Eighth Time's The Charm

Good Morning My Dears,

I know, I know, I am a day late on this post.  Apologies for that but I have a good excuse in the form of a guest.  My Amsterdam host has come to visit me for 10 days so I am playing host and tourist here in Edinburgh.

When last I wrote,  I had an interview with a British investment house and the possibility of a second interview.  I did not get a second interview with the company and again for that most annoying of reasons, over qualification.  Seriously? That began a decent into a really dark place, for which I must apologise to a couple of people, though not in this blog.  I was seriously considering buying my ticket back to the states and my confidence was rather beginning to lag.  Just when I thought all was lost, I got an interview with a construction recruitment company for a bookkeeper/back office manager position down in Leith, which is the port of Edinburgh.  Apparently, I had the job after I left last Friday.
It isn't a bad commute, the bus goes directly there from my house and, best of all, it is permanent.  So it seems I am going to be in Scotland for the foreseeable future.  So the eighth company I interviewed with was the one that saw my potential and decided to take a chance.  It is just as well that the job came up when it did, because I was going to go on the dole and get a jobseeker's benefit and council tax help from the British government which, as an EU citizen, I am entitled to.  I had started the procedure to get the benefit on the 21st, so the 29th was my day to sign in and tell the government what I was doing to find work in the form of a paper diary.  In short, as Jasper opined it was time for me to un-unemploy myself.

Yesterday was my birthday, and so we went out for indian food.  We also went to a professional cutlery shop, where I was bought  two decent knives as my birthday present.   I have promised a jaunt to the Scotch Whiskey Experience to Jasper for his birthday, as well as a trip to the garden center to look at the plants, so that is the plan for today.  And perhaps some new pots as the ones I bought at the Poundsavers have warped beyond recognition.  I am sorry this is so short, but if I don't go help with the kitchen tidy, I will be in trouble.

Next Up: A Birthday celebration and work begins.

Cheerio for now,

Tina

Edinburgh Endeavours

Good Evening My Dears,

The weather in Edinburgh has reverted to its natural state.  We are building the ark in Scotland and it is going to be considerably bigger than 40 cubits.  When last I wrote, I had an upcoming interview and the the US was coming to visit.  But first a brief rewind back to the interviews I had in the previous week.  After the insanity of that company which will not be named, I gave another polite call to the agency that got me the interview and told them that I did not want to proceed should that which must not be named come calling.  A good thing, too, as it turns out that the agency was having a tough time with that place.  It seems that I was not the only candidate to complain about their chilly reception and Inquisitionish Interview format.  The interview at the language school was also a bust, this time because I was "not a good fit".   Whatever that means.  As my new friend Sabrina said, "maybe they just didn't like your nose".  Since I can't really fix either of those things, I put them out of my head and I concentrated on the next interview I had, which was for a British investment house.  For this interview, I was one of 5 candidates interviewing across two roles.  That means that I have a 1 in 2.5 chance of getting either role.  One is a more junior role and the other is a slightly more senior role.  What I liked abut this interview is that the interviewer pulled out an organizational chart of the finance department and showed me how people moved across the department.   This company likes to promote from within, and as the two roles that I interviewed for are fairly junior roles, that means there is room for growth.  Unfortunately, I will not hear anything until at least tomorrow as they interviewed today.  There will be a second interview in the process as well.  This time with someone from HR.  Sounds like there will be more competency interviews in my future, if, that is, I get shortlisted.  Given my dislike of the competency interview, I went to the agency on Friday morning, before my interview, and had them do a practice competency interview with me.  That was an extremely useful exercise and I may ask them to run a second one.

On Friday evening, the US came a-callin' in the form of Gary and Zane Stuggins, family friends and WIS parents from Alex's class. To be more accurate Canada came callin' via the US, as that is where they are actually from.  I met them at their hotel and we wandered George Street in New Town, and went to dinner.  I convinced them to go for tapas at a place called Cafe Andaluz that I had been eyeing pretty much since I landed.  The food and wine were great and I would not hesitate to recommend to other Edinburgh visitors. Definitely better than the other British tapas restaurant that had the misfortune to be exported to the US.  I write, of course, of La Tasca, which is much more bland than its Scottish cousin.  For Andaluz, while a chain, makes more of an effort with its presentation than does La Tasca.  The atmosphere is lovely and the waitstaff friendly and accommodating.   I also got a birthday present from my Mama, which, of course was clothing, though surprisingly from Macy's and not my beloved TJ Maxx or Ross.  The aforementioned New Town is not really new as it is from the 18th century.  That never fails to amuse.  Old Town seems to have been built by Noah, right alongside the ark.

