More on the job search

Sorry, had to cut the last one short and have not been able to get back to writing. But Lola is out eating Sushi with some friends who are in from London and the boys are asleep. And I, well . . . I should be studying, but this is a good excuse not to, and it's better than watching the end of "I, Robot", "I, Spy" or whetever's on the really crappy cable that they have in Palo Alto.

So, where was I?

First, let me go into the differences in the job markets. I did spend some time in London looking around. Partly to see if there was some killer opportunity which would make it make sense to stay there. But mainly to get into the habit of looking for a job. Still, with the lead times, there was little to no chance that anything would pan out, so it was really just a chance to make sure my suits still fit.

For anyone who's reading this who doesn't know, job lead times in Europe are massively longer than in the US, mainly due to notice periods. In the UK, which is the most "free market" of the major European markets has a 3 month standard notice period. Even if you talk that down, most employers expect at least 6 weeks to get someone in the job.

Ironically, this doesn't seem to add more urgency to the process.

But, of course, one thing I hadn't considered was that all of the interviews in London got my name into the system. So, thanks to the power of SpinVox, I've gotten several messages from recruiters in London. So, I'm spending almost as much time talking with recruiters over there as I am people here. Mainly, I'm giving them the names of people I know in London who are looking and/or getting them to refer me to their offices here.

The irony, of course, is that the work of companies going international seems to be focusing out of London.

The other difference of course is the dress code. Not so much with the suit/tie. So far, I've been massively overdressed (as in, the other guy is wearing jeans and a t-shirt.) But I figure it's better to err on the side of caution. Of course, it may just be a big beacon that says, "This guy's a prick!" But I think it's professional (at least it was in the UK.)

Ok, it's late, so I'll just put up a list of the companies I've talked to so far as a poll. More soon.