This Business and Moment...

Man of Honour
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20 Sep 2006
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you know when you get a negative vibe? That's how I feel.
Absolutely, I wouldn't be taking it. What's the time away from home for both jobs?

I spent 13 years in the Army, when I left and started contracting in 2012 I was told to always look for 3 things: location, job satisfaction and day rate. You'll be hard pushed to a role which offers all 3, the other 2 are down to the individual. I've just taken a cut in pay (£50 a day) to work closer to home (4 miles vs 75) and my life is immeasurably better because of it. You could apply the same principle to permanent positions, ie, your situation.

The company I work for now have around 500 staff I believe, the board go through managers quicker than staff so I'm glad that I'm here as a consultant! My boss is currently reviewing CVs for people to replace him because they refused to renew his contract, nice!
 
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Soldato
OP
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Good luck guys!

I was bored this morning, so put in a tender for a Surrey County Council Gov. Contract. It was for the creation of an online school for them, courses, staffing, technology platform and support. Put the bid together last night finished it this morning... see what they think :o never done one before so thinking nothing of it really. It's an aside to what my side gig does, but an area I could definitely deliver in, and my bid wasn't a shy one at 1.4m so you know. Would be nice.
Anyway, beat the crap I was supposed to do this morning.
 
Soldato
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Stoke area
Good luck guys!

I was bored this morning, so put in a tender for a Surrey County Council Gov. Contract. It was for the creation of an online school for them, courses, staffing, technology platform and support. Put the bid together last night finished it this morning... see what they think :o never done one before so thinking nothing of it really. It's an aside to what my side gig does, but an area I could definitely deliver in, and my bid wasn't a shy one at 1.4m so you know. Would be nice.
Anyway, beat the crap I was supposed to do this morning.

That sounds awesome! We did similar when I was working at the visual impairment company, excellent money to be made but some of the tenders can require extremely complicated to even start applying for. I think ours was for a training platform for the NHS, I have no idea why they went for it as they couldn't have delivered. I was the only tech person there.
 
Soldato
Joined
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5,691
Absolutely, I wouldn't be taking it. What's the time away from home for both jobs?

I spent 13 years in the Army, when I left and started contracting in 2012 I was told to always look for 3 things: location, job satisfaction and day rate. You'll be hard pushed to a role which offers all 3, the other 2 are down to the individual. I've just taken a cut in pay (£50 a day) to work closer to home (4 miles vs 75) and my life is immeasurably better because of it. You could apply the same principle to permanent positions, ie, your situation.

The company I work for now have around 500 staff I believe, the board go through managers quicker than staff so I'm glad that I'm here as a consultant! My boss is currently reviewing CVs for people to replace him because they refused to renew his contract, nice!

Thanks for the time to write that, Chris. You get to thinking I'm being selfish, or throwing away an opportunity but it's good to know someone else thinks the way I do.

In terms of my current role I have an 11 mile (single way), A road commute, and the new job is similar, so both I'm happy with. Job satisfaction currently is a double edged sword, I'm very comfortable and relaxed in my position and generally liked across my colleague community (as best I can tell). The managers are fighting to keep me, so it stands for something. The flip side of that is that I'm not being utilised to the best of my ability, and this has been noted by other members of staff too. Day rate I'm happy with, but if I stay, I get the feeling they're going to match the similar rate of the new (potential) position.

Wow, sounds like a somewhat sharp business to work for but as you say, you're not in it for the long haul I guess? Now you mention that, the two finance managers before me both left within 6 months and the owners refused to give an adequate explanation as to why. Go figure...

Thank you. I need it. Tired of this place where I work it's a lot of work for the pay.

Don't take this the wrong way but don't fret if you don't get it. Great if you do, obviously, but you know you want to move so keep going! Fingers crossed you get into a happier place soon.
 
Soldato
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Had my annual appraisal today and I'm set to start working under a big, big cheese (having done some work for him and he liked me) and he did my review. God, you really do feel like a total 'ant' next to someone of that seniority. Everything they say and do, even casual conversation, is so polished, intelligent and articulate that it's one hell of a reality check to what a total nooblet I really am :o

Went well though :D

Get them drunk and they're just like any other schmoe out there :p

I experienced the same with out regional manager when I had my first meeting with him. Incredible how he cut straight to the heart of the matter and could turn the conversation in the room on a dime and refocus the group on what's actual important and discarding the irrelevant. I guess I got so used to working for average managers and worthless middle management that it came as a shock working for someone able. But I do like watching guys like that in action. You learn more in a meeting than you would in a year of business school.
 
Man of Honour
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Thanks for the time to write that, Chris. You get to thinking I'm being selfish, or throwing away an opportunity but it's good to know someone else thinks the way I do.

In terms of my current role I have an 11 mile (single way), A road commute, and the new job is similar, so both I'm happy with. Job satisfaction currently is a double edged sword, I'm very comfortable and relaxed in my position and generally liked across my colleague community (as best I can tell). The managers are fighting to keep me, so it stands for something. The flip side of that is that I'm not being utilised to the best of my ability, and this has been noted by other members of staff too. Day rate I'm happy with, but if I stay, I get the feeling they're going to match the similar rate of the new (potential) position.

