This Business and Moment...

CapitalOne said:
So, interesting 8 weeks for me, boss quit and now I’m head of department (about 80 people). Well “interim” because I have not had a formal promotion yet. I will make sure to keep the thread informed.

Point of note number 1. Everyone is being very nice to me.
Point of note number 2. There is no magic washroom with champagne and noshing.


Note I am of course the natural choice. If anyone is at Gartner at Excel on Monday I’m a speaker.
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Gimme a job pls
 
ChrisD. said:
On a beach, on a cruise, far away from here. Hate these sort of questions, I see absolutely no value and to me it's just a silly game which means and achieves nothing beneficial for anyone.
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I got this at my last one as well and I hate them. My previous one I managed to just say like, "Oh I just want to be in a position where I can truly feel I provide as much value as possible to the organisation bla bla bla" but the one just gone I was pressed for more of a role etc. and I just don't care. I told them, I don't care what the title is if that's what you're asking, but if you really want me to say "I want X title" I can make something up if you like?

The whole thing is just BS anyway. It never ever leads to anything. It's not like anyone does a blind thing to make it happen, so who gives a hoot
 
randomshenans said:
I got this at my last one as well and I hate them. My previous one I managed to just say like, "Oh I just want to be in a position where I can truly feel I provide as much value as possible to the organisation bla bla bla" but the one just gone I was pressed for more of a role etc. and I just don't care. I told them, I don't care what the title is if that's what you're asking, but if you really want me to say "I want X title" I can make something up if you like?

The whole thing is just BS anyway. It never ever leads to anything. It's not like anyone does a blind thing to make it happen, so who gives a hoot
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I got asked this in my interview for the role I just started (moving up, been in the company 6 years across two teams). I literally said "I don't believe in planning that far ahead. I will take the opportunities that will have the most positive impact but those can only be seen as they appear". Looked my CTO in the eye and told him I don't care :P

It's just a nonsense question, especially if you consider the fact work shouldn't be your primary goal in life.
 
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LuckyBenski said:
It's just a nonsense question, especially if you consider the fact work shouldn't be your primary goal in life.
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Ha if I was totally honest it would probably be like "In 3-5yrs I would like to be in a position where I'm making enough money through different sources of income that I am no longer in a position I HAVE to work 100%"

Not sure they'd like that
 
LuckyBenski said:
I got asked this in my interview for the role I just started (moving up, been in the company 6 years across two teams). I literally said "I don't believe in planning that far ahead. I will take the opportunities that will have the most positive impact but those can only be seen as they appear". Looked my CTO in the eye and told him I don't care :p

It's just a nonsense question, especially if you consider the fact work shouldn't be your primary goal in life.
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Go the awkward route.

"Well 2 years ago my mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness... but on the other hand my cousin won the lottery 6 months ago so anything could happen over the next 5 years."
 
LuckyBenski said:
I will take the opportunities that will have the most positive impact but those can only be seen as they appear
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I might borrow that one in future; it's like agile principles, why finalise a decision on what steps you are going to take / end solution at the point you have the least amount of information/experience available? I've never really had a plan for where I want to get to career wise, but I'm conscious that it's sometimes expected and might be interpreted as someone that is lacking drive or organisational skills.
When I was doing 'career planning' or whatever it was called at school, I didn't even know that the jobs I've been doing existed. I thought software development was literally a guy writing computer code in production and if it broke or needed enhancement they just changed it there and then.
 
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So I've been head hunted and after a quick (very quick) interview, there's a good role in Saudi Arabia... not everyone's cup of tea, and not sure if it's mine (although I do like the middle east a lot). The salary is ridiculous (makes my salary feel like minimum wage), it includes relocation costs and money towards accommodation, healthcare and education (for the kids)....

It's quite interesting opportunity - I think had it been UAE/Dubai I'd be more tempted, SA is still a little bit conservative - though the people are lovely, and we don't drink anyway, but I think I'd miss bacon! :cry:

I've got a month or so to think about it - I might fly over to get a feel for it.
 
