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So I've just handed my notice in, wrote it on a Christmas card, my boss laughed a lot and then asked for a proper version to give to HR. I have three months notice which would make my last day Maundy Thursday. Just got to get through Christmas to Easter and then I'm out of here.
I wanted to write a bit about my job seeking experience, but I'm afraid I can offer no advice or hope to those searching, I was lucky in that I was looking for a new job whilst still gainfully employed.
Like most people who have been somewhere for some time there were lots of things that irritated me about my job, the company, the people, but mostly little things, mostly that made me grumble and think about maybe doing something else but not enough to make me actually start to look.
Then one person tipped the balance, I had a week working from home and began searching job sites, I applied for a job, ticked the 'make my CV visible to recruiters' box, and within half an hour I had a call asking if I was interested in a different job. Sure I said, and within the day I had my first interview.
I applied for maybe a dozen jobs in total, I didn't get an interview for any of them, although I did have interviews for different jobs at two of the companies I applied to.
I interviewed at 8 companies in total, ignored calls from recruiters up to ten times a day, although did phone a few back if they left interesting voice mails. Most were irritating, a couple were really good people. I also received dozens of emails asking me to apply for jobs, some of them even got my name right.
The first interview was a nice place, slightly shorter drive, more money, fewer hours, they were not interested in taking it further because they didn't think I did well enough in the technical part of the interview. The agent phoned my a month or so later and said they still couldn't find anyone, she thought the were being too picky and was going to ask them to look at me again. I heard nothing more.
The second was out in the countryside, a small and chaotic company, I got the impression that the two blokes interviewing me were a couple. They were concerned that I was missing a skill they wanted and weren't prepared to pay what I wanted.
The third interview was a five minute drive from my house, I didn't like the place, or the bloke, then they gave me a 5 page written technical exam to do and said they'd be back in half an hour to mark it. So I spent half an hour on my phone then left when they came back.
The fourth was at a company with benefits like free coke, it was also next door to a Chinese restaurant, again a nice half hour drive through countryside and forest. This was a development team lead role, except they had recently relocated from Manchester, both existing devs were leaving in February and so it would be leading a team of none. I heard nothing more.
Then things suddenly got a bit mental, I ended up having 5 interviews in a four days, some of them second interviews.
I had a phone interview for a job in the center of Birmingham, then a second interview in person. Didn't get a great feeling for the place, and would have had to travel by train, but the bloke in charge was nicely jaded and highly cynical. Turned them down in the end, although I don't know if they were going to make an offer.
I had an interview with a company near Birmingham Airport that I had been to on a visit from a previous company around ten years earlier. They use a technology that not many people have ever heard of, let alone used, but I had so it was a good fit from that point of view. At the second interview they raised an interesting point, they asked how I could prove I could do the things I said I could. They wanted me to have a portfolio of emails or letters praising me or the work I had done. I don't know about the rest of you, but I work in a culture where that sort of thing doesn't happen. They went with someone else in the end, which did not concern me, I didn't really want to be doing that job although I understand they are extremely well regarded as a company and with what they do.
In the day before the first interview at this place I had seen the following joke;
What's your greatest strength?
I fall in love easily.
Er OK, what's your greatest weakness?
Those big blue eyes of yours.
Then when the woman interviewing asked me the question I just burst out laughing, which was unfortunate.
Then I has an interview in the same building as the one I had walked out of a few weeks earlier, although with a different company. This job I really wanted, very nice place, interesting work, good people I enjoyed interviewing with, 5 minutes drive from my house, and they don't work Fridays, also very good benefits. Unfortunately I didn't hear back from them, whilst you are still in with a chance somewhere recruiters are constantly on the phone then disappear completely once all hope is lost so I didn't bother chasing.
Which brings me to the job I have accepted.
I was contacted via LinkedIn by a recruiter, he had been charged to find someone who had experience of a technology he had never heard of and didn't find many people on LinkedIn who mentioned it. As chance would have it most of my job these last 5 years has been using that technology. Furthermore the company that provides it has sent a number of consultants over to work with me over the last few years, they have also sent them to work at the new place so people there knew me, and knew what I could do. After the initial face to face they wanted a quick phone followup where they had a consultant asking me questions, I had a consultant from the same company sitting with me at the time.
My first serious job out of university I got because an old school friend of mine worked there, my next (and current) job I got because a previous colleague had moved here a few years earlier. And with this new job it ended up being a similar setup, I think all I really had to do was turn up and not call anyone a sunshine and the job was mine.
So I can offer no advice on how to get a job, I still don't know, jobs keep finding me.
Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.
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chriselst wrote: They use a technology that not many people have ever heard of, let alone used,
chriselst wrote: he had been charged to find someone who had experience of a technology he had never heard of and didn't find many people on LinkedIn who mentioned it. As chance would have it most of my job these last 5 years has been using that technology
It's Bing isn't it?
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Bing is a technology? 
I always assumed it was a blank page... 
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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The big telly in our office is currently showing Bing with a roaring fire background.
Very atmospheric.
Apart from the great big white search bar through the middle of the flames.
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.
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Two different things, the first was Progress Dynamics, the second is Sonic (not the hedgehog).
