One should think that a week of acclimatising would be enough, but somehow I do not feel so motivated at all. And I like to blame it on jetlag, but I think a week is pretty long for that *grins*
I finally can look for paid work here and that both excites me as well as it freightens me. I have done a lot of creative things in the last 8 months, and now I have to choose what path to follow. I know it will be IT related and I also know that it will be focused on project work, as I cannot imagine myself doing the same thing day in day out for any number of years. But IT covers a broad spectrum, and my skills cover quite a few subjects within that spectrum.
One of the main sources to look for job vacancies is seek.com.au. And I set up an profile there and created an advanced search for possible jobs. There are plenty to go around, even tho there is lot said about economic crisis. My next problem is how to find a job that requires a nice blend of the skills I have and is interesting enough to do. While I write this, I realise how stuck up this sounds. I have never picked a job because it pays exceptionally or guarantees a safe income. I always looked for jobs that are interesting, offer a lot of variety, allows me to interact with users. And that is a very luxury position, I never had to accept just anything because of limited options. It also has a sense of freedom, I work because I like to work and the income it generates is needed as I am not wealthy enough to sit back permanently, but it is just part of the incentives.
So there I am, browsing for jobs 🙂 and I find a few job descriptions that seem to match my profile. I see a job description that fits me perfectly and I decide to apply. I give the recruiter a call and they seem quite keen, I am asked to send my resume and salary expectation. Now that poses a new problem, I have no idea what market-conform fees are for these jobs. The job description listed a minimum and a maximum salary value. Am I going for the maximum possible, or the minimum. How does my resume and old jobs compare to the new ones? I knew exactly what I was worth overseas, but it is not as simple as doing a conversion based on exchange rates. As I have been enjoying a sabatical for almost a year, I do not want to start with a high pressure, work till you drop dead job. I was thinking of doing short term well paid contracts. But this job opening seems to be exactly what I like. I sent my resume, and within hours I got a confirmation that they will present me to their client. Yay… I might be on my way. But my partner said I gave them a too low value for my salary expectation. We’ll see…