jayseven

@Wii can you stop notswearing? it's getting tiresome editing back in the cuss words.

Had my interview - got the job. Massive relief. Been waiting for so long! I'm getting paid more, which is nice, but I had to agree to the lowest end of what I wanted. Their argument was that I was going to be paid more than any existing manager, which I understand. Some of them have been there 5 years. So I am now going to work here under this role for 6-12 months and if I don't see a chance for a pay increase (progression will only happen if I invent another job!) I'll look elsewhere. From what I've seen I can earn 50% more with experience under my belt, so that's the best bet. So I no longer have to speak to anyone on the phone! No more clients. No more stupid shit. From now on I am responsible for ensuring our company is compliant. I have been given a wide remit for looking at all areas of business, and the first part of my job is to actually DEFINE my job! I get to set out my weekly/monthly reports. The great thing is that I can spend the next month saying that I'm researching what my reports should be. I also haggled an extra day's worth of holiday... based on how quickly they said that would be a possibility I wish I asked for more! Seriously pleased. I've worked my arse off for ages. I was first told about a promotion 12 months ago but that promotion wouldn't have been as good as this one. I'm a manager, yet I don't have to manage people. Other mangers have to report to me yet I only report to the general manager and MD... So. Much. Hard. Work. It has paid off! My employers have recognised and appreciated me and I am able to catch up with the other 28 year olds I know, now that I can afford it (in brighton!). The payrise means I can actually consider a mortgage next year... Oh man. yeah. Just.. woo! it worked! My 5 year plan is working!

I would like to contribute this year but I cannot confirm anything until much closer to the time! @Shorty I'd be happy to join you

Currently looking at http://www.netsalarycalculator.co.uk/ (does not account for student loan fees or other tax breaks) to see what money I want. Like charlie says, I know what other people in the company earn - and I know what my work is worth versus theirs. I also know that my future job is partly to ensure the commission-based team earn more money. As a consequence I know that I want to ask for x amount because I want to earn more than others will earn as a consequence of my work. That link also gives you a realistic idea of how much actual money you'd get each month as a consequence of a payrise. Personally, I'm not so bothered about earning an extra £50 a month, and knowing the monthly difference means I can go into my negotions with, hopefully, more reasoning power to demand more pay.

That's awesome murray! You have legit work experience now. Someone owes Blade a beer! ____ ... Tomorrow I have my interview for the new job role in which I am the only person who applied for the job. This is because I've basically invented this job and I've been doing it for the last forever months. Salary is 'negotiable' but I know they'll have a figure in mind, and I have a figure in mind... but I'm not very good at holding people hostage. I am literally the only person who can do this job. If they hire someone externally to do it then they'll have to pay MORE than what I would be asking for, plus the external person would have to learn the bespoke systems etc. But I can't really see myself saying "fuck you, I want more money" and going back to my 'current' job. Bottom line is that if I take this job at whatever pay, I can then be one of those external folk and go for higher-earnings down the line.

Good luck man! That's the foot-in-the-door right there.

I've avoided any info about this so far -- Vince Vaughan and Colin Farrell?! Interesting combo. Big rep to live up to after the first season..!

Well done, cube that couldn't have been an easy thing to do at all!

Adulthood is about responsibility of your own actions and inactions. Responsibility does not mean being able to act by oneself - I'm talking merely about being able to take blame and to give credit. The most adult people I know are the reasonable, rational ones who are able to comprehend differing points of view. An adult is someone that children go to when they need help. Are you an adult or a child, in this respect? EDIT: so just to clarify the "you" above is not directed at any specific individual, but just a general question aimed at any/everyone.

Bear in mind Clarkson wasn't fired, just that his contract was not renewed.

We've just been emailed 4 job openings. I am qualified for all 4, yet there is one that only I am qualified for. It's a job that I basically made up. I'm pretty glad that it's finally happened... except I've heard how much they're hoping to pay for this role. They've already got in mind who they want for each position, but the fact is if I'm the best qualified for two of the jobs (I'm the best qualified for ALL the jobs) but they want me to have this particular job (that nobody else can do) then... I deserve more pay, right? I work currently with a basic pay plus commission. The current commission structure is FAR too good. If I take the job that was made for me, then I will ensure that a lot of people earn a very high amount. It stands to reason, for me, to ask for an amount which ensures I earn MORE than their projected amount. Essentially our company failed to see how much we could expand, and I've expanded it. I don't want to accept a payrise that is LESS than what I aim to increase in terms of commission for each person on the team. There are a lot of benefits to the new role - for one it's not tied to one department so I can officially spread my wings... but at the same time if I can take a lesser role but earn more due to a commission-related salary... then they're idiots to think I'll do so, right? (My new job is basically going to end up increasing the commission of a team of 12 people. I don't want to take this job on and end up allowing them to earn more money than me, especially considering the new job means I have actual accountability for THE LAW.) But hey - this time next month - new title, new shit. Hoo-rah.

