Jaxom 1974 Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Had a really solid third interview with a panel of folks for the job Ibthink is going to be an excellent fit for me...that was Tuesday morning...now I have to see if I can make it on to an actual offer... In the meantime, I've taken another interview for a job opportunity that is far more traditional in what I've been doing...so we continue to slog on... Getting to the point where at least a part time job of some sort it going to be needed... Tywin et al., Iskaral Pust, Zorral and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datepalm Posted June 1 Author Share Posted June 1 5 hours ago, Madame deVenoge said: I have, thus far, removed everything from the office that is mine except for some oatmeal, applesauce, and two bottles of whisky (one of which is Johnny Walker Blue). I have been told, quietly, that I can probably just keep my laptop and work-from-home setup as no one is tracking this stuff since all of HR and IT have been laid off. Efficiency gains! OMG congrats! Madame deVenoge 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derfel Cadarn Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 6 hours ago, Madame deVenoge said: Ok - I’m working from home today, which, as a short-timer who has accomplished all of her to-do list for this week, means that I’m whitening my teeth and running errands SO - the Giving of the Notice was accomplished last Wednesday. I had not, at that point, received the formal written offer; however, I was dyyyyying inside, and also, the path had been cleared for my Hometown Bestie, as her consulting firm at NewCo reached an agreement on her placement fee, and we were assured that the offers were forthcoming. (Hers arrived that evening, btw; less complicated than my offer.) Anyways, on Wednesday around 1 pm, I did my daily update of changing the date on my resignation letter, went to lunch, and came back, and printed out two copies. I went and handed one to the Acting General Counsel, who actually visibly startled by receipt of this information and seemed stunned. Big Boss was “not surprised” and kindly offered to act as a reference in the future, noting that I had done right by giving a 4-week notice. He also offered up a going-away happy hour, which was nice. Boy Wonder and the other sidekick have not said anything, other than to talk about “transition plans” and I wonder if they think they can do this all themselves. Hometown Bestie and I signed our offer letters together, on Friday, at 5:05 pm at her house. I then had a chonk of HR stuff to do, like uploading my passport photo and filling out the background check info. I have, thus far, removed everything from the office that is mine except for some oatmeal, applesauce, and two bottles of whisky (one of which is Johnny Walker Blue). I have been told, quietly, that I can probably just keep my laptop and work-from-home setup as no one is tracking this stuff since all of HR and IT have been laid off. I notified external counsel. The ones whom I liked said nice things to me. And now, to continue to do the absolute minimum… I’ve still got some of a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue (note the spelling of Johnnie :p ) left from the Christmas before last. Good stuff though overpriced for what it is imho Madame deVenoge 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madame deVenoge Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 1 hour ago, Derfel Cadarn said: I’ve still got some of a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue (note the spelling of Johnnie :p ) left from the Christmas before last. Good stuff though overpriced for what it is imho Ooops, Siri spell-check, I blame!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbigski Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 Congrats on the job and the Blue is excellent as well though I do like others more at that price range. Compare and contrast job search v app based dating please. Madame deVenoge 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madame deVenoge Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 43 minutes ago, mcbigski said: Compare and contrast job search v app based dating please. Thoughts overall - job candidate pools and dating pools are both very similar things - it’s a pool of people available at any given time. One must decide what is important and non-negotiable in any case - Must have passport? Must be able to lift 50 lbs without assistance? Reliable transportation? Advanced degree? I have had variable luck with app-based dating; it all depends on the search and the candidate pool. I was overwhelmed by my 6,153 “people who like your profile!” on my two weeks of being on Tinder, back when I was 43, but it also gave me a bit of an ego boost. After William (whom I found on Ok Cupid and whom I was with for four plus years), I dated two men whom I had met by chance, in person - Mr. Social Register / Palm Beach and Firm, both of whom were disastrous in their own ways. Going back to app-based dating was a means of getting a bit more candidate pool, after those two. Like, let’s winnow out the men who are supposedly separated (but who are very much married! Oops!!) and the alcoholics and find someone with a decent career who is not sloshed at 5 pm every night. This is similar to dealing with a recruiter. You tell them what you want in a candidate and start narrowing it down. Yes, the recruiter is a human, but they have a database, same concept as Match. I got my current job through Hometown Bestie, and the last time she introduced me to a man, in a dating sense, he turned out to be 21 years old (she thought he was 26) and I was….46? He was ridiculously intimidated by me, to the point where I felt sorry for him. Fortunately, she has excellent job-sense, and I felt really good when I met NewCo’s CFO and Chief Legal Officer. So, all anecdotes aside, I find that it isn’t whether one has an app or a human on the lookout for oneself, it’s a matter of luck as far as what is in the pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkess Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 Well after 185 applications and 4 phone screens, I have finally landed my second actual interview. Of course, now I'm in a bit of a headspin, as after the phone screen I'm not totally sure I want this job. Not for any terrible reason, but it's a DoD contracting job that would require me to get a clearance again. The idea of spending all day inside a SCIF is giving me pretty cold feet, and