Freefaller said:
So I've been head hunted and after a quick (very quick) interview, there's a good role in Saudi Arabia... not everyone's cup of tea, and not sure if it's mine (although I do like the middle east a lot). The salary is ridiculous (makes my salary feel like minimum wage), it includes relocation costs and money towards accommodation, healthcare and education (for the kids)....

It's quite interesting opportunity - I think had it been UAE/Dubai I'd be more tempted, SA is still a little bit conservative - though the people are lovely, and we don't drink anyway, but I think I'd miss bacon! :cry:

I've got a month or so to think about it - I might fly over to get a feel for it.
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Do it man. If you have nothing holding you back.
 
dLockers said:
Do it man. If you have nothing holding you back.
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Wife and 2 kids to consider and our properties in the UK - but that's just effort not an excuse - I won't make a decision until I visit.

I am tempted, just not sure how enjoyable an experience it'll be for my wife - although it is progressing compared to Dubai it's still very biased on Sharia law - which in principle isn't an issue, just a bit of adaptation. It's not off the table, the offer is quite compelling.
 
randomshenans said:
Sounds super interesting and well worth the visit to feel the place out.
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Yes it's a very interesting project. Good pipeline of work - I asked if they'd consider flying me out there to visit before "sealing the deal" they said they thought that was a good idea.

I have another call with them tomorrow to go over some of the questions I had.
 
Freefaller said:
I am tempted, just not sure how enjoyable an experience it'll be for my wife - although it is progressing compared to Dubai it's still very biased on Sharia law - which in principle isn't an issue, just a bit of adaptation. It's not off the table, the offer is quite compelling.
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I'd say this is the biggest factor and something you'll want to explore in depth. I can imagine it would be quite alienating moving away not only to a different culture but also losing her local support network. This can be especially hard if your children are young - if you move somewhere in the UK, you can always find local community groups etc but not sure if that would be the case in other countries where they might rely more on family.
You need to get honest views from her in a way that she doesn't feel like she'd be 'blocking' you by saying she isn't keen (if she felt that way).

I'd want to get an understanding of whether the area you'd be staying has other westerners, is there any sort of ex-pat community, potentially as rich people you might be in a position where you can get away with more western customs in secluded communities. Although of course it depends on the personalities, some people would relish adapting to the different culture rather than just wanting to carry on as they are currently.
 
HangTime said:
I'd say this is the biggest factor and something you'll want to explore in depth. I can imagine it would be quite alienating moving away not only to a different culture but also losing her local support network. This can be especially hard if your children are young - if you move somewhere in the UK, you can always find local community groups etc but not sure if that would be the case in other countries where they might rely more on family.
You need to get honest views from her in a way that she doesn't feel like she'd be 'blocking' you by saying she isn't keen (if she felt that way).

I'd want to get an understanding of whether the area you'd be staying has other westerners, is there any sort of ex-pat community, potentially as rich people you might be in a position where you can get away with more western customs in secluded communities. Although of course it depends on the personalities, some people would relish adapting to the different culture rather than just wanting to carry on as they are currently.
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Yes you raise very good points.

If it's anything like I've done before it'll be in an expat compound with lots of amenities, like gyms, pools, and other things. There would be local expat groups / people - and she's very good at social media etc... I don't use it but she'd be able to seek out groups and so on - if there aren't any or she doesn't get a good vibe then we won't go.

She (being a multinational and of Malaysian-Chinese heritage) is quite adaptable - but at the same time has a lot of friends here - however, it wouldn't be "forever" but possibly better to do when the kids are young and it could be quite an interesting experience for them.

I haven't got my mind set yet - there's a lot of exploration to do, I nearly accepted a role in HK a few years back, but they changed the terms a week or so before I was going to sign the contract which made me back-away, and the riots were kicking off too - turns out that was the right decision.

In previous roles when I was based in the ME and the Med I didn't have children so it was easier / different. If we do decide to go, I'd want to be around other westerners for a bit of "down time" but at the same time I'd want to integrate as much as I can. I can speak a little arabic (I studied it at a-level) so I'd want to bring it up to speed, and I'd certainly wouldn't want to isolate myself all the time - however, unfortunately as a woman whilst she'd be able to drive and so on, she'd be lower down on the hierarchy of the country.

I've got a couple more calls and hopefully blag a visit before I make any decisions.
 
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