Resume, Job Help, & Job/Career Advice

The manage a budget and line of business job but no people is posted. Primary scope is Brazil and Mexico. I had been approached about it informally and turned it down - also informally. Now the man who hired me is asking whether I am interested and said I could remain home and service from afar.

I didn't tell him someone already approached me.

Now I don't know if Paris is in doubt.
 
Brazil and Mexico are fun to manage. Basically, imagine you are a sheriff in the Wild West, and have a bunch of cowboys to tame.
 
belinmad said:
Brazil and Mexico are fun to manage. Basically, imagine you are a sheriff in the Wild West, and have a bunch of cowboys to tame.
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They always say Brazilian currency exchange fluctuates like crazy and you can get better deals on the black market. Colombia might be a new one later.

I used to work in a place where we had to support a Caracas office. Trying to get BT to do work and connect the office remotely was a challenge in itself.

Pimpernel Smith said:
Brazil certainly has its charms. But I wouldn't want to make a career of it, although I very nearly did.
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I don't know. I was sole cost centre owner for this line of business in my country. Now it has split to 4. 2 are owned by 2 other individuals. 2 are owned by me until the rest of the transition finishes.
 
Fwiffo said:
They always say Brazilian currency exchange fluctuates like crazy and you can get better deals on the black market. Colombia might be a new one later.

I used to work in a place where we had to support a Caracas office. Trying to get BT to do work and connect the office remotely was a challenge in itself.



I don't know. I was sole cost centre owner for this line of business in my country. Now it has split to 4. 2 are owned by 2 other individuals. 2 are owned by me until the rest of the transition finishes.
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Caracas was an alternative reality even before the present regime.

Brazil is different, you can be lulled into a false sense of security by how comfortable and reassuring it is in certain places. It doesn't feel alien despite the favelas in the back-ground.

Colombia? I think I would give that a miss. As a Brazilian colleague informed me, ''Even Brazilians are gringos in Colombia.''
 
Dropbear said:
Relatable:

www.bbc.com

Why ambiverts are better leaders

Blending both extrovert and introvert personality types can make you indispensable in the office ā€“ and finding that balance is a skill we can all master.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
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"For extroverts, it might mean surrounding yourself with people. Moore says his preferred ā€˜extrovert breakā€™ when he's on business is to find a restaurant and sit at the bar for dinner, so he can talk to other patrons. 'It stimulates me. It gets my dopamine levels going, because I'm with people.'"

I can completely relate to that.

Sitting by yourself in a booth or hiding with room service in your room is so boring.
 
I had an opportunity to do a secondment to Quantico a couple of years ago and was hoping to still do it, but the pandemic got in the way and that ship has now sailed.

To make up for it, Iā€™m looking at taking a few courses and adding a few certifications. Mostly for flex points, if Iā€™m being honest. At this stage of my career, adding a PMP really wouldnā€™t mean much or add to my employability. Most of these classes are remote now, so the idea of staying home for a few weeks to take classes is definitely appealing as well.
 
Dropbear said:
I had an opportunity to do a secondment to Quantico a couple of years ago and was hoping to still do it, but the pandemic got in the way and that ship has now sailed.

To make up for it, Iā€™m looking at taking a few courses and adding a few certifications. Mostly for flex points, if Iā€™m being honest. At this stage of my career, adding a PMP really wouldnā€™t mean much or add to my employability. Most of these classes are remote now, so the idea of staying home for a few weeks to take classes is definitely appealing as well.
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I wouldn't add a PMP. That's like paying money into some cult and renewing every X years with a test. Besides - every Tom Dick and Harry has one from Nepal to Timbuktu.

Since the only thing I know about Quantico is the Priyanka Chopra show, which one would you be? The class teacher? The cadet? The guy you go to for the special bio-terror response course?
 
Iā€™m not paying for it, work is, so the PMP sounds like something worthwhile to add - especially in my field where they are less common. Though the thought of sitting with a bunch of business grads doing that sounds painful. Iā€™ve heard good things about the Lean Sigma Six green belt course ... but you donā€™t get letters after your name with that one, hahah.

the FBI spends a ton of money trying not to be siloed. They have a whole organization, Infragard, to make sure there is a two-way exchange of information with the private sector. They also do these secondments - a bit of a hearts and minds program. It sounded like Iā€™d spend some time getting some basic fbi training or awareness and give them briefings and assist with some their bioterror stuff. Not sure how effective it is, but sounds like it would have been fun.
 

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Dropbear said:
Iā€™m not paying for it, work is, so the PMP sounds like something worthwhile to add - especially in my field where they are less common. Though the thought of sitting with a bunch of business grads doing that sounds painful. Iā€™ve heard good things about the Lean Sigma Six green belt course ... but you donā€™t get letters after your name with that one, hahah.

the FBI spends a ton of money trying not to be siloed. They have a whole organization, Infragard, to make sure there is a two-way exchange of information with the private sector. They also do these secondments - a bit of a hearts and minds program. It sounded like Iā€™d spend some time getting some basic fbi training or awareness and give them briefings and assist with some their bioterror stuff. Not sure how effective it is, but sounds like it would have been fun.
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Lean Six Sigma. PMP. You'll be in class with all of my ex lady friends. I didn't mean the initial payment - more the tax you have to pay every X years to keep it current.

