 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Editorial Ash Nallawalla ash@melbpc.org.au |
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Newer members may not have heard of our largely dormant employment
networking group. It has its own Web page and mailing list, which you will find at http://melbpcnet.listbot.com. If you are looking for work and/or wish to
discuss your experiences with others, you will find a sign-up form for the mailing list.
One reason the networking group is largely dormant is because I started it, following an article in PC Update
in which I detailed my 15-month period of underunemployment or unemployment. I was already employed when I
started the networking group and needed someone else to take responsibility for it. Some others in that group
also found work and were unavailable to take over. You can read the full article online at http://www.melbpc.org.au/pcupdate/ and look up the November 1998 issue, but I will repeat
four paragraphs below:
Get to know how well your company is doing. Ask yourse f how long could you survive f nancially if you
lost your job without warning. What type of package can you expect from your employer? Only you can answer
those questions and make allowances for a financial buffer.
I had misread the warning signs because our Australian subsidiary had been doing well, compared to others. It
did not occur to me that we would be downsized to save the distant parent company. Some weeks after I left,
four others were retrenched, without the benefit of the "package" that 1 received. Over the past months, I
have noticed this happening to some other multinational IT companies too.
If your employer's future looks you be better off lending your shoulder to the wheel, perhaps helping to save
your own job, or look for a new employer?
I recommend finding a new job. For inexplicable reasons, you have more credibility when you apply while you
are employed than when you are not. Once you are unemployed, the matter of redundancy is irrelevant to your
prospective employer, but the state of unemployment reflects on your ability to be employed.
I have received a few enquiries about our networking group over the months and sometimes the group receives
notification of job vacancies, which are e-mailed to the mailing list. I am unable to give much time to this
worthy project because my job takes me out of the city or country at a day's notice. We need a person who has
some time to resuscitate the project and take it to new heights. If you are interested, please sign up for
the mailing list and identify yourself. Perhaps you can write an article about job opportunities for our
members?
The Editors
I would like to explain how this magazine is structured, as there is some understandable confusion, judging
from some letters that are sent to us. The group is the publisher. I am the honorary Editor but I only look
after this page and product reviews. Major Keary is the honorary Book Reviews Editor. He looks after
book reviews and writes some feature articles. Stan Johnstone maintains our online edition.
Gary Taig is the Features Editor and he
is the Producer under a contractual arrangement; he determines the overall content. Gary is also the
production Manager and looks after every aspect of production including advertising, typesetting, printing
and delivery.
Please use the address pcupdate@melbpc.org.au to write to Gary
and me; this includes all submissions for publication. We cannot emphasise enough that we need more writers,
so if you are interested, please contact us. A style guide is available on the PC Update Web page, as
is an author release form.
The Survey
To find out your needs, we have devised a single, shorter online survey for you this year. A printed copy is
also enclosed for members who don't have Internet access or don't trust the anonymity of our Internet
service. Please go to http://www.melbpc.org.au/surveys/ and
complete the survey. The results will be published later this year.
Reprinted from the September 2000 issue of PC Update, the
magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