Afraid not!

telemarketing has a lot of different aspects. If you're good at sales then you're missing out on commission-based roles. Doesn't have to be cold calling (essentially that is illegal now - and much more enforceable), and business-to-business telemarketing can be a lot more civil. I did a campaign for the NHS, another one for NSPCC contacting doctors surgeries specifically - I did one for hire purchase vehicles to known customers of the brand to see if they had any additional needs. I did another one where we were calling a list of "interested" people in a seminar presented by a large bank - this one we had a fixed number of tickets to go out, and there was a lot of demand. Another one I did was for a training company where the qualification you get lasts 5 years. We were calling people with less than a year left to help them book a retrain session. From these jobs (spread out over 2 years I guess) I learned how to train people, and how to manage people. In these jobs you get paid more than what you get paid currently as a basic. It's a good non-skilled way into a career that can lead to management or training completely off the phones, which can then be transferred back to retail. A guy I worked with moved from retentions (stopping a customer from leaving - a job he got 12 months after starting in sales) to being a store manager at victoria station. It's a hard sell -- but overall if you're smart and you are good, telemarketing offers more prospects than retail (in my opinion, of course!). Having said that, it is really difficult to land the right job. But if you leave retail and try something new you can probably get a similar job again quick due to your experience and proven track record. @Charlie - remember what we PM'd about? It's april and I have been told that between tuesday and thursday this week my new job will be advertised. I'll be reporting back if/when I actually have any good news!

There are additional reasons for why promises can't always be kept. For any new law to pass it must go through a rigorous system (here). Currently there is a bill called the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which has taken over 3 years to get through the above process and is still not completely finished. It intends to replace several other laws, make more simple a few more, and overall ensure that people have a more concrete idea of what rights they have for returning goods or complaining about services. It is aiming to close loopholes about 2nd-tier ticket sellers (touts, or ebay), and even introduce refund rights for digital content that does not match the quality the consumer expected. It was introduced by the conservatives, then the lib dems got involved and caused everything to be delayed, then the lib dems changed their minds and let the plan go ahead with amendments, then labour MPs got all picky about one aspect or other. List of bills that the residing government 'lost'.. Part of the reason for the delay; the non-elected parties may try to make the progression of any new bill as difficult as possible. The country is never fully run by any one party, and the reporting of any progress or governing is constantly full of bias and spin. One reason for delay for the above bill; they wanted the bill to be law for 2 years, then have the bill brought back into parliament for assessment of how well - or poorly - the intended purpose of the new law had been achieved. This seems sensible as it allows for alterations to the law to get the intent back on track -- yet immediately it is called into question because it may be that the conservatives are looking to leave 'a mess' for a different government to clean up. All-in-all, I know very little about politics but I do appreciate that it is difficult for a party to make promises when they literally cannot guarantee things. I think the general public is too under-informed, or under-educated about politics, and too over-reliant on the news/media to interpret events - and I think the media's role hasn't necessarily meant that politicians then act better... I don't know. It's too complicated!

Well best of luck to you, whatever the role actually is! Love the sound of all that analysis... MMm... Analy... sis.... Wait what

What sort of stuff do you do Moogle? I'm involved in our crm analysis (100ish employees, bespoke CRM, so a bit different) and I'm always interested to hear about others. I've seen the CRMs for pretty much all of the banking sector (they're generally windows 95-esque and not very streamlined or efficient) - are you focused on the data accuracy, or identifying faults in the crm, or what?!

Shorty was awesome and got me the ps3 version. I'm up for playing it tomorrow/today (thursday) after 7:30pm. I need to get home and install it and ensure other housemates aren't obstructing the lounge but should be good to go!

@Animal; you have to conform to your contract. If your notice period is 4 weeks then you have to do that. An employer is within their rights to let you go sooner if they wish (which is why you may have seen colleagues leave sooner) As a hearing-impaired (or whatever it's called these days - it changes every few years) person, I would also advise that you not say things like "though it's not medical" and instead get it assessed because it does make a difference to the sort of job you can do, and the fact is if your employer is not informed of your impairment you cannot take advantage of what goafer was saying -- you can't play the disability card. Which is a v. strong card. And you misunderstand the strength of the card. If you are perceived to be an ignorant tit then you are overlooked frequently as you are seen to be an idiot or a lazy person. Or rude. Once they know you have an impairment then you are seen as a brave, strong person. "everyone knows" is a bad thing to think. I didn't know. And I've 'known' you for fucking years. Having a suspicion of bad hearing and alerting others to this suspicion is not the same as acknowledging a deficiency. If you are recognised as having a hearing difficulty then if someone sighs and asks why you can never hear anything then they can get in deep trouble for being an ignorant twat. Don't be a scardy-cat. Being deaf by any degree is, like, totally chill. The stupid people are the ones who just ignore their shit. You may have no real understanding of how much more difficult your life has been all these years simply because you've been too proud to be diagnosed. Don't be an idiot. Go get the answers. (I had a job where I had no hearing aids for 3 months. The staff thought I was a dick but never said anything. When i turned up one day being all "hey guys! I finally got my hearing aids!!" they were all "ooooooh! That explains so much!!" -- you may not realise how much your deafness is an issue to your colleagues.) I had another point but I forgot what it was.