You need basic FBI training? I thought you had a military background. Isn't basic FBI a bunch of PT and firearms?

Plus if you do get seconded, what happens to your family? You fly back every weekend?
 
fxh said:

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Does it make a Gantt chart?
 
Fwiffo said:
Lean Six Sigma. PMP. You'll be in class with all of my ex lady friends. I didn't mean the initial payment - more the tax you have to pay every X years to keep it current.

You need basic FBI training? I thought you had a military background. Isn't basic FBI a bunch of PT and firearms?

Plus if you do get seconded, what happens to your family? You fly back every weekend?
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Gotcha. Yeh, I already have one certification that it pains me to pay to keep current.

Like I said, itā€™s more a hearts and minds thing for them. Kinda like the ā€˜be a cop for a dayā€™ thing. Learn a little about how they do things, teach a little on what you do. Definitely no badges awarded and no kicking in doors - more on the investigation and academic side. I think a lot of the people who do the secondments are in cyber security with a few other specialists thrown in.

Anyway, I missed that chance - when I got the offer a few years ago the timing was bad. Iā€™d just gotten a promotion so couldnā€™t disappear immediately after. Plus being away from the family for that long would be rough, when it wasnā€™t really necessary- just so I could play G Man for a few months.
 
Fwiffo said:
Lean Six Sigma. PMP. You'll be in class with all of my ex lady friends. I didn't mean the initial payment - more the tax you have to pay every X years to keep it current.

You need basic FBI training? I thought you had a military background. Isn't basic FBI a bunch of PT and firearms?

Plus if you do get seconded, what happens to your family? You fly back every weekend?
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Six Sigma Black Belt use to be all the rage. Not heard it mentioned for awhile.

PMP is necessary in some organisations in my sector for any management position, but not that many. You need to ingest the PMP ideology to pass as everyone who I know who's got it, or had it, say's that you would never answer the questions based on your own professional and management experience.

The PRINCE2 stuff looks okay. I've whizzed the missus's PRINCE2 Managing Successful Projects to break out in emergency. Which I probably should be doing right about now.
 
I told my CxO peers yesterday my role becomes redundant and I'm out of a job in about 4 months. The 4 months is not a contract but a verbal agreement to facilitate transition so it could be shorter.

Rather strange to be announcing it to a bunch of 10cm x 10cm squares on a computer.
 
Fwiffo said:
I told my CxO peers yesterday my role becomes redundant and I'm out of a job in about 4 months. The 4 months is not a contract but a verbal agreement to facilitate transition so it could be shorter.

Rather strange to be announcing it to a bunch of 10cm x 10cm squares on a computer.
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I'm pushing my shareholders into getting rid of me or coming to the party. Shouldn't really do it, but I am. Pushing and needling them. It's a Marvin Gaye ''You can leave, but it's gonna cost you...'' moment. Get rid and pay me off, if you dare. Never a good strategy.

There's a number of issues coming to a head or things that piss me off: the loan that never was (that really pisses me off), cheap and nasty out sourced services (within the Group), structural issues of country offices that should be closed (that I pay for) and inter-company balances not paid on time with feeble excuses.

We had a big issue with one of the out sourced services and I was told I needed to apologize to the country manager and suck it up as it was so cheap it trumped all the failures across the Group. Like cheap and cheery trumps quality and operation excellence and getting paid on time, if at all, by the correct organisation?

They're kind of getting the message now, I've gone rogue and off-script within the Group, so they tried to repatriate a business stream. The message to the client went through several revisions I told them would be rejected. And indeed, it was. So now they're stuck with me and my team delivering their business with no chance of them taking this work off us unless we mess up or there is a big management change in the client.

Such is life, business as usual. Fucked up, but not beyond all recognition.
 
belinmad said:
What is it that you do?
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Spinal-Tap-cricket-bat.jpg
 
Dropbear said:
View attachment 38807
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Nothing worse then being asked what do you want salary wise and then getting disappointed.

I do sometimes ask that, and mostly I get the right answer, I think it's well known as this is a very niche and incestuous business. So everyone knows the rates. Sometimes I ask, I never get lower than I expect. But I do get a few freaks expecting ā‚¬100+ an hour. Mainly weirdos with zero credentials and have somehow been working for the EU Commission doing low level stuff for top dollar living in Belgium. Bizarre. But good for a laugh.
 
