Even more German, for a while

The manager who interviewed me over the telephone in German called me this morning, before 9am I think.

He asked me if we could have another interview at 8.30pm today. I was actually going to attend a social event but I agreed to this instead and cancelled my attendance at the other one.

My German really isn't very good and it turned out it was to meet over dinner at a rather good Wirthaus not too far away.

Another manager came along and we talked in German for about half an hour or more. The other manager had some rather nuanced question so we had to speak in English then - and after that there was no going back.

Then it got to my income requirements and it becomes quite clear that they couldn't afford me. There were also some other mismatches - although I know how to I don't tend to do the number crunching, detailed planning sides of projects.

So that concluded that although it was a very pleasant conversation as well as being professional and I did mention that I know someone who may be better suited. I will ping them on LinkedIn now.

Warum?

Yesterday evening I had an interview with a company whose head of recruitment I had met at an IT day run by the local unemployment office.

The interview went well, I think, but it was all in German.

For an hour.

I actually pointed out - in case they hadn't noticed - that my German is a bit poor (this is more or less verbatim) and they replied that they knew I had made quite a few errors (keine Scheisse Sherlock) but that it wasn't a biggie ("keine grosse Sache").

They asked for a summary of my projects which I sent them this morning. It will probably show that my main project skills and experience are mainly in office infrastructure relocation.

Fit

This morning, alarming close to lunchtime, I had a telephone interview with a VP from the company who is trying to recruit me.

It was a very good interview except for one little thing which will become apparent.

After being asked quite a few questions he asked me if I had any questions. I didn't but I voiced my two main concerns:

Concern no. 1 - I don't have German. Apparently his view was different and that German requirement was in no way required. Hmmm, not sure about that

Concern no. 2 - cultural fit. He laughed and said he noticed that but felt that it would be ok. Ummm, you noticed it, the VP of HR and another manager noticed it, and I noticed it sufficiently to raise it at an interview.

I think there might be a cultural mismatch.

I should have another conference call with another VP soon. Let's see but I really don't think it would be a good idea - for them or for me - to take this as a permanent position.

Strange

The company where I interviewed but felt there was no chance because:

• my German skills are inadequate
• I don't see - and they don't see either - a cultural fit

Now want me to have conference calls with two VPs.

You can probably hear the alarm bells going off in my head.

Although I would rather create this world-class business (see other blog) in all truth this would be a terrible fit for the reasons given above.

I will talk with them because I am an open-minded panda - and I may agree to take a freelance or interim assignment but right now I think a permanent employment would be wrong for everyone.

In fact, I suspect some desperation on their part. Worse: Germany has a six month probationary period so they could hire me as a permanent as a gap-stop and then simply let me go. Some businesses do that.

Fuck that shit.

Fit

When I interview people I have - and tell the candidates - three to five criteria.

• Can they do the job, that is, do they have the technical competence?
• Will they fit into the team?
• (Will they fit into the global team when I have a global team?)
• Will they fit into the overall corporate culture?
• Can they help the team or overall business grow and develop (depending upon point in the business cycle)?

A couple of weeks ago I had a telephone interview with a manager in the US for a project management role here in Munich.

Today I went for an interview in this local office.

It was a good interview for several reasons:

• they had no doubt I could do the project management role
• we shared a concern about my lack in German (I reached a good occupational level but have never had the opportunity to use it throughout the business day). I would be required to talk frequently with the works council (non-Germans feel free to shout "socialism is evil" while I live in one of the best and most affluent cities in the world) which would require very good levels of German.
• the pleasant but astute HR VP spotted that I get bored easily and was concerned about that.

Actually I've have had several jobs lasting three years or more but in their company people stay for much longer - even though three years is considered a long time in IT.

The other thing I detected is that the role I was applying for would be pure project management. "Do how we do things".

I tend to establish "how we do things" in companies - either formally or informally. 

Turns out I was the first interviewee and I strongly doubt they would bet back to me with anything positive. Which would be just fine. As I've written before, when a company rejects you, they are always right, though not necessarily for the right reasons.

A morning at the fair

A job hunting fair organised for IT bods by the Munich unemployment office.

I've been to job fairs in the UK but this was much better.

Being an organised panda I had shortlisted the companies I thought were appropriate - about 11 - and was  in and out within two hours.

For most of the companies I visited it was obvious that my German is a bit on the crap side. One lady, early on, however, said that I had good German but probably better English. I suggested she waited 20 minutes to hear what my German was like when I started getting tired (and fed up of the lingo).

Oh, and by the way, I have been feeling quite ill.

Good, great but ...

After talking with the head of the college on Sunday I spent the rest of the day, and yesterday morning, looking through notes and thinking about how I could lecture in PM.

I actually became excited about it - it could be a good part-time activity while I develop this business (see other blog).

