22Decembre

So, to those who have not followed, I now have a skilled job.

Recruitment deal

There was a job offer for a position as engineer in a prefabricated elements company, which was held through a recruitment company. I send an application (on tuesday), received a call two days later (on thursday) to fix an interview the day after (friday, the 11th of januar in 2017).

The interview goes well, it rolls and I leave with the feeling that I won it. One week later, no news, I send a mail to ask the recruitment guy about it. He says that the company is interested. Then no more news.

I send back mail and call two times. Finally I get a deal for a second interview in mid-march.

Second interview, as good as the first one, except that this time, I know I won. First interview is to know if you fit to the job, second is to discuss the conditions.

And there, I propose a deal. And I start the job two weeks later, the 3rd of april.

You may note that between the moment you meet you future boss for the first time and the moment you begin to work, you can get killed three time, move to a new flat, and, for women, get pregnant (or at least you can clearly see it). I was told this three months period is actually quite short. :D

COWI, the big danish engineering society, they take up to six months to just process and review your CV. Before the first interview.

What’s the deal ?

the deal is that, we hire the french guy, on a specific trial period with a little lower salary. That allows to see what he can do. It’s the danish model : we can well do business and deals, so long everyone is ok and gets their fair share. It is also flexible in hiring and firing conditions.

By the way, lower salary… still three times higher than what I did when working in a fruit warehouse. For the first time, I don’t worry about paying the bills and the rent.

I have a contract as funktionær, which has nothing to do with being a state employee, but rather with the fact that I get payed on a monthly basis rather than per hour. I work as a technician with a deal on evolution toward engineer responsibilities.

Recently (last thursday) I got a little discussion with the head engineer and my boss where we agreed on how it is going to do after the trial period and what each one wanted. I had a little scary moment when they asked me what I thought of my current position. Danish mentality has a focus on honesty and modesty. So, being cautious, I explained that drawing concrete all the time was something I master but is also a bit boring, but it was the deal and a good way to improve my skills and show what I can do.

I am very happy that they understood it and said it was the way they wanted to work with me, because they wished to have someone with the double set of skills.

My contract will so be renewed (easy, I can move) even if we keep easy firing conditions.

How is it to work here ?

Well, it’s cool.

There are pretty good vibes in the office. We get breakfast paid by the company (jam, bread, butter) and extra luxurious on friday with danish pastries.

Trust

My colleagues trust me, spontaneously. Management is light and I can leave whenever I feel like it. This does not mean we don’t check each other’s work. But I have can organize my work the way I feel best. I will simply coordinate with the colleagues what needs to be done soon or not. They also told me I could send mails in danish outside the company, which constitute a great proof of trust.

Respect

I put a lot of energy in learning the language, and today, it pays off. I don’t regret anything. My boss told me that this work, to learn danish, wok with the values, stay modest, go on the plant to see how they work with my drawings, all of that gained me a lot of respect.

I was afraid once when the team leader saw me arriving and pushed me back when I began asking questions.