Wow, sounds like a somewhat sharp business to work for but as you say, you're not in it for the long haul I guess? Now you mention that, the two finance managers before me both left within 6 months and the owners refused to give an adequate explanation as to why. Go figure...
I'd stay where you are and try and see if you can get involved in more.

I hope to stay where I am for a year at least, just have to wait and see what happens renewal time (December).
 
Soldato
OP
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Get them drunk and they're just like any other schmoe out there :p

I experienced the same with out regional manager when I had my first meeting with him. Incredible how he cut straight to the heart of the matter and could turn the conversation in the room on a dime and refocus the group on what's actual important and discarding the irrelevant. I guess I got so used to working for average managers and worthless middle management that it came as a shock working for someone able. But I do like watching guys like that in action. You learn more in a meeting than you would in a year of business school.

Ha I was at a conference recently and ended up at the GSV after party on closing night and the co founder of Global Silicon Valley Investments (big in the industry) comes in, absolutely trashed. Like, ruined. Proceeds to get on the table and do a "speech" and after that was found slumped over a table shoveling five guys cheese burgers into his face like the Hoff. Everyone is human. They've just often had more years to polish their BS spiels! It's all confidence.

I'd stay where you are and try and see if you can get involved in more.

I hope to stay where I am for a year at least, just have to wait and see what happens renewal time (December).

It does sound like some niggles in that contract might be annoying, and if you're not moving because you really hate your place, I'd be inclined to see what counter you get and like Chris said, get involved more on things and keep building that experience. That could easily be a part of your "I'll stay if I get..."
At the end of the day you always have to look out for you. As much as companies can be nice, they have too much going on to care about your careers :)

Things are all go at the moment. A couple of days ago I got confirmation of a new job in Belgium, now I have 3 weeks to try and get relocated!

Nice! That'll be a great move! What's the position? Will be an interesting place to be. Will be interesting to see if you go back after being there or decide to move to another place...
 
Associate
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Cambs
Nice! That'll be a great move! What's the position? Will be an interesting place to be. Will be interesting to see if you go back after being there or decide to move to another place...

My initial role will be Product Planning Manager. It's for a start-up company that is looking to expand quite rapidly over the next 12-18mos so it's a great time to get on-board.

Having been in ROI for the last 6 years I'd like to never return :p. Being on the west coast is filled with grey, windy and rainy days for most of the year & I never realised just how much it got be down.
 
Associate
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Chipping Norton
well it looks like i'm moving over from contractor to permanent staff now.
had the offer through the other day, quoting a lower salary as advertised which has now been increased after my threat of leaving :rolleyes:.

happy days, now i just need to pass the security clearance and i'm good to go :cool::D
 
Soldato
Joined
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5,691
I'd stay where you are and try and see if you can get involved in more.

I hope to stay where I am for a year at least, just have to wait and see what happens renewal time (December).

That's going to be my plan now, just need to wait for the big boss to get back from his holiday so we can have "the chat".

I wouldn't mind doing that sort of work, I tend to get itchy feet all the time because I feel underutilised, but having something like contract work is probably something I should look into in the future.

1 candidate. I start Monday. Doing gadget repairs! Double the salary I'm on now! :D Whoohoo

Superb news for the weekend. Go out, and celebrate!
 
Soldato
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ChCh, NZ
With my project coming to an end, I've applied for a new role too. Outside the company this time. Decided that despite all the perks of working here, life's too short to work 10-15 hours a week unpaid overtime with the vague promises that 'things swings in roundabouts'. I do feel bad bailing right before the end of the project and after only 6 months with our Wellington office, but you gotta do what's right for you, right?

The role is far less senior to what I'm used to but more in the direction that's of interest to me (value engineering, cost management of large scale projects). I also don't have to relocate so less upheaval this time round. I'll find out next week. Hope I get this one!
 
Associate
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Manchester
5 weeks into new job and starting to get really busy with plenty of work to do but the days are just flying by,

Was really easy and comfortable in my previous job and massive culture change but gone from a dying industry to a massive growth industry. Work environment is massively better despite not having my friday afternoons off anymore. 15 minute walk to work vs 45 mile each way commute. Plenty of perks at works as well. New years resolution was to get a new job and this was the first I interviewed for, just had to wait out 3 months noice, not a single regret.
 
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Soldato
Joined
10 Oct 2005
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8,706
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Nottingham
Rant. Can't believe how incompetent the company I work for is. We're talking a multi-national company with 100,000+ employees worldwide. They had to make a change to the tax for a group of employees due to a benefit they were getting and managed to run update against the wrong list of people meaning that this months pay is wrong (*) and likely next month (at least) will be wrong too ... but they won't be able to tell if it is or not until a couple of days before payday. On the HMRC's site, where normally you'd see a PAYE entry each month there are now all sorts of extra entries (although the tax column is actually correct in total at the end) and now they have to sort things out ... and are being even more incompetent and have a complete lack of transparency so no one knows whats happening.

(*) net pay is to much ... returning the overpayment isn't an issue.
 
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