Then, yesterday afternoon, I trundled over to meet the two heads of the college. All went well. There are only three hours of lectures a week and ... there's no pay for preparation work etc. Which means I would only be paid for three hours a week. Over 13 weeks.

Just not economically viable - I get more unemployment benefit. We all had a little brainstorming session to see if there was a way around this. So far, we are bureaucratically snookered.

Urgent

Actually, over the last few weeks I have been applying to jobs and even having telephone interviews.

Then yesterday (Saturday) I was going through my emails and noticed one from the president of the local AGBC.

It was a forward from a manager of a business school who is looking, urgently, for a lecturer in project management.

I sent off a quick reply outlining my interest and including my c.v.

It tends to show that email is becoming less and less useful as it is too noisy.

Short and nice

That was a quick video interview: hi ... worried that you will be too expensive ... what sort of ball park are you looking for ... oh ok, never mind.

Just one

Today I applied for one job in Munich.

It was appropriate and in - even more appropriately - was in English.

They asked for very good German skills but we'll see.

German perhaps

This morning I had a meeting with a consultant (that's what they're called now) from the German unemployment office.

She was very pleasant and appreciative on what I've been doing.

But she only spoke in high speed, beaureaucratic German - or rather a dialect of German (I can only cope in standard German, Hochdeutsch).

I left with lots of forms and leaflets, all in German, with the daunting task of understanding them.

I reckon even a native German speaker would have problems.

More German malarky

Last week the German unemployment office sent me an electronic message which mainly asked for my c.v. in GERMAN (their caps, although they wrote the message in German).

German c.v.s tend to be longer than Anglo-Saxon ones but in this case it is shorter.

Bit of a bite

Contacted on Xing (the German version of LinkedIn) by a recruiter for what turned out to be a job in Düsseldorf.

We spoke in German about a probable interview until I started to say - in German - that obviously my English was better.

The recruiter immediately switched to English and told me that the international company really needs someone with very good German - even though the job details were in English.

I explained that my German is rusty as I live in Munich - a land which only pretends badly not to speak English.

At least it's a bite.

Although ...

... I have better things to do than take another job (like starting my own business) today I send my c.v. to an agency who contact me about a freelance job in Luxembourg.

Schadengefreut

... for my soon to be former employer (they still pay me to the end of November but I am released and am under no obligation to them).

Yesterday I got a last minute invitation to a former colleague's birthday party. Good food (he barbecued in the rain), drink and company.

He's leaving the company (actually resigned before I did) and has now got a good new job (he resigned without first finding a new employer). Another former colleague was also there and he has resigned, having secured a good position with a well known e-commerce firm.

At the party I heard of other people who have left, or will soon leave, including the last CEO who had been there for less than two years.

Oh, and they lost most of the business with a major client.

The company really does seem to be following TJHWNN's First Law: you make me redundant and your company will soon cease to exist.

More malarky in German

Although I am paid to the end of November the German unemployment office wanted to see me and review my c.v.

Yesterday I updated it, a little bit, and today took it to the office.

It is in English. My selling point in Germany is that I am a native English speaker, there is no point writing it in German, plus it would be much longer.

The person I met there was very pleasant and gave me information (including about startup assistance) and want an update by the end of next month.

She also told me that my German was good and was surprised to hear that I seldom use the language, either professionally or in my private life.

it's not all startup activity

I've been mainly working on building this new business since I left my company (who are still paying me for a couple of months).

I put in a light hearted post in LinkedIn which attracted quite a few likes (including one from the co-founder of the Indian-part of the company I've just left).

And today a former VP in APAC asked me to send my c.v. to him.

I will, even though I want to give this business a go. You never know. It may even result in me taking an interim assignment.

But not enough German

Despite my apparent skills in German filling in a form - an online form - about your work details is a tedium.

And some entries were filled in my the employment agency and were just wrong and couldn't be corrected.

More uses of German ... keeping the economy afloat

Although I have a Mac Mini (or is it a Mini Mac?) at home I like to have a laptop to hand.

Having yesterday returned my Surface Pro to work I decided I needed to have my own portable device so today I went and bought .... a Surface Pro 3.

Seriously, I need it.

Although superb devices these aren't the cheapest laptops and at the checkout I found that it exceeded my bank card limit (in Germany you can often make purchases with bank cards which immediately debit your account but being a risk-adverse society the credit limit is quite low).

So I had to cross town to go to my bank, draw out the money then go back to the shop to pick up the device.

And all this: going through the decision making and purchase in the shop, then talking to the bank clerk, was done in my third language*.




*English is my first language. I don't actually have a second language.

Useful after all

A few years ago I was forced persuaded by the unemployment office to go on an occupational German language course (B2) which I actually passed rather well.

I then found myself using those acquired but now rusty skills this morning when I went and registered again at the office.

The agent I was talking to was rather complimentary about my German.