I never knew holidays were so, like... viable. My girl and I are planning New York this year (wooooo!) and it's not exactly cheap... but as a consequence I've had a look at last minute deals and all that stuff and... wow. I can do that..! Barcelona flights and hotel 3 nights for £90? sure! Miami 3 nights and flights £300? Nice! I literally just assumed everything costed loooads. @Goafer how's the market where you are? I'm wanting to move in with my girlfriend and we don't want to share. Generally an average 2-bed is £1200 here. A nice 1-bed is £900, if not more. So harsh. But then I visited my mates in London recently and one of them was paying £1100 for a fairly basic 1-bed flat, which was just not a pleasant place to be in either..!

You're completely right. I've been fixated on the idea that I need the actual job title, whereas actually I'm doing additional things already. This week has been really good in the sense that I've been heard, 'publicly' praised for the research/work I've done, and I've just gone ahead and worked towards fixing problems rather than moaning about them. My redesign of our "welcome pack" is being printed next week, and if I get more than 20% returns on it (as in, we send out 10 Welcome Packs and more than 2 people return them) then I will be a 'proven' success. It's amazing how much can happen in a week. But you are right - I need to actually apply for other jobs and prove myself. Currently my existing job is holding future prospects again... Come April it will be 2 years here and that will be the time for change, I think.

I've mentioned promotions a few times here -- basically any I've mentioned since april last year haven't happened, but I've taken on the extra work. I'm responsible for training new staff, dealing with complaints, improving our CRM and resolving any internal issues - not to mention acting as the point of call for help or advice for my colleagues. Whilst I've done this I've been 3rd highest earner for the company out of 10 staff in my department (the other two that earnt higher [one by 40k] do not have the same amount of responsibility as I do), bringing in for the calendar year of 2014 enough money to pay for the entire department's wages -- whilst enabling staff (via crm and advice) to double their average income. New bottlenecks have arisen due to bizarre complications of various company staff splintering off to form their own company and leaving different departments undermanned... and further concepts I've had for increasing efficiency or accuracy have taken a back seat to other areas of the company simply needing the man power to stay afloat... But recently there were developments in legislation and law that would affect out work. I saw the proposal of these laws and brought them to the attention of management. I raised my concerns when management did not appear to be addressing these items at a speed that was needed. I recommended new policies that would cover our arses. None of these things happened. Then i saw when these changes would be implemented by our regulators. It's not my job to check on this stuff, but I saw. I memo'd upper management about this and mentioned key deadlines -- and I got no response. They were too busy firefighting the understaffed quarters. I reiterated the changes that needed to be made, but still no comments. I would see management wander the office making small talk for 30-45 minutes and just be baffled at their nonchalance. We're facing new legislation that could mean 20% turnover fees, or fines, for not being in line with new regulation standards... a fine which could be levied more than once. But I knew the deadline. The new rules came in yesterday - 28th Jan 2015. So I printed off all of the new law and I printed off all of the new guidelines. I put them on my manager's desk and said "this needs to be done by today." Suddenly management are responding to my memos. Suddenly they're asking me for explanations of what needs to happen. Once again I've been promised a promotion of some sort... but first I need to help them with this. The issue is that I have no additional leverage to acquire a better job elsewhere. I need a promotion on my CV to go alongside what i've done, otherwise I'm looking at taking several steps back. The joys of working in a commission-based environment - I've been spoiled with my paycheck. So in order to one day get this leg-up I need to ensure this company still exists. If I hadn't slammed the new legislation down on management's desk then I'd probably be out of a job soon; no-one higher up has kept an eye on this or even had a clue that we could be fucked in a matter of weeks if we don't address this. I spent years as an uncouth layabout, uncertain what I was good at - and now I'm in a company that has earned millions because of the work I have done. I wish I could say I was being egotistical... but it's just factual. And yet there's no recognition. That's the trouble with working with a 'small' company. Big money coming in but only two people 'running' all the departments and too afraid to let the power diffuse; too afraid to properly disperse the work and compensate for it, even if it means more money for them. I've never worked in such a strange, high-pressured, political environment before. Mostly, I do love it -- but sometimes it's just so frustrating to encounter a problem and not be given the authority to solve it, even if it's for the 'greater' good.

Good luck Moogs. I'm already panicking for you. How are you going to factor in dinner? What do you wear? Lights on or lights off? And for the movie? What happens if she starts taking her top off at That Really Good Bit of the movie? Aaaaaaah #gladi'mnotsingle

The girl I've been training sent her initial CV in by email. She accidentally attached a holiday picture instead of her CV. But then this isn't really a PhD-level kinda job sooo... Totally going to use that as my CV standard if I ever have to do interviews.

Ohgod. It's just devolved into a ridiculous string of nonsense. Of course I think I'm winning. A vegetarian friend said that I was winning too, which means it's true, right?

I accidentally replied to a facebook post by a new-vegan and now I'm involved in a massive stupid argument about meat being cancer and how I'd steal a handbag from a dead woman at a bus stop because I eat bacon. Eating meat is as bad as genocide and killing a pig is just as bad as killing your own mother.