BrucieWeb

Some nuggets:

There is a team of the month scheme, £500 for the best team, the last team that won painted their room pink (???!!!!)

We have lots of different people working here, from 18 years olds that cant get up in the morning (that would annoy me) to 60 year old duffers

A third of our new staff don’t make it through the 3 month probation (What?? How come??)

Someone with your experience will be immediately be given 7 projects to run

You have to bring in over £30,000 per month or your out

Some people hate the fact that we have no policies and procedures (I’m one of them mate)

We have no sales people, you do the sales too (how the hell would I have time for that??)

Massive risk for me, zero risk for them. I could be out of a job in 3 months if it didn’t work out. I have a massive feeling it would be a sink or swim situation, with them having little inclination to spend time getting me up to speed, then wondering why I was struggling. Kind of thinking the zany, young, funky agency is not really me. At the Trust, I bemoan the fact that it is old, slow and stuck in the past, perhaps I am looking for a happy medium, with a decent support network. Or, am I just being massively risk adverse?

I did not take to the guy I met, David Burgess at all. He came across unprepared, unprofessional, flippant and juvenile.

Fuckit, I’m not taking it, next move has to be pretty perfect, and this is far from that.

Intrigued to see if I get it mind!

Got this this morning:

Hi Bruce

I hope all is well with you!

I would like to invite you to a 2nd interview on Thursday, either early morning (9.00 a.m.) or from 4 p.m. onwards.

Please confirm which is convenient?

Many thanks
Jane

Amusingly, while discussing it with Dad over e-mail. Wicked, slight anti-climax, only slightly, kind of thought I would get one mind you!

I mentioned it to Bob, he has offered a reference, which is very kind of him. What a great idea, he would be a big gun to have in my corner, I have been slightly concerned about the reference – seeing I am not well thought of by my current superiors, and they have no idea what I do.

If I could get Judith also, I could offer them Bob, Judith, Mark, Catherine and Liz.

Oh well, roll on Thursday – exciting indeed…no idea what the format is, or who I am meeting. I fully expected this stage mind you. Thankfully no role play, assessment or presentations required so far.

So, I’ve been down to see them at the Reading Room. I had e-mailed earlier in the day to ask who I would be meeting, and they told me I would be meeting the Director of Operations, David Burgess – whoop, nervous as hell.

Put a fake meeting in the diary and I was off. Was nervous as hell, felt my big fat face getting red.

On arrival, I was told that I would no longer be meeting with David, but with Lidia Oshlyansky, Senior User Experience Analyst. She is a clever chick:

RR Bio | UCL Page | Facebook

I immediately felt at ease with her. We had a chat about her being able to use the lift as she was with a guest, I told her a story about the Royal Society and sustainable fishing for some reason? She was really nice, she seemed to like what I was saying, and was impressed with my CV. It would be very different to what I am doing at the moment.

Of course, she asked the question I was dreading, why do you want to leave Wellcome. She is an academic with a Phd from UCL and knew about Wellcome. I tried to say how I wanted to get back into an agency setting and do project work and have more responsibility for running my own team, that kind of stuff.

She then said, ‘Come on, am an American, you can be candid with me, it’s coz your bored isn’t it?’ I had to agree. She mentioned a few things like how stressful it is and how busy I would be an all the responsibility of the job. She summed up with she thought it would be exactly what I would be looking for.

It seemed like she was responding really well, saying things like ‘if you chose to work here’ and ‘If you accept the role here’ – good open language like that.

As a senior role at the firm, I would get to work in ‘Group’ as they call it, which is the floor with all the senior managers and the directors, for 6 weeks to 2 months orientation, so I get to know the business, before I move to my own floor and run my own projects with my own team.

She let me know a few things about the company, that it is still a family run company, sounds like the joint CEO’s, Simon and Margaret. Margret’s sister runs the Oz operation. All very cool. I mentioned NYC | Dubai | Bristol. She said they were very embryonic at this stage. She was interested to hear that I grew up in Abu Dhabi.

It would be great experience, very hard work and it would be stressful I think. I would have to be completely different in my approach to work, but you know what, a place like that would want you to be.

I’m kicking myself now, that I didn’t ask what the next stage would be.

I hope I hear from them, or do I?

This just in…

Dear Bruce

I would like to invite you to attend an informal half hour interview on Friday 13th June @ 14.00 p.m. Our offices are based at 65-66 Frith Street, Soho. Dress code is informal.

Many thanks

Jane

Wow – excellent. I am well excited about this actually. Not to get to carried away, but this is EXACTLY what I have been looking for. A good job in a funky digital agency in the heart of Soho-lio.

It played out like thus:-

10th June, 12.48pm – Recieved an update e-mail from Design Week, with this article:

Reading Room moves into Web recruitment

Digital marketing and design consultancy Reading Room is opening an on-line recruitment division, building careers websites.

Followed the link and got excited, they are growing, fast, wonder if there is anything for me:

Meanwhile, Reading Room is seeking to open offices in Dubai, Bristol and New York over the next two years. It is considering two joint ventures with marketing agencies in Dubai.

Reading Room has made an internal appointment to the post of divisional managing director, Dubai, but reports that it is finding it difficult to secure office space in there.

As a result, Reading Room chief executive Margaret Manning expects the Dubai office to open within six months.

