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Stannis Eats No Peaches

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Got my contract through (albeit already been doing job for almost 18 months). I officially started yesterday as a Strategic Workforce Planning Analyst (now permanent) for the same public sector org I’ve worked for in carying capacities since 2004 (2002 if countinf time as agenxy temp). 
I got upped a paygrade on taking the job as secondment, and upped another grade on being made permanent. When I hit the top of the grade in 4 years I’ll have just exceeded my wife’s basic salary.

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The cartoon T-Shirt experiment was nearly a complete failure. Results inconclusive. And I was cold most of the day.

At least the fun guy at the Wendy’s drive through on the way home recognized Mordecai and Rigby. 
 

Yeahuh!

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5 hours ago, The Great Unwashed said:

Thank you, this is helpful.
One more thing:

 Tl;dr - I’m autistic and am a total Gomer when it comes to interviews, even though most people in the industry know or have heard I’m one of the best). Any tips? Read below for context.

 I recently interviewed for a similar position at a different company. I had 2 interviews and was asked a question I’ve never been asked in an interview before - “With your level of experience, and given the number of companies you’ve worked for in the industry (3 in 15 years, more on that later), can you make me feel comfortable that you won’t stay awhile, get a look at our proprietary stuff, and then go and open your own shop?”

So, more on that - I do have a lot of experience for someone in my industry. There are only about 1,000 people in the industry nationwide, and the median amount of experience is around 3 years, last I saw. It’s also a high-stress, high-turnover industry so most people burn out. I have 15 years.

On the number of places I’ve worked (4 now) that IS higher than most in the industry. Most people only work 1-2 places in their entire career.  But 3 companies beyond the pale to work for with 15 years experience  for most industries, correct? And I was at one place for almost 9 years. The first place I was there for 2 years, and then the parent company nuked that division during the GFC in 2008, after which I went into accounting for 3 years before getting back in. 
 

And is it common for interviewers to be THAT forward in risk-assessment? To be fair, it’s a legit concern, because start-up costs are practically nil ($25k or less) and it has happened at several points where people went solo. I had the opportunity to set up my own shop after I got fired/quit in December, but ultimately passed on it because while I see a great opportunity to shake up the industry coming up, but by the time I would be able to establish my company, the opportunity would have passed already.
 

And I WANT people to think that I can shake things up; that’s my whole raison d’etre for interviewing - I see a real opportunity that I think most people are missing, but that someone will realize it eventually, and I want to be a part of the team that gets it done. I also think I can streamline the current production process in such a way that it would probably revolutionize the industry, but I need access to the information I need to confirm my theories. I honestly want to go in there and come out with them thinking “we’re so afraid of him that we don’t want anyone else to have him” - but, like in a realistic way.

Also - I recently found out I’m autistic, and am in the process of getting a formal diagnosis. I have a lot of difficulty interpreting non-verbal or subtextual cues during conversations (I’m much better with reading where I have time to pick everything apart), and I’m especially shite during interviews. I have a LOT of difficulty “saying what I want without saying what I want” and interpreting vice-versa. I’m one of the best in my industry, and if these people I’m interviewing with haven’t already heard of me, they will easily know someone who has heard of me), but I’ve been held back a lot in my career because I didn’t know that there was a whole lot of subtext going on around me that I had no idea was there. I also am God-awful at networking, although I’m a little better than I used to be, and have trouble reaching out to others (although I can pass for non-autistic but reserved if people reach out to me). Any advice or common phrasings I should watch out for?

Sorry for the novel. 

This could also be a good way to expand on what you want from the role and to probe them. Explain you've moved on from these places not out of a desire to set up your own shop but because they weren't fulfilling what you wanted from the job and you felt you could offer more if these companies had been open to your ideas (or something to that effect which properly covers what you've said in this thread). You could maybe back this up with a brief explanation of your ideas, without going into too much detail and giving away your ideas for free.