On Saturday, I went and invested in some me time with a mini facial (free), haircut and color (not free, alas).  Though, really, the mini facial wasn't free either, as the results of the facial were so dramatic that I bought the products used.  I tell you though, I will never ever go back to drugstore skincare again.  Sporting my new face and hair, I met my friend Sabrina for a night on the town and we hightailed it to Leith to go find Indian food.  Only to find that the whole of Leith Walk was closed.  Closed.  On Saturday.  At Six.  No Indian Food.  No Food of any kind.  At least until we walked the water of Leith to Commercial Street and Commercial Quay (pronounced Key), where we found an Italian place and had really, really good Pizza.

Contrary to my American upbringing, which of course disdains any sort of government help, (because, let's be honest, people, the US is not necessarily a fount of Social Programs), I went to the Jobcentre and registered for a jobseeker's benefit and a council tax benefit.  I did not, however feel comfortable getting a housing benefit, as I am not so desperate yet that I can not pay my rent.  I also went to the surgery up the road and tried to register for healthcare, but to take advantage of free healthcare you have to be working.   The next step is to investigate if there is, at least, emergency healthcare reciprocity on my Greek passport so a call to the Greek Consulate/Embassy is on tap for tomorrow.

Right, my dears, I am off to examine the perfect spiderweb that an enterprising arachnid has built on the outside of my living room window.  Ms. S.P. Ider is in her house so I am going to leave her alone for the moment.  If she was in my house, I don't care what the Chinese say, good luck or no, that there arachnid would be toast.

Next Up: A possible second interview, a visitor arrives, and a birthday.

Cheerio for now,

Tina

Insane Interview and a Glasgow Galavant

Good Evening My Dears,

The sun seems to want to shine in Edinburgh just when I am considering another post.  Thankfully, the time difference makes it possible to both blog and enjoy the outdoors.  When last I wrote, I had shortlisted for a second interview with Black Rock.  I had that second interview and was hopeful about my prospects, until I was told that "my interview was perfect but they interviewers felt that I would get bored very quickly."  Oh, and they thought I was overqualified for the position.  What?  Well, needless to say, I had a polite earful for the person at the agency that got me the interview.  First of all, I don't believe that it is possible to get bored with a job that is only supposed to last for three months.  Secondly,  in a market such as this one, where the jobs are few and far between, there is NO SUCH THING as overqualified.   In fact, I just moved to a new country where I am unfamiliar with the accounting systems used.  So I fully expect to be applying for jobs that some might consider not advanced enough, but let's face it people, I spent the last year and a half in retail management.  And if I were to be honest, I really was an assistant manager, if not an assistant assistant manager.  Overqualified?  Not bloody likely.

However, I had two interviews last week and one, perhaps two this week.  Interview number one last week was for a company called Business Stream, a division of Scottish Water that provides water to corporate customers.  I got to the interview 10 minutes early and was told to have a seat in the most unwelcoming reception area I have ever come across.  Needless to say, I sat my backside down on a padded stool-type object and waited for 25 minutes before anyone even came to talk to me.  I then sat for another 10 minutes as the interview room was prepared.  I walked into the room and was confronted by Macbeth's three witches...I mean, the interviewers.  It has been my luck that I have met my interviewers anonymously at a couple of my interviews in the ladies' loo.  So it proved again.  One of the witches (interviewers) was a woman who seemed perfectly nice when I ran into her in the loo and we exchanged polite hellos and nods.  Nice didn't last long, however.  I was subjected to a competency interview.  The questions run something like "Describe a situation in which you...what actions did you take...what was the result?".  Now to be fair, I knew what I was in for and prepared accordingly.  Based on a prep sheet I got from the agency, I began to write down situations to match the job spec that I got from the agency.  There were four essential qualities and one desirable quality listed so I wrote down two examples for each for each requirement.  I walk into the interview expecting that it would be about forty minutes.  It wasn't, the witches had a book of spells, I mean interview questionnaire, that was, no lie, 15 pages long.  For an Accounts Receivable Assistant position.  Can we say nightmare?  I tried my best with the questions and the hostile vibes from the three women and completed the interview, only to proceed to that most dreaded of accounting job horrors, the excel test.  Turns out, scarily enough, that was the easiest bit of the interview.  I hightailed it out of there and the second thing I did, (the first being change out of the stilettos) was call the agency and give Business Stream, the worst review ever.  I told the agent that just as they interview candidates, the candidates need to feel that the company is a good place to work.  That didn't come across for Business Stream.

In contrast, I had what I thought was a fabulous interview with a company called EAC, an English language school that needs temp help through August.  The girls were in their mid twenties and it felt much more easy.  Also, the location was right in the city center.  No word on either of those interviews, but am hopeful for the EAC interview at least.

