Conflicted

Let me give you some background:

1. I've worked for three SMBs and none of them exist now (not taken over, just went out of business). Actually, since Tuesday I am working for a fourth.
2. When the interview was arranged for last Monday it was orginally set for 3pm. Then it was moved to 7pm
3. I was told the company would find a room near the central railway station in which to interview me. Turned out to be the terrace of an, albeit very nice, ice-cream parlour.
4. They then tried to meet my minimum salary requirements by a combination of basic plus bonus. To be fair they quickly accepted my insistence.
5. I was told they would find a "nice flat" for me for three months. Today they sent a link to the flat they had found. Basically a studio. Except there was only a single bed, almost a camp bed. And the bathroom was a shower with a toilet so close to it that I doubt you could properly sit on it. I told them straightaway this was unacceptable and they will keep me in a hotel for a bit longer.

Now, I know a lot of people would be very grateful for the above. I know too how difficult it is to get a job - heck, it once took me two years (as well readers of this blog will know). But the company keeps giving me bad feelings.

Except they also give me good feelings. The people I work with, even the HR people ("the enemy) - they were fine when I told them I would not accept the flat - all seem pretty decent.

It ain't Munich but most jobs for which I've applied haven't been there.

The job is not in the slightest technically demanding. The main thing is to simplify a needlessly chaotic situation.

I can walk away from it (in Germany the practice is two have a trial period of about six months when each side is on two weeks' notice) if I want to.

I don't know.

Today I applied for one freelance job which is located somewhere in Bavaria.

Slept on it ...

... and talked to friends including those who have done business in Germany, one of whom is a procurement specialist at director level.

Anyway, might write more about it later but today is my first day.

Staying in a hotel in Frankfurt.

The company had suddenly moved very quickly (and they were pretty quick before).

Contract arrived at 5.30pm on Friday, just before I was going to go out. My name was spelt wrong.

They wanted me to start at 09.30 on Wednesday (and in the whole of Germany Monday was a public holiday).

More talking, thinking, fretting, then on Monday accepted and booked a train ticket to Frankfurt.

Except that ...

I get told the offer.

It is significanlty less than the minimum I expected (and stated).

Although with a bonus it would take it above the minimum.

Not happy.

I always ignore bonuses. They are just nice to haves.

I talk to a couple of friends with business experience in Germany.

Both of them point out that German companies like to "assume" that the bonus will be met so is part of the basic package.

But this is primarirly a British company with a GmbH in Germany (for whom I would be working). I was interviewed by a Brit and an American. So our meanings of salary expectations should have been understood.

They later came back with an offer which consisted of:

1. what they originally offered but
2. after six months raised to my minimum, subject to performance.

I think they have honest intentions but I am worried about the viability of my situation.

Need to sleep on it.

Nice sushi and nice cameras

The recruitment agent called me today.

The client appreciated my limitations in German but would like to go ahead and offer me a permanent position. In Frankfurt.

So, now I have to see the conditions of the offer.

Kinda sad that I would be leaving Munich but it would be good to move forward rather than treading water job hunting.

And like I said, Frankfurt ain't that bad.

Frankfurt - nice sushi

So yesterday I took the train to Frankfurt.

Arrived at 1pm and met up with the recruitment consultant, who is also a friend (after an embarrasing him-calling-me on-the-mobile-whilst-standing-one-meter-away thing) and went for sushi.

Very good sushi: better and cheaper than what they have in Munich.

The interview has been postponed until 7pm so I walked a bit around Frankfurt in the rain.

Found a Leica museum where they let me play with an M7 and MP camera.

Such nice cameras. I have an M3 which was built in the 1950s and is just awesome.

The body (lens not included) of a new Leica film camera only costs €4000 so you can imagine the restraint I showed in not buying one.

Then I found a Starbucks and used the Wifi to kill more time browsing.

Then I went to the Starbucks at the main station which was the rendez-vous.

Met up with the interviewers. Went to an outside cafe/ice-cream place and had the interview.

Some of it was in German and although it went okay I am not sure if I could sustain it for a whole day on a client site.

After the interview, no more than an hour, waited for the train home. Much slower train, I spent almost an hour from 11pm in Nuremberg waiting for the connection and only got home at 2am.

A long day for an hour-long interview.

Progress

The phone interview on Wednesday has resulted in me being invited to a face-to-face interview this coming Monday in Frankfurt.

Initially it was going to be at 3pm and I booked train tickets accordingly.

The agent then asked if I could instead meet them at 7pm.

Well the last feasible train back to Munich leaves just before 9pm. And that gets in at 1am.

Anyway a compromise was reached: we meet at the station at 7pm. The company should be able to get a meeting room there as it is a huge main station for the business/finance centre of Germany.

Sneaky

I see a job on indeed.com which links to www.jobleads.de

In fact it says details of this job is only available to registered members of that site.

So I register, but not as a premium member. Takes about 15 minutes (it's in German).

I then search on the job and find it. And also then find that details of the job are only available for premium members.

I do not upgrade my membership.

So that's why it's so quiet

Just went to the local shops.

They were all closed.

Hmm.

I didn't feel like I had been in a coma for three days (that is waking on Sunday when shops are always closed in Munich).

Turns out it's a public holiday in this part of the world.

Stats

Forgot to mark the 100th application but anyway,

from last year to yesterday I have:

• made 124 applications
• had 35 bites
• and had six interviews

Normally I expect one in ten applications to result in a bite and one in ten bites to result in an interview. So I am, or the economy is, doing well.

Actually this is even better as I am applying to mainly countries (e.g. DACH) where English is not the first language.

So, I am doing well, except I don't have a job yet so "doing well" is meaningless.

Strong

Quite a few people (e.g. recruiters, interviewers etc) say I have strong marketable skills ... except that don't have anything for me just now.

Grrr.

Phone interview today

for a programme management job based in Frankfurt. It was with an English integrator.

It went well but they nearly all do.