the keys to the new place on Monday, deposit has been paid just waiting for them to clean up the house.

I'm still in a bit of shock that this is actually happening. I'm actually on the way to starting my own business. I have dreamt of this since school...
 
Further update from me.

Been at this company for over a month now, about 6 weeks in fact. The general feeling I'm getting now is that I am very welcome in every department except the one I work in. The newest guy here barely speaks any English so there is zero communication between him & I and the IT Manager is treating me shockingly badly. Barely speaks to me, only tries in Portuguese, gets fed up if I don't understand him the first time round etc.

I was looking at jumping ship anyway but this confirms it. I honestly want to leave without anything else to go to, joy!

I've not heard from MS yet. But I'm taking that as a good sign, so waiting on that one. I am also in the UK tomorrow for 2 nights and a contact I have there wants to meet me about a remote working role I can do for a British company, contracting on good money. It would be ideal. Slogging away at tickets at home and occasionally Skype conferencing in and generally being left to get on with it.

That way I can focus hard on learning Portuguese and not be micro managed and still earn a decent packet to travel when we like etc.

Fingers crossed for Wednesday!
 
regulus said:
Big things happening with old Reggie. My FTC role coming to an end at the end of December and I've applied for a full time role in our head office. Had my first Skype interview yesterday. Scheduled for 15min as an 'initial chat' and me and the guy spoke for 31min. The last 10 about surfing and mountain biking. End result? They're flying me out to meet the team.

Mentioned that to my General Manager down here and he's putting in a word for me with the executive GM my new boss (if I get it) reports to. All and all a good day. The only downer is that I'll have to take a 10k haircut on salary put as we're completely overpaid right now, so I suppose that's only fair. But the career progression is superb and the company is instantly recognisable in Australisia and the Far East. So there's room to move around countries in due time.

Just hope I get the damn role now :p
Click to expand...

Small update on this. They surprised me with a 2nd interview as the GM wanted to speak with me on the phone as well before getting me up to HQ. Anyway, the travel office is contacting me tomorrow and I'm flying up to meet with the team on Friday or Monday, depending on calendars. The way they want to do it is that I have a face to face with a group of department heads, then have lunch with the team I'll be working in. I know it'll be an awkward affair as it's not the Kiwi way to do a formal lunch but I'll have to soldier through that with my best boyish charm.

Little bit gutted as I was kinda looking forward having a month or two off in the new year before looking for a job but there you go.
 
is it acceptable to email a resignation?

there is no managers/directors based on the site I work at from the area of the business I am in. My direct manager isnt office based and comes to my site once every few months.
 
Another restructure in the pipeline, this time being branded as a 'refocus'.

1 dba left last week, the only other dba has put in their resignation and another sys admin is waiting for SC for a job before handing in his.


Great work management.
 
is it normal to feel sick?

contract come through for new job. it will be a big change to my day (mainly due to 25 mins driving to and from work opposed to 7 mins walk)

holidays are less by 8 days (but then i seem to get a lot of holidays which i dont think is normal) - currently get 28 days + bank hols. new place is 28 days including bank hols.

can you normally negotiate on holiday entitlement?
 
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