Our salary ranges are public knowledge. What some people donā€™t realize is that 95% of the time we will bring someone on at exact midpoint in the range for that position. Rarely will we go through the hassle to request approval to bring them in a little above midpoint. Invariably though, someone will get all disappointed, saying ā€˜but the salary is $60k to $90k and you obviously think Iā€™m worth hiring so I expected the full $90kā€™.
 
Dropbear said:
Our salary ranges are public knowledge. What some people donā€™t realize is that 95% of the time we will bring someone on at exact midpoint in the range for that position. Rarely will we go through the hassle to request approval to bring them in a little above midpoint. Invariably though, someone will get all disappointed, saying ā€˜but the salary is $60k to $90k and you obviously think Iā€™m worth hiring so I expected the full $90kā€™.
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When I was in the engineering construction business, the manual trade rates and per diems were covered by the Blue Book which was an industry agreement between all parties concerned. With all the temporary labour from Eastern Europe, I think it became redundant. The rates in the UK have collapsed for lots of those trades.
 
A client rang me up last week about a position and whether I could help them source a candidate. Man power provision is not my cup of tea, too far from our core business and it's all messy with constantly changing employment laws and not enough money in it for starters. I feigned some interest that I would help and carried on.

Anyway, someone contacted me who had just become available and was perfect for the position. So I contacted the client and said this person would be available to hire directly for them and I had told them to contact him. He said, oh no, she's on our ''Danger List'' i.e. black listed. So I checked out her CV she had worked for them 1996-2001. These organisations have long memories.
 
My father is still convinced he is on the blacklist in the provincial government. He had applied for two jobs and won offers from both so he decided to go to the private sector one that paid more.

They rang his home found my mother who said, "What do you mean he didn't show up for work? He left for work hours ago."
 
Journeyman said:
Oh, dear. So where is your dad? Is he OK?
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Oops I forgot to finish the story. They told my mother if he doesn't report for work he will end up on the black list.

He ended up working at the other place which was a crown corporation for 15 years. Power generation/utility.

He still believes if he applies for any provincial ministry jobs he will be blacklisted.

The sad thing is it was for an extra $1000/year CAD. But I reckon back then that meant a lot. I was just born. In fact I am blamed for him having to leave his old job to find a new one because he needed the money to pay for nappies or baby food or whatever.

If his son was advising him, he would have advised not to accept an offer and play it off another offer. If there is a doubt, decline because it's a disservice to the hiring company and the candidate to continue the charade.
 
Fwiffo said:
My father is still convinced he is on the blacklist in the provincial government. He had applied for two jobs and won offers from both so he decided to go to the private sector one that paid more.

They rang his home found my mother who said, "What do you mean he didn't show up for work? He left for work hours ago."
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Blacklists, whilst highly illegal in many jurisdictions, can be the norm with some clever wording. When I was in the engineering construction industry we had checks on all site workers. There was a big court case back in the 1990s, we use to use an ex-CID detective who ran a database and everyone used him. There was some big fines.

I'm certainly blacklisted from ENI/Agip companies for being a whistle blower. Not that I've lost any work, or sleep over it. Well, maybe some sleep early days.

''You'll never work in this industry again! And stay way from the oil patch if you get my meaning!''

Right, thanks, being seeing you!
 
After this week, I'm redundant in about 2 months. Although strangely they pushed out my transition by another month.
 
Pimpernel Smith said:
Wish you good luck with your next mission and employer.
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Yes. Except I felt like this job was in the Real Madrid of footy. I didn't realise after three years I would be relegated to the Real Madrid C squad and not guaranteed a seat on the bench every game.

Rambo said:
Hows the hunt for a new job going?
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Technically I haven't started yet. I spent the last two weeks working on my CV and my interview questions. I'm ready now. Unfortunately an EVP and CxO position passed me by.

There was also a CxO at a government insurance out in the Prairies but I don't think I really want to work at a crown corporation.
 
Fwiffo said:
Yes. Except I felt like this job was in the Real Madrid of footy. I didn't realise after three years I would be relegated to the Real Madrid C squad and not guaranteed a seat on the bench every game.
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There's a couple of executives at Shell I know that have just now had to take ''early retirement'' and one of them is 58. He had a big global scope and well respected across the industry as a SME and for his technical niche he's probably in the top couple globally. Now he will never get such a prestigious gig again. Not the management role, scope, status or package. He can go work for the contractors and find all his privileges are gone and it will not be his liking as it never is. He can sit home getting bored. He can find a hobby, but he's just another early retiree with quite a few good years left stolen at the end of his career.

The thing with those oil companies, is that it was at one time for a graduate engineer, a job for life with great pensions and career path. The price to be paid was total obedience to the culture which was in some ways a bit repressive, but very much rewarding for those who could fit in with institution and its organisational hierarchy. Now that social contract for the oil company corporate man has been in a death rattle for quite sometime. But it just about lingers on, to deliver surprises for those who thought they would be walking out aged 65 or 67 with pensions mere mortals can only dream of.
 
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