Atlantic Xpat

No. I'm saying that if you are currently working from home for an employer, you should think through whether you want to apply for and obtain another job, before you go to the bother of accepting it and turning up for your first day at work. Deciding that it's not so convenient for you after you've been interviewed, made and accepted an offer & gone through a days training is not a way to win friends and influence people. Particularly when the person that you pissed off ends up being the person who decides whether you get an interview or not for another job and another company. It's a small world etc.

JB0591

Yep agree with this, think STAR....SiTuation, Action, Result.

Good luck and post how it went.

Also take a copy of your resumes and the job description....just in case it goes off course, I wish I had done that in my one of my interviews.

britsnake

I have been in a situation where I was offered two jobs I accepted one of them then got a much better offer from the other company.

I admit that I took the better offer. It was nothing personal, and I assume that they just hired the next best candidate.

6 months after starting the other job, my whole team was let go. Though I considered that being fooked with, I still had to be nice to them as I needed them to write a good reference.

Recruiter often seem to expect the world from you but when they have to let you go, it is just business.

To me it is just business, but I would not think to apply to a company I had done this to for many years.

Normally when I take a job, I explain that the probation period is not just for them to see if I am right for the job, but also to see if they are right for me. You can discover that in one day with some employers.

Atlantic Xpat

Taking the best offer is something many would do. But an understanding that the company where the first job was that you accepted, might not neccessarily be that philosophic about it might be useful.

Boris-canadabound

Hi all, thanks for all the tips and also the interesting discussion.

As it happens, it turned out to be an initial screening by HR type of interview and she is now handing my resume on to the managers for two different jobs within the firm. So I will just have to patient and see if I am called for a second interview.

nldfc

Thats actually a good thing - backward from the way our company does it but if you already got the go -ahead from HR then you just have to get the go-ahead from the manager and you are in with no surprises

Boris-canadabound

Well that would be nice. Ottawa isn't an easy place in which to find a suitable office job especially as my French leaves much to be desired! (I'm still working on it though). If I am offered a position I will post, if not, then it's back to the drawing board!

pdarwin

Now don't forget to follow up with a thank you for the interview email. Many places here seem to like that.
Just an email saying it was nice to meet with you/them today and after finding out more about your company and the position, that you're still interested. Also a good time to slip in a question about something you want to know relating to the work. Shows keenness.

Almost Canadian

Don't forget to also send them a Thank you card, an invitation to become their child's god-parent and a huge bunch of flowers/chocolate/raw vegetables with dip. Such items are, of course, completely superfluous, but is the way North Americans recruit

Souvy

For several weeks now, I have been in contact with a lady in Toronto. She arrived from Russia in 2005 and has a science background (researcher at Moscow University). She has had zero luck in getting a job. Go figure.

She applied to my company. We have nothing for her but I took her under my wing because her story sounds very familiar to me. I'm doing whatever I can to feed her contacts and make introductions.

It's not like me to be that nice (polishes halo). Then again, it's useful to me to be on friendly terms with a Russian-speaking scientist (stops polishing).

Atlantic Xpat

Might I observe that you altruism, observed through the filter of cynicism, sounds awfully dodgy? Russian woman, taking her under your wing? What does Souvette have to say about all this?

On the other hand with my cynic filter removed, good job. What kind of work is she looking for? Perhaps the BE collective can help.

Atlantic Xpat

I'm a British guy recruiting for a Canadian company. Don't bother with any of the above. Send booze. And a % cut of your first pay packet. Thanks.

pdarwin

I don't know your Russian lady of course, but one thing I've found after working several years in IT in Canada is that many immigrants come in with bags full of diplomas and degrees and are very IT capable, yet their communications skills let them down. Even if their knowledge of English is good, the pronunciation is too difficult for work colleagues and customers to comprehend. I've seen several really good IT guys lose jobs in the probation period just because of this. Shame really.

Souvy

I've never met her. I doubt that anyone on here can help her. She's a number-cruncher.

nldfc

Nothing what so ever to do with the Russian lady you know but lately we had a couple of russians doing day rate work for us , when we double checked their resumes , neither the qualifications or the work experienced checked out