January 30, 2016 at 7:08 am
Ivanova (1/29/2016)
Beatrix Kiddo (1/29/2016)
At risk of revealing too much, I think I'm in this position right now, and wondering how on earth to get out of it without adversely affecting my CV. (I only found out after joining this place that hardly anybody stays more than a couple of months.) I really want to cut my losses and make a fresh start, but I know how bad it looks to leave after 6-7 months.I wouldn't worry about having one short stay on the CV. It's a proactive thing to say you realised early on that the place was a bad fit (or whatever sounds positive), and in the interests of your career the best thing was to put it right and move asap.
It's when a CV contains a series of short stays that it starts to imply to the recruiter that here is a person who may be a problematic colleague if we hire them.
One or two short stays are not bad.
I think the most passive way to advertise your resume is to use LinkedIn or create profiles on Indeed.com just to reserve your names. I get a lot of emails and messages just based on that. Most employers won't even care you did that unless you manage to go out there and change your title to, "Looking For Next New Opportunity!" 😎
February 8, 2016 at 6:33 am
Thanks; I hope you're right. I'm very concerned that I'm getting de-skilled here. It's really sad; nobody cares, nobody wants to do anything well, nobody wants to improve anything. I don't want to become like that!
February 8, 2016 at 7:01 am
Beatrix Kiddo (2/8/2016)
Thanks; I hope you're right. I'm very concerned that I'm getting de-skilled here. It's really sad; nobody cares, nobody wants to do anything well, nobody wants to improve anything. I don't want to become like that!
Smart people find a way to thrive even in the midst of chaos. If I were you, I'd install SQL Server 2015 Developer edition my PC and just start developing SSIS packages and SSRS reports to automate and visualize those routine tasks and ad-hoc reuqests that you typically do manually. Even if there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that any of your stuff will get official sanction from management, much less deployed to production, it will at least help you become more production and in the process you'll gain some experience that will prove useful down the road. When the window of opportunity opens, you'll be poised and ready to leap.
https://medium.com/@ChielReemer/25-ways-to-thrive-in-the-midst-of-chaos-186303091265#.ygqdsedga
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
February 8, 2016 at 7:16 am
We're not allowed to install anything on our PCs (yeah), but it's a sound idea. I'm doing my best to stay motivated, but when nobody else cares it's quite difficult :-D. Thanks though.
February 8, 2016 at 4:11 pm
David.Poole (1/28/2016)
Curious what constitutes a suspicious gap, and does this apply when looking for contractors? What about a contractor looking for a permanent position now?
Very short employment periods, lots of breaks in between. That in conjunction with a busy market.
I appreciate that this might not sound fair but the recruitment process is expensive and time consuming. It's a cost, not revenue generating activity.
I rather think of it as an "investment"... make the wrong one and you can go broke. Make the right one and serious gains can be had.
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
February 8, 2016 at 4:14 pm
Beatrix Kiddo (2/8/2016)
We're not allowed to install anything on our PCs (yeah), but it's a sound idea. I'm doing my best to stay motivated, but when nobody else cares it's quite difficult :-D. Thanks though.
Ask them to install it and explain why. It'll be good for the company and the cost amounts to chump change compared to all the value it could bring the company in your additional knowledge. Just a note of encouragement... when no one else cares, the people that do tend to shine more brightly either at the current job or during an interview. 😉
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
February 9, 2016 at 2:20 am
I've asked and they won't. It's like the early 90s round here. I've taken to watching Brent Ozar's training videos on my own phone. Even Microsoft Virtual Academy is blocked!
I'm going to make an exit plan this weekend.
February 9, 2016 at 2:31 am
Your current employer will lose anyone who still has any initiative.....and they will deserve to lose them. You dig your tunnel and escape. I promise you, you will feel so much better for taking back control!
I recommend researching possible new employers on a site such as Glassdoor, which publishes reviews of companies by current and past staff. Last time I moved, I checked out both my then current employer, and the one I applied to. I could vouch for the accuracy of the Glassdoor reviews of the company I knew, and inferred that it was worth making the jump because the new company had good reviews.
Good luck. Keep us posted as to how you get on.
February 9, 2016 at 4:19 am
Jeff Moden (2/8/2016)
Beatrix Kiddo (2/8/2016)
We're not allowed to install anything on our PCs (yeah), but it's a sound idea. I'm doing my best to stay motivated, but when nobody else cares it's quite difficult :-D. Thanks though.Ask them to install it and explain why. It'll be good for the company and the cost amounts to chump change compared to all the value it could bring the company in your additional knowledge. Just a note of encouragement... when no one else cares, the people that do tend to shine more brightly either at the current job or during an interview. 😉
Beatrix you sound like in the exact same spot that I am in, struggling to stay motivated where nobody else is motivated! What I do is I sit here reading through my notes all day then go home and practice of some VMs, just making sure I am still relevant to the world.
February 9, 2016 at 8:50 am
I'm sorry, it's a rubbish position to be in. I do think that it's important to get out and not be dragged down with the rest.
February 9, 2016 at 9:12 am
Beatrix Kiddo (2/9/2016)
I'm sorry, it's a rubbish position to be in. I do think that it's important to get out and not be dragged down with the rest.
It is indeed.
Always remember that you sell your services to your employer. It's that attitude as much as they're giving you a job that lets you retain some freedom.
Make decisions as though your job is your business. Does this work for me? Do I want to go elsewhere? Are there advantages here?
I'd certainly continue to brush up on, and improve, my skills on SQL 2005 if I were there. Lots of T-SQL to get better at that applies from 2005-2016. Learn newer stuff on your own, but don't get caught up in only new stuff.
February 25, 2016 at 4:36 pm
I'm hoping that I will never have to create another resume the rest of my life.
February 26, 2016 at 8:16 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (2/9/2016)
I'd certainly continue to brush up on, and improve, my skills on SQL 2005 if I were there. Lots of T-SQL to get better at that applies from 2005-2016. Learn newer stuff on your own, but don't get caught up in only new stuff.
Good advice. There's always loads more to learn, and since I've been here I have been able to consolidate my knowledge of some of the less fashionable bits of being a DBA :-D. It's never a waste of time if you're learning something. Also the pay is good, so I know how lucky I am compared to the alternative. I'll quit my whining and carry on watching my training videos on my phone ;-).
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