I'm not sure how well I'll be able to gauge the day-to-day work during the interview process since they won't be able to tell me about it. But at the same time, I don't really feel like I'm in a position to turn up my nose at a decent job that pays well, makes use of my work experience and PhD, and is in my area. Gods I hate this job market... Madame deVenoge, Kalbear, JGP and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madame deVenoge Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 On 6/3/2023 at 5:46 PM, Starkess said: Well after 185 applications and 4 phone screens, I have finally landed my second actual interview. Of course, now I'm in a bit of a headspin, as after the phone screen I'm not totally sure I want this job. Not for any terrible reason, but it's a DoD contracting job that would require me to get a clearance again. The idea of spending all day inside a SCIF is giving me pretty cold feet, and I'm not sure how well I'll be able to gauge the day-to-day work during the interview process since they won't be able to tell me about it. But at the same time, I don't really feel like I'm in a position to turn up my nose at a decent job that pays well, makes use of my work experience and PhD, and is in my area. Gods I hate this job market... Has the interview happened, yet? I really, really, really want to walk out the door at my current employer. The only thing keeping me is the future reference from Big Boss and also the stock vesting. If this were just the paycheck, I would be handing in my badge and saying “bye!” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxom 1974 Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 Sigh. Back to the drawing board. Madame deVenoge, Mlle. Zabzie, Kalbear and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkess Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 10 hours ago, Madame deVenoge said: Has the interview happened, yet? It was yesterday! I basically totally winged it since I was feeling ambivalent about the job, and I ended up being really intrigued. Final step is an in person presentation and interview next week. I'm feeling very torn and wish I didn't feel like it was this or nothing. There's a lot riding on it! But if it goes well next week, it's a very serious contender. Madame deVenoge, JGP and Tywin et al. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tywin et al. Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 11 hours ago, Madame deVenoge said: I really, really, really want to walk out the door at my current employer. The only thing keeping me is the future reference from Big Boss and also the stock vesting. If this were just the paycheck, I would be handing in my badge and saying “bye!” Lol, you're becoming like me. 4 hours ago, Jaxom 1974 said: Sigh. Back to the drawing board. Look on the bright side, the Cardinals suck more than the Cubs. Go treat yourself and do something fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cas Stark Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 21 hours ago, Madame deVenoge said: Has the interview happened, yet? I really, really, really want to walk out the door at my current employer. The only thing keeping me is the future reference from Big Boss and also the stock vesting. If this were just the paycheck, I would be handing in my badge and saying “bye!” You have already won, you got the job offer and gave notice. The rest is cake, you will thank yourself for sticking out your notice period so you can leave on professional terms with whomever is worth it. You also probably won't be working too hard these next couple of weeks. In my past life I always found the post resignation period kind of freeing...you can dispense advice, ignore jerk colleagues, take stock of anyone you want to stay in touch with and will also be reminded of why you quit. Madame deVenoge and Mlle. Zabzie 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madame deVenoge Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 2 hours ago, Cas Stark said: You have already won, you got the job offer and gave notice. The rest is cake, you will thank yourself for sticking out your notice period so you can leave on professional terms with whomever is worth it. You also probably won't be working too hard these next couple of weeks. In my past life I always found the post resignation period kind of freeing...you can dispense advice, ignore jerk colleagues, take stock of anyone you want to stay in touch with and will also be reminded of why you quit. Today was much better than yesterday. The main jerk is really just defensive when his staff are around. When the staff aren’t there, he is a little bit nicer. Today, I went in for an hour. Now I’m going to go have a martini and then go home. Mlle. Zabzie, Datepalm, Cas Stark and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datepalm Posted June 8 Author Share Posted June 8 (edited) So I got a tentative offer for a postdoc a week ago - informal 1-line email - with a quick expectation-setting call afterwards. The point person is someone who I have a significant academic relationship with, while not being particularly personally familiar. I haven't received a contract yet (much less signed one, and will send a nudge tomorrow if I haven't heard anything) though I generally indicated on the call I was accepting the role. Meanwhile, a different postdoc which I interviewed for weeks ago got back in touch asking for a second round interview Monday. I'm probably more inclined to the postdoc-with-the-offer - Big City location, research oriented, international project, strong center within the university, and while the postdoc-with-the-second-interview has some pros - 3 years vs. 2, better salary, strong university - it is in a VERY small town and is teaching oriented/kind of weird (postdocs are not supposed to be teaching oriented), but may actually provide me more research time. Anyway, it wouldn't be the worst either and frankly I'm always nervous until the ink is dry. At what point do I let either one know I've half-accepted/am still interview for another role? Meanwhile at the Very Large Organization, I am going through the rigamarole of trying to get a consultant rate increase (end of the FY in June, they turn into pumpkins) and have now got my manager's manager admitting the past years have been very unfair ("fair" is the word they keep using. I like "exploitative") but also that their ability to do anything about it is meh, they'll try, can't promise anything, don't get your hopes up. Given a