 

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i feel more my username. after my hasty departure i interviewed for a few different jobs. one i turned down was exec chef at a massive spot at the wharf. they were offering me a wheelbarrow full of cash,  have a very organized operation that is working well, but i wanted more culinary autonomy and influence. 

instead i am week two in an hourly role at a newly opened new Orleans inspired restaurant with an emphasis on charcuterie and seafood. once we are fully staffed my job will be running the butchery, charcuterie,  pickling,  fermentation and preservation aspects of the kitchen. the chef is quite skilled and i like her simple yet technique and flavor driven food. 

added fun for everyone in my industry will be opening back to full capacity but not having the eager labor pool of the before times!

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3 hours ago, Crazy Old Guy said:

Oh, hey, it's @Stannis Eats No Peaches

Long time, no see.

I immediately recognized your username after... 10 years, I think?

Hello! I’m afraid I don’t recognise you.


 

I started a new job in January, and am supposed to but haven’t had a 30-, 60- and 90-day review. I assume that if I hadn’t passed my probation, someone would have told me.

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  • 1 month later...

I finally got a rate review with the Very Large Organization and got a 33% increase, which is nice. Confusingly, I have three different contracts with what I think are two different units (the Very Large Organization is really very large. And confusing) being extended or initiated for the next fiscal year, and I have no idea if this will get coordinated or what. The one I got the increase through is not the one where I most made a case for the increase and is also not the one who just called me from Dakar to ask about my US Visa status and Israel address for work in Kenya.  

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1 hour ago, Chataya de Fleury said:

I just got a 10% raise :D and a new title to more accurately reflect my responsibilities :D

Titles are supposed to reflect responsibilities?

I’m just referred to as a “Project Coordinator” and no one knows what the hell I do.
 

Not even me.

I sure as shit don’t coordinate any projects. 

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12 hours ago, Chataya de Fleury said:

Senior Director :) But, thank you :)

Congratulations on a new title, but moreso on the raise! So does "Director" mean a place on the Board of Directors or does it indicate that you report to one of the Executive Directors or does not have anything to do with that?

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Time for a game of work chicken.

I won't quit, so they're just going to have to fire me.

Though the action won't start heating up for at least 3 weeks I believe. I don't think it's likely they make their first move until after I finish the June audit.

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On 6/25/2021 at 7:03 PM, A True Kaniggit said:

Time for a game of work chicken.

I won't quit, so they're just going to have to fire me.

Though the action won't start heating up for at least 3 weeks I believe. I don't think it's likely they make their first move until after I finish the June audit.

Only a few low level shots have been fired so far this week.

During a mandatory work luncheon today I had to sit through a 5 minute prayer.

WTF? Why should I waste my time off during lunch because the Director is religious?

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@Chataya de Fleury,

I think you would have been proud of me today. I sent you that text ahead of a large department meeting about reforming our office. I completely dominated the entire meeting and the follow up conference call, put every one of my managers on blast for their horrible oversight of the office, provided a new way to structure it and pointed out a number of easy changes that can be adopted that I've quietly been doing for a while to improve things. And I did it in front of everyone to see. Many of my coworkers came up and thanked me afterwards. A few others are going to try and get me fired, but I placed some fun counter traps for that.

I plan on quitting soon.

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*frustrated sigh* 

People think I’m in IT. 

No offense IT, they are far smarter than I am. But from my perspective this means that people have no idea that I have actual professional insight in my own field, so it’s a negative experience. They think I’m one of the IT people because I work with IT teams a lot and answer a technical questions, issues related to the system the supports the process that’s related to my actual field of expertise. 

Now, I actually prefer working with the IT teams because they are just more intelligent, insightful, cooperative, friendly and welcoming than the people in my own field. But. I’m not an IT person and I’m not sure I want to be seen as even a PM of these IT related projects. Not that it wouldn’t be an honor, not that it isn’t a great opportunity. But man, I have decent experience in stuff I’m not even working doing at the moment. I don’t really have a chance to further develop in that area, and since I don’t use it, I obviously get no recognition for that experience and insight. 