Yesterday, I went to Glasgow with my friend Sabrina.  I have been infected with the anti-Glasgow bug since I moved, and yesterday I was proved right.  It isn't that there is anything wrong with Glasgow per se, but Edinburgh is a much more picturesque  and charming city.  One thing that Glasgow has that Edinburgh lacks is absolutely brilliant shopping.  Oh, and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the architect who pioneered the Glasgow Style of the late-nineteenth and early twentieth century which is heavily Art Nouveau.  We went to the Willow Tea Rooms that he designed and had lunch.  It is a lovely airy building with lots of stark clean lines and beveled glass.  Then we wandered aimlessly through the shops of Glasgow and looked at The Buchanan Tearooms and the Daily Record Building, two other Mackintosh creations.  The Daily Record building was memorable because it was damn difficult to find, being tucked away in an alley that must have done duty as a drainage ditch in the 18th Century.  I did not go to the museums or the other Mackintosh sights as I wanted to save them for my sister since she like Mackintosh as well.

Right, that is all she wrote, folks.

Next Up: An interview or two and the US comes a-callin'.

Cheerio for now,

Tina

Bits and Bobs

Good Afternoon My Dears,

This promises to be a rather short post as, miracle of miracles, the sun is shining in Edinburgh today.  Consequently, I am going to explore Leith, which is Edinburgh's harbor.  However, when last I posted, I promised to talk about a few interesting happenings.  First, I went to a birthday party for Koby, my friend Laura's precocious 3 year old son.  It was not surprisingly, freezing.  This made the party a bit of a downer especially as it was a barbecue.  I am still breaking out the winter coat and not roasting hot when I wear it.  The party however was fun and turned into an engagement party as one of Laura's other friends from the US who was over for a visit, got engaged at Edinburgh Castle.  It was quite sweet and there were quite a few tears of joy.

The second round interview at Black Rock went well, but they seem to be taking their time about whether to make an offer or not.  However, I also have an interview on Thursday and this is for a permanent role so maybe if the temp one doesn't come through the perm one will.  And on it goes.  Jobs keep coming up and I get interviews but no offers as yet.

I did go to a dance lesson last week and had a very nice time.  I was a bit saddened  to find that Scottish men have very little rhythm, much like their American cousins.  However, I did dance with the teacher and that is always good as you can alway pick up a thing or twelve from them.  I am planning on going to a social dance on Wednesday to check out the Edinburgh swing dance scene.

Right, that's all she wrote folks.

Cheerio for now,

Tina

Persuasive Powers

Good Evening My Dears,

When last I wrote, things were starting to pall here in Auld Reekie.  I do not mean to suggest that Edinburgh is beginning to pall.  The love affair that I have with this city is still going strong.  I find something new and interesting on an almost daily basis.  However, as the jobs were not exactly falling out of the sky, I decided to focus on my social life.  In my last post I mentioned that I was going to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4 with a New in Edinburgh Meetup Group.  Well, I did.  The movie was entertaining, although it was most definitely not high art.  However, I met a woman from Germany who is even newer to Edinburgh than I, at this evening.   Aside from being strangers in a not so strange land, we are also neighbours.  She lives in Liberton which is a five minute bus ride from my own suburb of Gilmerton.  So today we met up and hightailed it to Ikea as she needed housewares and such.  You all know me and my propensity for housewares, me loves the housewares.  It also helps that I actually knew where I was going having been out to Straiton on a waste of time interview a couple weeks back.

On Saturday I went out drinking.  I know, shocked the hell out of me as well.  It was with the New in Edinburgh Meetup and I met a really cool Brazilian girl who is married to an English man.  I also met a woman who just finished her PhD in English lit.  Now I did not tell her that her degree might make it more difficult for her to find a job, but I speak from experience, having lost out on a job because I hold a graduate degree.  There were boys there are well, but they were consumed by the ManU vs. Barcelona game so there was no talking to them, was there?  Actually, I got rather caught up in it myself so that was alright.  And naturally, they don't like ManU here in Scotland, they have a thing against successful teams apparently.  Plus, they are English.

I also attended a creative writing group where (AEA (against editorial advice)) I read a prologue to a larger novel I am working on.  The comments were good and I have rewritten most of it as a result.  We'll see how it goes.

On the job front, things are looking better.  I have shortlisted to second interview for a company called Black Rock Investments and while it is a temporary job, it is still a job.  Fingers crossed, please.  There are a couple of other things in the pipeline as well, but they may not be live until mid-June.  It seems that I have persuaded someone that I am actually pretty good at what I do and that I am one cool chick, hooray for spin.  That is all I have for now, gentle readers.

Next Up: A Dance Lesson, A Birthday Party, and an interview.  Oh, My!

Cheerio for Now,

Tina