bunch of other idiotic frustrations, I'd love to peace out the VLO at this point, but the extra income would be welcome for 1-2 more years in balancing out a postdoc lack-of-pension*. I can do most of what they throw at me in my sleep at this point (actually another frustration). Instead I got huffy on a call with different VLO team on a different project and told them they had utterly unrealistic expectations of not just workload but project management and decision making from an underpaid external consultant who structurally cannot see the puzzle you're asking me to solve**. They said they'll get back to me. *after that, you heard it here, I'll give up academia and go get a real job. Will not do a second postdoc. Remind me of this if I'm waffling and drinking the coolaid in 2025. **ONE of the SIX tasks they proposed for a probably 30-workday project was that I develop multiple iterations of a data collection strategy to solve one of the hardest, worst-defined problems in my field, in a way that's maybe theoretical but also really practical and which they would want to fit in with the other work the other teams I'm doing and the project's political buy in. Oh, right, I've never been in communication with those teams and previously didn't know they existed. And of course I can't be privy to the project politics, that's not my role, technical consultant yaddi yadda. And for some city but they're not sure which city (I have never been to the country of any of them)*** assuming several different levels of budget constraints...while three people refused to say what those budgets were. ***I may have wrangled myself a trip. It may or may not be possible, passport-wise, but they don't seem to get that. It may or may not also be legal, in either country. But I'm willing to let VLO manager figure out middle eastern geopolitics from scratch for a little while. Edited June 8 by Datepalm Madame deVenoge 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkess Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 On 6/8/2023 at 12:55 PM, Datepalm said: At what point do I let either one know I've half-accepted/am still interview for another role? When the signed contract is in hand. Unless you want to use it as leverage in negotiating, but from what I know of postdocs, they usually have a set salary/benefits package anyway. Mlle. Zabzie and Madame deVenoge 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datepalm Posted June 12 Author Share Posted June 12 (edited) On 6/9/2023 at 8:19 PM, Starkess said: When the signed contract is in hand. Unless you want to use it as leverage in negotiating, but from what I know of postdocs, they usually have a set salary/benefits package anyway. Well, so I now actually have two offers, but both still sans-paperwork. The Small Town School got back to me within a few hours of the interview - ie, today - which is nice. I'm still leaning Big City School, but it's not an obvious choice. They're really, really different and it's a bit apples and oranges, and across all elements - the job responsibilities, the location and lifestyle, the institutions, etc. Edited June 12 by Datepalm Starkess, Jaxom 1974, JGP and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madame deVenoge Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 1 hour ago, Datepalm said: Well, so I now actually have two offers, but both still sans-paperwork. The Small Town School got back to me within a few hours of the interview - ie, today - which is nice. I'm still leaning Big City School, but it's not an obvious choice. They're really, really different and it's a bit apples and oranges, and across all elements - the job responsibilities, the location and lifestyle, the institutions, etc. Which do you feel is more compelling, gut feeling? Datepalm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mlle. Zabzie Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 (edited) 2 hours ago, Datepalm said: Well, so I now actually have two offers, but both still sans-paperwork. The Small Town School got back to me within a few hours of the interview - ie, today - which is nice. I'm still leaning Big City School, but it's not an obvious choice. They're really, really different and it's a bit apples and oranges, and across all elements - the job responsibilities, the location and lifestyle, the institutions, etc. Congratulations! That is so awesome. Where did you feel the most connection to the people you will be working with, and do you think those people will stick around at that school? Edited June 12 by Mlle. Zabzie Datepalm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IheartIheartTesla Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 Depends on what you want out of the postdoc. It is mostly the research, but also whether the advisor can help you land a position, hopefully permanent, at the end of your term. I'd also check to see if the two locations have a good track record of placing folks. From your previous post I gathered you werent looking for an academic position any more, or you could have looked at whether any of the previous postdocs found faculty positions. If you arent used to small college towns in the US, it can take a bit getting used to. A car will almost be a necessity, and the social life aspects will probably exhaust themselves close to the 3-year mark. Datepalm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxom 1974 Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 (edited) What are we talking here for "Small Town"...? My alma mater was in a small town who's population rose to close to 5000 people when school was in session (with 3000 or so students)...the town had 4 stop lights. It had one bar for college kids and one bar for Townies (there is, I believe, 5 bars in town now but one is the lobby bar at the hotel the school built). There was a Hardees in town when I went there in the early 90s. Eventually that closed and there was a McDonald's added around the turn of the century. I mean, yeah, the Wilson Football Factory was also there...but if you didn't have a car, you couldn't get to either smaller city that was close to 30 minutes away and the actual "real" cities were about an hour away. Are you talking that kind of small college town? Because those take some getting used to. Oh, and a small college town in a Blue state is vastly different than one in a Red state. Just saying... Edited June 12 by Jaxom 1974 Datepalm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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