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.
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PompeyThree wrote: it's Bing isn't it?
No. It's Python, of course.
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Good luck with the new job - and surviving the old one for three months! 
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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Congratulations on your new gig, and your successful passing through the possible perils of leaving the old !
cheers, Bill
«Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.» Benjamin Franklin
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Good luck, and congrats.
I always noticed that people/company treat you a little different (worse maybe?), when they know you are leaving. Hope that doesn't happen to you.
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I'm at the Wife's relo's place now. Little over 2 hours in and I reckon beer 9 is about to be had.
Faarrrkkkk me but Wogs shouldn't be able to procreate.
Wife's cousin faarrrkkkked up on 16 and 11 year old. Few years ago decided could do better a had twins.
Now a couple of months shy of 3 years old and they are faarrrkkkking retarded.
Not allowed in the kitchen, but no flogging them to understand not to ho. Just lots of 'Moo moo, woo woo, shoo shoo' shite. Fer faatrrkkkks sake, let them in, touch the oven, get burnt, scream a bit, then flog the faarrrkkkk out of them.
I will be faarrrkkkking legless before I am carriedcto the car ftombhere.
Michael Martin
Australia
"I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible."
- Mr.Prakash One Fine Saturday. 24/04/2004
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Michael Martin wrote: I will be faarrrkkkking legless before I am carriedcto the car ftombhere.
My Christmas has now truly begun, looking forward to the forthcoming posts, ban and reinstatement 
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Keith Barrow wrote: looking forward to the forthcoming posts, bans and reinstatements
FTFY - I suspect he is going for a new Personal Best!
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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I do not love you enough to put you out of your misery, but Merry Xmas !
«Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.» Benjamin Franklin
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Last Movie Quote Of The Year
Out of office: I´ll be leaving on holiday after today and will not return before January 11th (or 12th) 2016. Please be witty in your comments 
Escape now; hug later
Which movie?
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Two Poofters In Prison
Michael Martin
Australia
"I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible."
- Mr.Prakash One Fine Saturday. 24/04/2004
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Sad flower I mixed around tailless rodent will give you a good ride (9)
Sad = Blue
Flower = Nile ( as in blue )
I
Tailless rodent = mous
Limousine = Li----ine
mous
Will there be a CCC on the 28th Dec ?
We can’t stop here, this is bat country - Hunter S Thompson RIP
modified 24-Dec-15 9:00am.
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pkfox wrote: will you a good ride
Is there a word missing there?
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Thanks Richard
We can’t stop here, this is bat country - Hunter S Thompson RIP
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pkfox wrote: tailless rodent will give you a good ride
If the answer to this is "One Night in Paris", I'm going to vomit, copiously... 
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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As I post this message, the current count of members online is almost 50,000 (49,669), and the Lounge loads as fast as would a cached copy on my local hard drive. When I joined the group, a load of a couple hundred would crash the site and keep Chris up all night, force feeding the hamsters NoDoz and cheap bourbon in the hope that a few might keep the phones working, and the networked Palm Pilots serving up pages of Coding GoodnessTM for the masses (us). I was a god among kine, operating from a wireless base running at 2 Mbps, while poor Nish settled for less than 1 kbps in faraway Kerala. Even so handicapped, Nish managed to out-post me at an alarming rate, until I realized that he's really a bot written by some third world outsourced AOL customer support guy who got bored by all the dumb questions he has to answer from idiot users in the US.
I sincerely hope that you 11,975,006 newbies appreciate what this site has become, all for your edification and enjoyment. My undying thanks to Chris, David, Uwe, and all the magnificently talented and dedicated people who have built upon this site an example of what the Web ought to be! Now, could you please do something about the rest of the Internet, please????
Merry Christmas, my friends, and I wish everyone here a wonderful New Year!
I say this early, because I'll be travelling throughout the holiday, and have no idea whether I'll survive it; it's always iffy entering the Peoples' Republic of California.
Will Rogers never met me.
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Roger Wright wrote: written by some third world outsourced AOL customer support guy
Really? I thought that guy was from Denmark 
Merry Christmas to you and everyone on CP! 
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I retired.
After 10 years of helping to build a primitive electric utility into the most reliable and lowest cost utility in three states, they hired a new GM. For the past year he has spent most of his free time telling me how worthless I am, that everything I've done is wrong, and that he intends to fire me. So I quit. I can't actually afford to retire, but given my probable earnings growth working here ( none) for the next ten years, I won't be in any better financial shape then, just a hell of a lot older and more tired.
I think I'll go to gunsmith school, since I have a dandy machine shop, and love machines. Oh, and I'll probably go back to dabbling in code, now that I have the free time to spend on it. I know of an electric company that needs an efficient inventory control application...
Merry Christmas, all!
Will Rogers never met me.
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Merry Christmas to you too Roger. And I commend your decision, there's little that's worth an abusive manager (or coworker, or spouse, etc.)
Marc
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Thanks, Marc.
Will Rogers never met me.
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Hey Roger! All the best for Christmas and a long and active retirement. I've never been busier than since I retired.
Cheers,
Peter
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994. So does this signature. me, 2012
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