Friday, July 21, 2006

2 job interviews, no job

Not because I didn't do well at interview (one have already come back indicating they're putting the final touches on a proposal), but simply because they're not right for me.
One, which seems like I might do well there is simply too far away (would require 1h15m drive, hence £++s on travelling, and less reading time). The manager seems to have a flexible attitude to working hours, even if the official company line difers, and when I had to give an inprotu presentation on something technical (they asked me to tell them something about SQL Server 2005, so I told them about Report Services), they seemed like they were actually thinking about how & where they could use it. It's a shame it's so far away, and they'd mentioned outsourcing things to India previously (although I think they got burned).
The other one is for an online games (read 'gambling-lite')(or should that be 'gambling-zero'?) company in Manchester. Seemed ok, although they stumbled when I asked about Test Driven Development (seemed to have looked at NUnit, but not grasped the nettle). No benefits (no pension, minimum holiday), and the £££s didn't seem to compensate for that. Had a bit of an argument with the agency guy about what he'd told me beforehand, but I think it's best left alone. Why do companies forget that employees are people, with wants and needs?
I've got another interview next week, where there's more benefits ( 25 days hols + 8 stats, Stake holder pension, subsidised Gym membership just up the road & bonus scheme payable upon individual performance), which is always good. Not read the job spec yet, but it's closer to home, which is always good.

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