And since people think I’m in IT, I’m automatically designated to the most mundane and operative side of this thing. Okay that’s not because of the IT thing, it’s also because the company is a hierarchical, multinational dinosaur (even if it claims to be a new wave cheetah) and the middle management is sooooo obsessed with pushing and positioning themselves (to the point of actually damaging the quality of work we - try to - do).

So basically, the adjustment from being an established and acknowledged professional voice at my previous job to being an operative new-hire hurts my ego. Professionally I don’t agree with even half the shit we do, I have no say or control in how we do it and compromising isn’t out of customer orientation, it is out of recognizing authority - even if that’s something nobody would ever admit to. 

The bottom line is, I’m not sure it’s worth wasting 3-4 years of my life to establish myself here and find a niche that’s available so I’m not pissing on someone else’s territory. Because everybody’s sooooo territorial about their shit, you can barely see the common goal, let alone achieve it. Of course the alternative is another jump back to the start line and I’ve done that twice throughout my career already. 

Maybe I should just quit the whole thing and open a pie shop. 

 

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It seems things have settled down at work. We'll see how long the peace lasts.

If ya'll remember, months ago I asked advice here on if 4 months was too early to ask for a raise. I took the cowards way out back then and didn't ask.

But at 8 months I nerved up and did ask. I had a 40 minute discussion with the director of my area (She's over all 40 people in the section) on why I deserved a raise. At the end of the meeting, she says, "I can't approve any raises myself. I'll send up the request".

- Then why the hell did we just waste 80 minutes of company time?!!!!!!!-

 11 days later I get a reply to my request. "We don't give raises before the one year mark" WTF?! It took them 11 days to get back with that reply? BS. They were just looking for a reason to say no.

So a week after this, they asked me to help out on some things they were behind on, since I have so much free time. I told them no. I had asked for what a consider a very modest pay increase (12%) and they denied it with a dumb excuse. So I'm not going to do any extra work until they pay me more. It's not my fault I get done in 4 hours what took the previous person 8 hours to do. I'll just enjoy 4 hours a day spinning in my chair and daydreaming.

They've accepted the situation for now.

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10 minutes ago, Isis said:

12% is a 'modest' pay increase? 

I would say if I could convince my employee to work 8 instead of 4 hours, 12% is a steal.

Of course, I don't know Kaniggit's contract. It may state that the average work time is 8 hours per day and not finish the allotted task no matter how long it takes.

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9 hours ago, Isis said:

12% is a 'modest' pay increase? 

Yes.

I was hired to do a specific job. The person before me took 8 hours to do that job. I get in done in 4. As @kiko said, I’m giving them a nice deal. Only 12% more for about twice the work everyday. 
 

(The person I replaced apparently “hunted and pecked”. The ability to type at a decent speed is where most of this free time comes from)

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19 hours ago, kiko said:

I would say if I could convince my employee to work 8 instead of 4 hours, 12% is a steal.

Of course, I don't know Kaniggit's contract. It may state that the average work time is 8 hours per day and not finish the allotted task no matter how long it takes.

That's not what's happening though is it? Unless the person who works twice as fast is doing literally twice the workload week in, week out. Seemed like the implication was no pay rise = work to rule. So not double output then? 

It's all relative.

I work in the public sector in healthcare. We have national pay spines for some (public sector) regulated professions in the UK, rather than someone just asking to be paid X amount based on what they think they are worth as an individual.

The only way (in my profession) to get anything close to a 12% pay rise would be getting a big promotion, i.e. jumping up two pay bands. Because if you only get promotion to the band above you (and this is something you need to apply for, not automatic) then your salary would just be moved into the next band - and if you were at the top of your previous band then you'd go up a single point. Each point is only about £1000 apart. You probably wouldn't even notice the difference in monthly take home pay the first year after promotion!

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