Extreme commuting

It's a real thing and many years ago I use to do it.

Nowadays my journey to work takes 35 minutes door to door.

Which some people think is excessive.

Quick poll

It's time for the readers of this blog to actually contribute instead of sitting back and waiting for me to do everything.

So, please answer the question below:

"When is it appropriate to make jokey penis-size allusions in a business setting?

Is it:

1. When your workplace happens to be a brothel and you use that type of humour as a stress-relief mechanism (much like the gallows humour that paramedics and police use)?
2. When you run a multi-national, multi-cultural business and are giving the main speech at the company's Christmas party?
3. When you are a professional writer of lame penis-size jokes?"

The "F" word

WARNING - This post doesn't include naughty words.

For some reason I like aimlessly looking at things, like Pinterest.

And I just saw one of there ever-so-cute* bon mots: "You don't realise how boring your life is until someone asks you what you do for fun".

And I realised my answer would include going to work.

Sad but true. Sure I do other fun things (um, drink and eat mainly) but I also try to, and often do, have fun at work.


*If you didn't recognise my sarcasm please stop reading this blog and delete it from your favourites folder and history - you are not worthy to read it. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Salon

Interesting, but poorly titled, article in Salon about credential inflation.

I have a bachelor degree in engineering but no post-graduate (or "graduate" if you are American) qualification.

This, together with over 10 years of experience, was sufficient for me to become a chartered engineer (the British equivalent of being a licensed engineer) as well as a CITP and a MBCS.

Incidentally I only applied to become an MBCS but ended up with the other two as well. And two days later I ended up in intensive care (unrelated).

Nowadays I would need a master's degree as a minimum.

What has changed?

I suspect that partly this is due to the quality of degrees plummeting. Certainly this is the case in the UK. And universities are now just businesses turning out as many graduates as they can.

Also, there are more people taking degrees. Not just those in the Western world but also in the BRICS. The competition has increased.

And actually in the West we can't compete with the high number of top graduates coming out of India and China. Even if we improved the quality of the degrees we just don't have the population of graduates needed.

Many people are now going for MBAs and there are also more people going for doctorates - note the plural: in Germany if you have two doctorates you may require people to call you "Herr Doktor Doktor Mustermann".

There must be a better way to differentiate yourself.

Not sure what it is though.

Fitting in

So, my boss terminated a senior manager.

(Not me).

The guy just didn't fit in.

I didn't have much to do with him but I found him rude and arrogant.

Others felt the same. At least one of his reports was thinking of resigning because of him.

Other senior members of the department (who didn't report to him) also thought he was a joke.

German companies tend to practise Probezeit ("Test time"): a probationary period of usually six months.

During this time either the employee or the employer can terminate the contract with usually just two weeks' notice and with no need to give a reason. After the Probezeit it is very difficult to sack someone and the notice period can run to three months, for any level of employee, which in turn makes it hard to leave a company for another job.

Now this is better than other countries. For example, the legal minimum in the UK is one week's notice for the first year, although companies often offer better conditions in their contracts so you aren't anxious for a whole year.

And in the USA I understand it is often the case that you are permanently on a week's notice and it is, in general, much easier to sack someone.

Still, in Germany the Probezeit period is quite a tense time and people normally keep their heads down. Which is not that good for companies either, especially for hiring recruits who should be in leadership roles.

I didn't keep my head down that much in this company but fortunately I fitted in. I still found the first six months quite tense - not least as the company is classed as a hyper growth business which meant I had rather a lot going on and a lot to quickly assimilate.

This guy didn't keep his head down either and was very vocal and liked to argue. I keep thinking that his MBA (actually an Exec MBA) proved the alternative meaning: "Mediocre But Arrogant".

It's sad when someone loses their job but sometimes also a relief.

I hope he finds somewhere more suitable for him.

Warning

If you send me your c.v. and ignore any of the points mentioned here do not expect an interview.

Homework

I'm helping a friend do Excel exercises for a company with whom she is undergoing recruitment assessments.

The exercises are pretty straightforward.

I'm also using it as an opportunity to get used to a new tablet.

A few weeks ago I tried out a Fujitsu slate but didn't like it.

Then I tried a Lenovo ThinkPad Nexus. Pretty good but a bit heavy.

And the little PSU caused interference on external monitors.

Yesterday I got my hands on a Microsoft Surface Pro.

You know what?

I think the says at Small & Flaccid have cracked it. L

Frankfurt

When I first visited Frankfurt it was in the 90s and I was visiting an English friend who was living there.

Coming from London, I thought it was a great city and wanted to live and work there.

A few years later I got a job in Munich.

Munich!

Turns out Munich is much, much better.

And not least the beer.

For quite a few years now I have been living in the city.

But a couple of years ago I took a job in Frankfurt, in desperation.

Fortunately the company failed their probation period before I gave up my flat here.

And these days I have a permanent job in Munich - well, as permanent as jobs get.

So, you can imagine my disdain when I was emailed today about a job in Frankfurt.

Experteer

Yesterday I received a final reminder about my payment to this service (of which I am a Premium member).

But I hadn't received any messages before.

Anyway, I renewed it today (I think it was using an expired credit card).

Nevertheless I have a slight feeling it isn't worthwhile.

Does anyone have any positive experiences from using it?

OneNuts

Nowadays, not only do I have a job but one which allows me to "try out" new pieces of equipment more or less as I wish.

So I am trying out a tablet PC, running Windows 8.

It's a Lenovo Helix and I am getting quite impressed with it.

And I am beginning to tolerate Windows 8 (tolerate meaning, in the case, not wanting to totally obliterate Microsoft).

And it has OneNote for Windows 8 on it (and I have been a fan of OneNote for years).

Which seems rather nice until you find out:

1. it syncs automatically to Microsoft's SkyDrive which makes it impossible to use in a business context
2. you can't print
3. you can't do some other things you could do with earlier versions ... BUT YOU CAN'T PRINT.

If Dancing Monkey Boy Steve Ballmer wants to contribute to this job hunting blog he just has to contact me (and send a scan of his pink slip).

Could have written this myself

Found on the WSJ, Get Rid of the Performance Review!