The consultancy is also looking to recruit a divisional managing director for the new Bristol office, which it intends to open in about a year.

Finally, Reading Room hopes to launch a New York office in 2009-2010.

‘New York is a tough market, but having done some research into it we believe that our point of differentiation in the US will be our visual and technical creativity,’ says Manning. ‘We are not underestimating how tough this move will be, however.’

Quick click over to their site and there was indeed:

We are looking for project managers to join our busy team based in Soho.

You will be responsible for the management and delivery of innovative projects, you’ll provide strategic advice and act as the key contact to a diverse set of set of clients, from FMCG through lifestyle, to blue chip companies. You’ll be fully involved with business development and client relationship building. You’ll also head up multi-functional teams, providing project lead for designers and web developers, as well as strategic input on all projects in which you are involved.

With a good bachelors degree, or at least three years experience in a similar role, you’ll have experience of implementing technical projects. You’ll be an excellent communicator with strong interpersonal skills, and have experience and aptitude in building and managing relationships. You also be persuasive and confident in new business pitching. You’ll have a good understanding of digital communication and how it can be used to deliver business value.

So, I sent off this at 2pm:

Hello, I’m Bruce, 33, originally from Aberdeen in Scotland, and been working on the web since 1996.

I would draw your attention to my considerable web development and project management experience gained through diverse employers such as a the nhs, a web agency, a science academy and the UK’s largest charity.

I have managed many web site re/developments from initial scoping stages, through to functional specifications, tendering, development, documentation and launch. I am well organised, take full responsibility and am comfortable running projects from the cradle to the grave.

I have a keen and enthusiastic eye for creative, usable and intuitive web applications and am currently part of the usability and testing work stream of our £10m new grant system.

As well as my technical skills, I come with some handy interpersonal skills. I am comfortable presenting and pitching to clients, I have an easy professional manner about me that quickly puts people at ease and I find rapport and common ground quickly.

I am keen to progress my career and to have a more creative aspect to my working life. One of the things I miss most from working at an agency is the interactions with external clients. I used to get a real kick from providing a well tailored solution using the latest technology and working closely with my team to translate the numerous, often conflicting client briefs.

I’ve mainly been doing web project management/production jobs of late, I’m not looking for a programming position. I would be interested to know how much day to day programming would be required.

I also do a fair bit of training and support for my colleagues. I really enjoy staff management – at the moment I am managing remote teams of suppliers in London and South Africa.

Well, if any of the above has whetted your interest, please get in touch.

and got back this ten mins later :

Dear Bruce

Many thanks for your email. It would be good to find out a little more about you.

Can you please let me know your medium term career aspirations and how you perceive these to be complimentary to Reading Room.

It would also help to know your notice period, current salary and salary expectations.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

Jane

…so I sent them this:

Dear Jane

Thanks for your speedy reply.

My current career aspirations are fairly focused and I have already put a great deal of thought into what I’m looking for in my next move. Like you, I am looking for a good match, somewhere I can really get stuck in and make a great contribution – somewhere that encourages me to raise my game on a daily basis.

I would like to work for a smaller, tightly focused team of highly motivated professionals, in a successful company that is going places. I would like to be at the forefront of either a product or service that such a company offered, and in a position of responsibility and influence. Somewhere that rewards hard work and can offer a network of support, development and opportunity.

I hold usability and accessibility of web sites/applications in high regard. I would thoroughly enjoy working in an environment where this was ingrained, and not a bolt on. This benefits all of your customers, not just those perceived to have accessibility rights/needs.

I have a strong customer service focus, and this permeates through everything I do and how I relate to clients. I have been on the receiving end of some shockingly bad service from web agencies in the past, I can understand that a lot of your business comes from referrals, good service sticks out.

As well as a strong sense of customer service, I also like companies with personally and originality. As an example, I read a very interesting article this morning about a successful US online retailer called Zappos [http://tinyurl.com/5cqnx6] now; here is a company not afraid to change the staid rules of traditional business, invest a great deal in their employees to immerse them in their strong service culture.

As an ex developer, I find that clients appreciate talking to the monkey, not the organ grinder. Gone are the days where your developers sat in a dark room, and never saw a client. I’m a techy that can talk to people, this used to be unusual, I imagine less so now. As I no longer programme every day, I need to regularly sate my inner geek and attend every web/design conference in London I can get away with. A great place to share ideas with fellow professionals, and spend a few days dreaming of the bleeding edge.

I have a social conscience and am a believer of a fair work life balance and of treating colleagues and clients with clear transparent communication, dignity and respect. A company’s human resource is it’s most valuable. I reckon you guys feel the same – the trips to Paris and Barcelona looked fun!

I have found in the past happy motivated employees often result in happy satisfied clients – enthusiasm is infectious!

From reading your website, I feel that Reading Room also believe in the values I have outlined above, and feel we could potentially have a successful relationship. I searched for your site after reading about the appointment of Chris Skinner in Design Week, your plans for the future are tantalising, and if I am honest, I’d love to be a part of it.

Other details:

Notice period – 2 months (negotiable)
Current salary – £38k
Expectation – c£45k

Kind regards

Bruce.

and they got back with the interview invite the very next day! I had to reschedule as I am at Suzanne’s Mum’s funeral, so we have agreed on Wednesday 18th June @ 2pm.

Who knows…they just launched their new site today, want it even more now!