Recently in Day Job Category
Aborted departure
We had a strange event at work today. One of the contractors in the IT department was due to be leaving the company today, as his contract had finished. And in response, the team had clubbed together to buy him a small gift.
The idea was to gather in the staff canteen at 3.30pm to pass on the gift, say goodbye, and have some cake. Except that at the 11th hour - or rather, at 3.15pm to be more exact - his contract was suddenly extended, and his departure cancelled.
But what to do? We had a large chocolate cake and a present - and everyone had already gathered in the canteen. So we went ahead and cut the cake, and even gave him his present - on the understanding that he wouldn’t be getting another one when he eventually did leave.
Oh, and we still all went out to the pub after work for what would have been his farewell drinks.
May 30, 2008
Productivity Leap
The impending start of my new day job on Monday has rather focussed my mind. All those little jobs, that I’ve hitherto been putting off, now have to fit within the last few remaining days of freedom. And so, overnight, I’ve suddenly become rather busy.
I’ll not bore you with the various jobs that I’ve got to complete, but yesterday I ended up doing a 12-hour day - from 10.00am to midnight - with only a two hour break in the middle to share a cup of tea with a friend and grab some dinner.
I’m certainly not used to this level of activity. Indeed for the last few weeks, I’ve managed to loose most of the day watching trashy daytime TV shows. And any jobs that have needed doing have taken about 3-4 times as long as usual, if they’ve even been done at all.
I guess the old saying holds true; that if you want something doing, then always ask a busy person. Because, with too much time on your hands, you become awfully unproductive. A simple task like doing laundry can (including extended procrastination time) expand to last all day; so that you end up getting very little done.
Gainful Employment
I got a phone call this afternoon from one of the recruitment consultants I’ve been dealing with recently. And it’s some tentative good news.
One of the companies I had an interview with earlier this week is planning to make me an offer. The details won’t come through till Monday, and there are some formalities to go through as well, but I’m really pleased.
The Day Job
Up until the middle of December I had been working a fixed-term contract in the IT department of a utility company here in Dublin. It was good work, but the project I was working on finished, and they didn’t need me any more, so my contract was not renewed.
As it happens, the end of the contract came at about the same time that the musical commitments at the cathedral were ramping up for Christmas, and so it seemed like an ideal time for a break.
However, it’s now almost five weeks since I finished the day job. And although I have been enjoying my ‘gentleman of leisure’ status and long lie-ins, it’s probably about time for me to re-enter the job market. After all, my savings will only last for so long, and I don’t relish being thrown out on the street in a couple of months.
Anyway, so I put my CV online at the website monster.ie on Tuesday evening, and have been fielding calls from recruitment agents ever since. It seems to be the way that things work here in Dublin in the IT field. You post your CV online, and wait for the phone calls to come flooding in. On Wednesday morning, for example, I had fielded six calls before 10.00am, and the phone kept going for much of the rest of the day too.
The IT job market seems very buoyant at the moment, and there are lots of opportunities for experienced people. Indeed, I’ve already secured my first interview tomorrow, with a big multinational company. The role description sounds very interesting, and I’d probably bite their hand off if they offered me the job - but I have to caution myself about getting too excited about the first job that comes my way.
It’s all too tempting - especially when you’re between jobs like me (i.e. unemployed) - to get excited about the first thing that comes your way, even if it’s not entirely suitable. You get your hopes up, only to realise later that you came across as a complete idiot in your interview. And so, perhaps I should view this first interview as a practice - and not get too worked up about this role (even if it is a perfect match).
I also need to guard myself against accepting offers of jobs that I don’t really want. It’s all too easy to wooed by job offers, even if they’re utterly unsuitable. Indeed it wasn’t until quite recently that I realised that, just because someone offers you a job, you don’t have to take it.
In the last 2 years or so, my whole attitude to work has changed somewhat. I’ve turned down more job offers in that time than the total number of jobs I’d had in the proceeding 15 years of my working life - which is quite a scary thing to do, particularly when out of work (like I am now). But I feel that it’s better to take on a role where I’m going to be happy over the long term - which will be better for me and my employers.
Of course, I realise I’m incredibly lucky to be in this position - to be able to pick and choose between job opportunities. I understand that other people are forced to take on some pretty shitty work, just in order to make ends meet. And to a certain respect I can understand their situation, as I’ve worked some pretty dire jobs in my time, including shop work, and also some time working as a bin man (just don’t ask me about the maggots).
Anyway, I’ve got this interview tomorrow. And hopefully one or two other interviews will also be offered next week. And at this rate, I’m in serious danger of being fully employed again by the end of January. Which would be both good and bad… Good because of the money it brings in, and the interesting projects that than spark my imagination and creative juices. And bad because it indicates the end of my at-home holiday.
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